33-year-old Brandon McReynolds runs Clear 28 Agency, a business operation that focuses on athlete marketing partnerships. When he isn’t donning a business suit and closing deals, he is on top of the spotter’s stand guiding Trackhouse Racing superstar Ross Chastain to victory lane. This intense hustle is something the racing world admires in the son of the iconic crew chief Larry McReynolds.
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Ten years back, Brandon was part of the NASCAR Next program that aids in the development of young drivers. He was turning laps in the K&N Pro Series hoping to make it to the Cup Series someday. It was in these years that he first came across Chastain, the son of a watermelon farmer from Florida. Little did the duo imagine then that they would be competing for championships together in the future.
That was a fun day. @BMR_NASCAR team had that car dialed in. Good seeing @WilliamByron run p2 that day. https://t.co/gaxt7p1Rfi
— Brandon McReynolds (@Bmcreynolds28) May 17, 2024
In a recent interview with Rubbin is Racing, Chastain explained how his chemistry with Brandon is off the charts. The latter’s calm demeanor during races is one of the things that the Florida native has come to greatly appreciate. “We’ve raced together, we’ve been friends before we worked together – which is always a tough balance, right? But we work really well together.”
Listening to the driver-spotter audios from competitor radio has only made Chastain appreciate his relationship with Brandon better. He revealed that the spotter was as calm as a saint even when he pulled the insane ‘Hail Melon’ move at Martinsville in 2022. Chastain continued to narrate, “When I listened back to it, he was silent for most of the wall ride. And then off of four, he just says ‘Hold it up there.’”
The grievous mistake that Brandon McReynolds made in 2014
Brandon never got to race in the top three national series as much as he would’ve liked. Destiny carved him a different route than the one he intended for but he has embraced and shone in this role. Talking to Pit Pass Network in 2022, he detailed the one thing he would like to have changed in his professional career. He pointed out the mistake he made in 2014 by not focusing on his performance.
“I spent that entire year thinking I should be racing in the Truck Series and to be honest, I was trying to look too far down the road. The statement you hear from athletes/coaches is so true. “Focus on what is in front of you”, “Don’t get too far ahead, and let your world get too big.” Maybe correcting that wrong would’ve made him Chastain’s competitor instead of spotter.
However, the #1 driver would surely prefer the way things are now. The team-up is yet to finalize a spot in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. They have one more chance to do so as the sport travels to Darlington for the Southern 500 next weekend. Chastain will be relying on the wisdom and professionalism of McReynolds to help him coast through to victory lane.
