Derek Kneeland (born June 20, 1986) is an American professional spotter and stock car racing driver who works for Richard Childress Racing as a spotter of their No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series driven by Austin Hill (previously the No. 8 driven by Kyle Busch), and the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, also driven by Austin Hill. As a driver, he competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 28 Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group.
Kneeland has previously worked for teams such as Chip Ganassi Racing and Rev Racing.
Career Kneeland first began racing at the age of eight, where he raced in go-karts at Patrick Motor Speedway up until the track shut down when he was 17. After that, his driving career was halted.
Kneeland's first spotting job came when he served as a spotter for Corey Williams, a driver in the PASS South Super Late Model Series. He would later build a friendship with fellow driver Brian Scott, and eventually spotted for him when Scott entered into the ARCA Re/Max Series.
On March 3, 2026, it was revealed that Kneeland will make his debut in the ARCA Menards Series East at Hickory Motor Speedway, driving the No. 28 Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group.
As a driver, Kneeland has competed in series such as the PASS North Super Late Model Series, the PASS National Championship Super Late Model Series, the UARA National Late Model Series, the Oxford Crown Jewel Triple Crown Series, and the NASCAR Weekly Series.
Personal life Kneeland's father, Jeff, was a former racing driver who competed in the 1970s, and his grandfather was a former general manager of the now-defunct Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
Motorsports career results
ARCA Menards Series East (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ARCA Menards Series East results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pts Ref 2026 Pinnacle Racing Group 28 Chevy HCY CAR NSV TOL IRP FRS IOW BRI 45th 40
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