Justin Marks plans to have a third Trackhouse Chevrolet in the future – The team boss wants to give the car to stars from all over the world
NASCAR is becoming more international, at least if Trackhouse team boss Justin Marks has his way. That’s why the racing team wants to enter a third car in the Cup Series in the future, which will offer space for racing stars from all over the world. The team is getting support from pop star Pitbull and has a strong full-time duo in Ross Chastain as well as Daniel Suarez.
The programme is called “Project 91” and alludes to the starting number 91, which Marks has taken under his nails for the third Chevrolet Camaro. The car is expected to debut as early as the current 2022 season and offer an international driver the opportunity to experience NASCAR. The sport is dominated by Americans, with only trackhouse driver Suarez driving under the Mexican flag.
Yet NASCAR has established a presence outside the United States of America with three series. In Mexico, Canada and Europe there are independent championships with their own cars, tracks and formats, all sanctioned by NASCAR. With Trackhouse, there would be an opportunity here to build a bridge to the series.
Since 2022, there has even been a NASCAR team with roots in the Netherlands. Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve competed for Team Hezeberg at the Daytona 500, while Loris Hezemans, who won the 2021 NASCAR European Championship, will contest the circuit races and gain oval experience in the lower leagues to hit the ground running in the Cup Series in 2023. The third trackhouse chevy takes NASCAR a notch more international.
But which drivers are Marks considering? IndyCar and sports car drivers in the crosshairs. “I believe the next-gen car can elevate NASCAR onto the global motorsport stage,” Marks said. “We have a car with internationally relevant technology that world-class drivers from other disciplines can use to experience NASCAR racing at the highest level.”
Marks said the learning curve in the new next-gen car, introduced for the 2022 season, is not as long as the previous model. NASCAR has revolutionised with the new car: The rigid axle, the four-speed H-shift and the five wheel nuts are history. There’s also a rear diffuser and a unit chassis that has made competition tighter. Marks says his project will help attract motorsport champions from around the world to the NASCAR series.
