Trackhouse Racing Team

Trackhouse Racing
Owner(s)	Justin Marks Armando Christian “Pitbull” Pérez
Base	Concord, North Carolina
Series	NASCAR Cup Series
Drivers	1. Ross Chastain 99.Daniel Suarez
Sponsors	1. Busch Beer, Kubota, Worldwide Express, Jockey, Loyal Order of Moose 99. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Freeway Insurance, Quaker State, Jockey, Worldwide Express, CommScope, Coca-Cola, Kubota, Choice Privileges
Manufacturer	Chevrolet
Opened	2020
Career
Debut	2021 Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway)
Drivers' Championships	0
Victories	8
Pole positions	3

Trackhouse Racing is an American stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. They field the No. 1 Chevrolet for Ross Chastain, and No. 99 Chevrolet for Daniel Suárez. It also fields the No. 91 Chevrolet on a part-time basis. The team is owned by Trackhouse Entertainment Group, a venture of Justin Marks and Grammy Award-winning rapper Armando Christian “Pitbull” Pérez. They have a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing.

HISTORY:

After Leavine Family Racing announced the sale of its assets in summer 2020, former NASCAR Cup Series driver Justin Marks placed a bid on the sale. LFR eventually sold their assets to Spire Motorsports. On August 14, 2020, Marks confirmed the creation of his own team, Trackhouse, and revealed that former Dale Earnhardt Incorporated executive Ty Norris had been brought on to help run the team. On January 15, 2021, It was announced that Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, had assumed an ownership role in the team. On June 30, 2021, Trackhouse announced the purchase of the NASCAR operations of Chip Ganassi Racing, and along with it the two charters for the No. 1 & No. 42 teams. Thus, they expanded to two cars in 2022.

Car No. 1 History

On August 3, 2021, the team announced that Ross Chastain would drive the second car, the No. 1, in 2022.

In 2022, Chastain began the season with a 40th place finish in the Daytona 500 and a 29th place finish at Fontana. He rebounded with a third place finish at Las Vegas, then 2 back-to-back second place finishes at Phoenix and Atlanta. Chastain scored his first career Cup win at COTA. A month later, he claimed his second victory at Talladega. Chastain finished 22nd in the NASCAR All-Star Race after colliding with Kyle Busch. At the Indianapolis Road Course, Chastain crossed the line second, but was penalized and finished 27th for crossing the access road on the final restart. Chastain qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs and made the Championship 4 after the “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville, driving full throttle along the outside wall through turn 3 & 4 on the final lap, crossing the line in fifth place (but was credited with a fourth place finish after Brad Keselowski was disqualified during post race inspection). He finished third during the Season Finale 500. Chastain finished the 2022 season 2nd in Points, with 2 wins, 15 Top-5s and 21 Top-10s.

In 2023, Chastain started the season with 2 consecutive Top 10 finishes, and 4 Top 10s in the first 7 races. However, after finishing fifth at Kansas, Noah Gragson confronted Chastain over a racing incident which resulted in Gragson hitting the wall. Gragson shoved Chastain, who retaliated with a punch to the face. Chastain would win his first pole and race of the season at Nashville, and On July 11, it was announced that Anheuser-Busch signed a multi-year contract to sponsor the #1 starting in 2024. Chastain would qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs, but failed to advance from the Round of 12 following the Bank of America Roval 400. Chastain won the final race of the season and finished ninth in the points standings, with 2 wins, 10 Top-5s, and 14 Top-10s.

Car No. 91 History

On May 24, 2022, Trackhouse announced the creation of Project91, a part-time entry that aims to put international drivers behind the wheel in the Cup Series. The team was due to compete in one race during the 2022 season, and additional races in 2023. Two days later, it was announced that 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen would be driving the No. 91 car at Watkins Glen. He finished 37th after crashing on Lap 45. He returned in 2023, finishing 29th at COTA.

On May 18, 2023, the team announced that New Zealand driver Shane Van Gisbergen would make his NASCAR debut at the Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Course. Van Gisbergen qualified in third place and won the race, becoming the first driver in the modern era in NASCAR, and the first driver in 60 years to win his debut race.

Car No. 99 History

On October 7, 2020, the team announced they were running full time in 2021 with Daniel Suárez as driver. Later, the team announced it leased a charter from Spire Motorsports to guarantee itself an entry into every 2021 race. Trackhouse aligned with Richard Childress Racing as an engine provider for 2021 as well as operating on RCR’s campus. Marks chose the No. 99 to pay tribute to Carl Edwards. On November 13, former JR Motorsports crew chief Travis Mack was announced as the No. 99’s crew chief. Suárez scored the team’s first top-five with a fourth-place finish at the Bristol Dirt Race. Suárez finished the 2021 season 25th in points with 1 Top-5 and 4 Top-10 finishes.

In 2022, Suárez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a Cup Series race at Sonoma. He also won the NASCAR All-Star Open for the second time in his career, earning a place in the All Star Race where he finished fifth. Suárez qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs, but was eliminated in the Round of 12. He finished the season 10th in points, with 1 win, 6 Top-5’s, and 13 Top-10 finishes.

In 2023, Suárez started the season with a seventh place finish in the Daytona 500 followed by a fourth place finish at Fontana and a tenth place finish at Las Vegas. On March 29, he was fined $50,000 for intentionally bumping Alex Bowman on pit road following the race at COTA. Suarez finished the season 19^th in points, missing the playoffs, with no wins, 3 Top-5s, 10 Top-10s and 1 pole.

External Links:

• Official Website
• Trackhouse Racing (Owner statistics at Racing-Reference)