Justin Marks founded Trackhouse Racing in 2020 and has built it into one of the most competitive teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. Needless to say, he has taken this project on with a lot of passion and the goal to expand the sport’s boundaries. Even as he continues proving himself to be a capable leader, he admits that he is still learning a lot from every step he takes.
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The latest step, and perhaps the one that’s bound to become the most fruitful, is bringing Connor Zilisch into the Cup Series. The youngster impressed the racing world with his stellar performance in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last year and is joining the team as a full-time driver in 2026. There is something extremely crucial that he has taught Marks in this process.
The team owner detailed in an interview with RACER magazine that he is still learning how to judge young drivers and assess their future potential. In his words, “I am learning that. The experience with Connor has been helpful for me. I am starting to identify the framework that I think shows the real potential for future success at the highest levels. Definitely saw it in Connor.”
Justin Marks on Racers Unchained: There’s a lot of fast drivers, but not everyone’s a unicorn. Work ethic, maturity, and rate of adaptability are key for @JustinMarksTH and @TeamTrackhouse. #RACER #NASCAR #ConnorZilisch #TrackHouseRacing pic.twitter.com/9GK3Ro5kfb
— RACER (@RACERHQ) January 30, 2026
To test whether his framework was right, is why he joined Zilisch as a teammate in a Trans-Am race at the Virginia International Raceway. He was analyzing how the driver sat in meetings, approached races, and worked in a holistic sense. “He just totally blew me away,” he quipped, before continuing.
Every year, the number of young drivers who want to make it to the big leagues keeps increasing. This makes the jobs of team owners like Marks extremely hard. “I am starting to recognize what that is,” he said. “The work ethic, maturity, focus… but you know, to me, the biggest thing is rate of adaptability. You know, how fast you can learn.”
It is vital for a driver to experience new things, understand them, and deploy the learnings right away. Zilisch now has a full-time seat at Trackhouse Racing because he did that. The relationship between Marks and him is already mutually beneficial. Hopefully, it will continue to be more so as the season progresses.
