When Justin Marks launched Trackhouse Racing in 2021, even he could not have foreseen the heights the team would scale in 2022 with the debut of the Next Gen car in the Cup Series. But as the rest of the field learned the machinery, rivals quickly closed the gap. Yet after a year and a half in the doldrums, Trackhouse has found its rhythm again this season, racking up five regular-season wins.
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Shane van Gisbergen’s four road course wins and Ross Chastain’s Coca-Cola 600 success at Charlotte have been cornerstones of that resurgence. With Connor Zilisch looking set to join the roster next season, Marks is eyeing another wave of success.
Discussing the Trackhouse 2.0 overhaul with fresh personnel and drivers, he said, “I think as we sit here today, I’m probably more excited about the future of this company than I’ve been ever, since day one. And I think that started with hiring Todd Meredith, our President of Racing Operations, who’s come in the first three weeks and really done a very deep dive into the organization.”
Praising Meredith’s wealth of executive know-how, Marks noted his skill in assembling top-tier teams, squeezing every ounce of opportunity from each race week, allocating budgets wisely, structuring personnel effectively, and investing in the right tools. Bringing him aboard, Marks said, has truly set the 2.0 process in motion.
Two weeks ago in Nashville, Meredith laid out his blueprint, leaving Marks “fired up and so excited” about fortifying the team’s workforce and resources. According to Marks, they are in the midst of that transformation and could roll it out at Daytona in 2026. By then, he expects Trackhouse to be stronger than at any point since its inception.
Marks credits early success to execution with Next Gen cars
Just a year into the team’s debut, Chastain had closed the 2022 season in P2 while Suarez settled for P10. The momentum, however, was hindered in 2023 and 2024, with the No. 1 driver sliding to P9 and then P19, and Suarez ending his third Cup season with the team in P19 without a win before climbing to 12th the following year.
Looking back on the swings, Marks admitted that every team rides out peaks and valleys, with success driven by knowledge, technology, and process. He attributed their 2022 surge to the early adoption phase of the Next Gen car.
In 2022 and 2023, the team’s approach boiled down to flawless execution, simply putting the car on track and performing to plan, something Trackhouse excelled at, which played directly into their strengths and fueled their strong results.
But as the season wore on, Marks saw the tide turn, with established teams unlocking the car’s potential and sharpening their strategies. Now, with the competitive landscape shifting again with new drivers and personnel in his team, Marks expects the team to deliver a stronger showing next year.
