It hasn’t been easy. Despite Justin Marks and musician Pitbull building a solid foundation for Trackhouse Racing, competing against the very best at NASCAR’s highest level is easier said than done. In a sport defined by fine margins, the competition can be fierce, which means consistently running up front and challenging for championships can be an uphill climb.
However, could Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain’s finishes in Las Vegas prove to be a turning point for Trackhouse Racing? Time will tell. Both racers showed a lightning-fast pace at the 1.5-mile oval, with the Mexican being unlucky not to walk away with a triumph at the Pennzoil 400.
The underlying reasons behind Trackhouse Racing’s struggles
Despite making strong progress, the team is still finding its footing in the Cup Series, coming to terms with details such as race strategy, pit crew efficiency, and race setups, aspects that come with time and experience. Even though they have competent drivers in Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and, most recently, Shane van Gisbergen, the team is still coming to terms with competing against NASCAR’s heavyweights. The results are there for all to see.
Two years. That’s how long it has taken for Trackhouse Racing to feature both its drivers in the Cup Series’ top five. And it’s just the third time in the team’s history, as pointed out by Daniel Cespedes on X. The team has shown plenty of promise ever since it was founded by Justin Marks in 2020. Ross Chastain made the Championship 4 in 2022 after a stunning wall ride at Martinsville. However, it’s no secret that they have also struggled to meet expectations, especially in comparison to their alliance partner Hendrick Motorsports. While some may call it growing pains, others believe they have failed to deliver because of inexperience.
Daniel Suarez hasn’t won a race since the 2024 Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, while Ross Chastain is currently on an 11-race winless streak. As for Shane van Gisbergen, the Kiwi won his debut race at the Chicago Street Course but hasn’t enjoyed the same fortune in his six appearances for Trackhouse Racing since then.
Today, Trackhouse finished two cars in the Top 5 for the the first time in over two years and for just the 3rd time in team history pic.twitter.com/qaWeZAF0k8
— Daniel Céspedes (@_DanielCespedes) March 16, 2025
Trackhouse Racing’s underperformance is surprising, considering that the team has a technical alliance with NASCAR’s most successful team, Hendrick Motorsports. The partnership, which was sealed in 2021, helps Justin Marks’ team get engineering, technology, and data from Rick Hendrick’s side to fast-track their journey in becoming serious title contenders. It’s a tactic 23XI Racing has also implemented with Joe Gibbs Racing, and Michael Jordan’s co-owned team made it to the Championship 4 in 2024. However, not everyone has enjoyed the same fortunes, even though the result in Las Vegas is a promising one for Trackhouse.
Ross Chastain weighs in on his team’s performance in Vegas
Things were not looking good for Trackhouse Racing. Going into the 2025 Pennzoil 400, none of the teams’ drivers finished higher than 19th in qualifying after struggling for pace at the 1.5-mile oval. Despite desperately scrambling to gain track position in the opening stage, the trio didn’t manage to break into the top 10 after the opening 80 laps concluded. However, by adopting a more patient approach, both Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez secured some points by the end of Stage 2, finishing third and seventh, respectively.
Chastain, who lined up behind Suarez in the restart during the closing laps, attempted to give his Trackhouse Racing teammate a push to get the lead. Looking back at how things went down, the racer said, “I was fully committed to him (Suarez) and happy to do it.” When asked about his team’s performance, he said, “It’s huge. The last thing I said to [Suárez] was it’s pretty cool to be talking about finishing second and fifth and legitimately running up there. It’s so frustrating because I saw how close Daniel was. Daniel had the better Trackhouse car today and for him to be so close, it’s a bummer.”
Suarez, whose contract is ending at the end of the year, is fighting for his future at Trackhouse Racing. With ‘generational talent’ Connor Zilisch on the sidelines, waiting for his Cup Series chance, the competition is fierce at Justin Marks’ team. They may have made slow, but steady progress at NASCAR’s highest level, but the future is looking bright, especially with a promising young driver waiting to take the reigns and go wheel-to-wheel against the sports’ heavyweights. Do you think this result is a sign of the future for Trackhouse or merely a one-off result? Let us know in the comments!
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