Trackhouse Has Grand-Slam Saturday At The Glen

Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain kickstarted a stellar Saturday at Watkins Glen International for the fourth-year organization. (Gavin Baker/NKP photo)

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – It was difficult, if not impossible, to find a happier person in the Watkins Glen International paddock at the end of the day Saturday than Justin Marks.

Marks, the driver-turned-businessman who now co-owns Trackhouse Racing alongside international rap artist Pitbull, watched his organization all but command the day at the 2.45-mile, natural-terrain road course.

It started with Trackhouse NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain earning the pole for the second race of the Round of 16 in the playoffs, marking Chastain’s second career Cup Series pole and first on a road course.

In that qualifying session, both Chastain and teammate Daniel Suarez – as well as future Trackhouse Cup Series pilot Shane van Gisbergen, driving for Kaulig Racing in a double-duty effort at Watkins Glen – all made the final round of qualifying and will start among the top 10 in Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen.

It continued with Trackhouse development driver Connor Zilisch winning his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut from the pole, leading the most laps in the process and cementing the 18-year-old as one of the future superstars of the sport.

And Saturday’s “House Party” concluded with Marks himself driving to a podium finish in the HSR NASCAR Classic main event, which featured various restored historic and vintage NASCAR vehicles retired from active competition.

The 18-lap, 44-mile race – won by 1992 NASCAR Busch (now Xfinity) Series champion Joe Nemechek – saw Marks place third behind the wheel of a 2006 No. 45 Victory Junction-branded Dodge Charger, which was campaigned in its prime by Kyle Petty.

Marks’ ride featured a tribute paint scheme honoring the Spree colors carried by the late Adam Petty during Petty’s rookie Busch Series campaign in 1999.

It was an appropriate tie-in, given that the presenting sponsor of the recently debuted HSR NASCAR Classic Series is Petty’s Garage, the aftermarket automotive business owned by the Petty family.

Justin Marks after his HSR NASCAR Classics Series podium Saturday. (Trackhouse Racing photo)

After Marks climbed from the car and completed the HSR post-race festivities, he called what Trackhouse social media officials called an “emergency press conference” on social media.

“What a day for this company,” Marks remarked. “Ross Chastain on the Cup pole, Daniel Suarez starts eighth … it’s an unbelievable opportunity to win this race Sunday, and what can you say about Connor Zilisch? First Xfinity race, [starts] on the pole, leads a bunch of laps, and wins the race through a bunch of adversity and chaos. We’ve got a future star in Connor; he did an unbelievable job.

“Really, really proud of Trackhouse and every man and woman that works for the company, because we really showed what we’re made of, even though there’s still a lot more work to be done,” he continued. “The road to improvement never stops.

“Oh, and I came out of retirement and finished third in the old, retired guys race, so … a perfect day!”

Marks’ Cup Series squad is chasing its second win of the season Sunday afternoon in the 90-lap Go Bowling at the Glen race, the middle leg of the Round of 16 in the Cup Series playoffs.

If Suarez – who finished second in the playoff opener at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway on Sept. 8 – can go to victory lane, he’ll automatically advance to the second round of the postseason.

Should Chastain win Sunday at The Glen, he’ll snap a 27-race winless drought dating back to last season’s finale at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.

But Saturday was about much more than one driver. It was about a Nashville-based company not arriving on the scene, but taking over the scene and showing its potential to dominate in motorsports for years to come.

That’s exactly what Marks tipped back in February he ultimately wants his burgeoning company to do.

“We’re here to stay,” he said after Suarez’s February victory at Atlanta.