After Claiming NASCAR “Could Be Driven by Robots,” Justin Marks Rushes to Clear the Air as Harsh Verdict to Stock Car Racing Appears to Be Misinterpretation

Trackhouse Racing shattered all expectations when its co-owner Justin Marks announced the team’s entry into the world of motorcycle racing a few days ago. Just like its two-car layout in NASCAR, the Trackhouse Moto GP team will field Aprilia factory riders Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández in the upcoming 2024 season.

While the racing community was pretty stoked to hear about their favorite team crossing over, and expanding its operations beyond borders to different factions of racing, the former NASCAR driver Marks shocked the NASCAR nation with a bizarre revelation.

But when journalists jumped into action, relaying Marks’ words to the community, the co-owner pounced right away, clarifying his stance and explaining what he actually meant.

Justin Marks claps back at Adam Stern, reiterating his stance

The whole racing community was pretty much taken aback when Justin Marks, NASCAR, and now Moto GP team owner said, “A lot of times in car racing you can’t really watch the guy directing it.” According to The Race.com, he further added, “In NASCAR, we’re asking people to sit and watch a race on an oval that’s three and a half hours long and the cars could be driven by robots and [looking from the outside] they wouldn’t even know the difference.” 

These remarks had fans stunned, as many looked at it as if Marks was deliberately trying to downplay NASCAR in public. However, when motorsport journalist Adam Stern put out a tweet quoting the team owner and tagging him, Marks took the opportunity to reiterate his point and clear the air.

Marks quickly pranced into action, replying to the tweet. In his ‘X’ post he wrote, “Well this was COMPLETELY taken out of context! What I mean is that it’s hard to watch the drivers do what they’re so amazing at doing because they’re inside of a car. Sheesh…” 

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Popular podcaster and Kaulig Racing spotter, Brett Griffin also chimed in, backing Justin Marks’ statement. He wrote: “Def can’t see how hard they’re working and why I love when they wear white gloves.”

Misinterpretations aside, the Trackhouse Racing owner also talked about his new team and revealed details about his Moto GP drivers.

Trackhouse Racing owner reveals the future of his Moto GP venture

Initially, everything was in place for the team to take over the responsibility of RNF Racing in 2025, but once the Malaysian organization got ousted from the series, Trackhouse Racing officials were quick to respond. They quickly went into action, expeditiously making use of the opportunity to cash in, essentially taking over the team, becoming the youngest Moto GP team as of today.

According to Motorsyclesreports.com, Marks said, “Right now, we’re very excited to have Miguel and Raúl on the team. These guys represent two different ends of the spectrum. With Miguel, we have a kind of veteran who has ridden many different bikes, is very calculated, and has immense experience. Then we have Raúl, who is young and eager to show the world what he’s capable of. We are very happy with this constellation.”

The 42-year-old driver-turned-entrepreneur then hinted about the team’s future and how the future would look for the Aprilia factory-partnered team. “When I look at our long-term plan, all the great riders want to be part of a factory team. But if we can build a strong, independent team, we may attract some of the biggest stars in our sport.”

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They might have the ability to win with a factory team, but maybe they can do it representing a satellite team. I would love to convince the best riders in our sport to join us,” said Marks as he concluded his words.