“I Talked to Rick Hendrick” – Justin Marks Claims to Be Innocent After Being Called Out by HMS Legend

All eyes were on Trackhouse Racing Team at Nashville. With the venue being the home turf for their owner Justin Marks, the team was determined to show something special in the race, which they did. Ross Chastain’s incredible performance saw him grab his first win since Talladega 2022.

Chastain has been subject to a lot of criticism after his wreck with Hendrick Motorsports’ spearhead Kyle Larson at Darlington earlier this year. The incident was heavily under fire from drivers and team executives alike. Team owner Rick Hendrick was one of the people particularly unhappy with the accident, as he issued a warning for retaliation. Marks was one of the people that had a significant role in the whole conundrum.

Justin Marks Discloses Details of Conversations With Chastain and Rick Hendrick Following the Darlington Wreck

In a press conference after the Nashville race, Marks was accompanied by crew chief Phil Surgen. The duo discussed a host of issues in the celebrations for a well-deserved victory. While Chastain’s victory has sent a wave of joy in the camp, some issues from the past came up in the presser. On being asked if he would prefer to take his words on Chastain post-Darlington, he replied, “I don’t remember exactly what I said. It wasn’t boss and employee; it was friend and friend.” 

Revealing more about the conversation, he said, “It was like, ‘Hey, let’s look at this opportunity we’ve had. Let’s just work together to try to make sure we’re making the right decisions here, taking the most advantage of our opportunity.'” 

This comes after HMS legend and former crew chief Steve Letarte found fault with Marks as he publically criticized his own driver, Chastain, with the “we are going to talk to him” comment. Meanwhile, HMS owner Hendrick, through his words, showed that Chastain has been provocative with his actions and that Hendrick Motorsports are completely capable of retaliation.

Moving on to his encounter with the HMS owner, he said, “For me, I mean, I talked to Rick Hendrick at Darlington. I talked to Roger [Penske] a little bit, not about Ross, but just in general about stuff. These guys, they’ve got decades of experience with lots of different drivers.” 

Showing his admiration for the winningest team in NASCAR, he added, “They’ve been through different eras of the sport. They’ve seen drivers come in with lots of talent, making different kinds of decisions. They have all that experience.”

An agitated HMS owner previously announced, “I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet, if he wrecks our cars, I don’t care. I’ve told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back.” This has put Marks in a spot. In fact, at the press conference, there were words shared by Marks about the humble acceptance of being inexperienced. Yet, most importantly, there are reasons more than one why it is important for him to be in Mr. H’s good books.  

Read More: HMS Legend Reveals Justin Marks’ Mistake That Made Him Enemy No 1 to Ross Chastain Fans After Rick Hendrick’s Ultimatum

Marks admitted, “It’s complicated”

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Marks’ team has collaborated with HMS previously, even sponsoring Kyle Larson for his Sprint Car race event, High Limit Racing. Certainly, Marks would not want to sever his relations with any of the teams that have helped them so far. He admitted, “It’s complicated because we have to work with Chevrolet, with our key partners, obviously Hendrick and RCR, great partners of our team. We have to make sure we don’t fracture that partnership, that we can all work well together.” 

Speaking about the basic theme of his meeting, he said, “That conversation was like, ‘Let’s work hard, the both of us, to just not throw away amazing opportunities that we have. I’ll help you as much as I can. You try to help me.'” Despite all the previous issues, there’s no such bad blood between the two teams. With Chastain’s victory at Ally 400, the team will be looking to bank on this and carry their form to the upcoming races before playoffs.

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