SVG’s Recent Unveil Nearly Confirms Trackhouse Racing’s Quest for Diverse Racing Talent with Project91 in 2024

This year, Shane van Gisbergen will be back on the NASCAR grid once again. However, it is worth mentioning that he will probably not be driving the #91 car. Instead, he recently teased that his racing number would be something else entirely.

In case you are curious, his number for 2024 is #97, which he has raced with in V8 Supercars from 2013 onwards until his final season in 2023. Now, since the news came out in December last year, a lot of you would already know that he is supposed to drive the #97 car for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series. However, it seems there is a new ‘Cup’ twist to this story.

In a recent Twitter post, SVG flaunted his new firesuit, which not only read, ’97’ but also ‘Trackhouse’. This is quite obviously an indication that his number in the Cup Series could be #97 as well. That is unless van Gisbergen’s Kaulig Racing team also bears the Trackhouse Racing name, which is something highly unlikely.

What does this mean for Trackhouse Racing and Project91?

When the team kick-started this project in 2022, the goal was to bring in international stars to NASCAR. The first driver on this list was 2007 F1 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen. He would later come back again in 2023 before Shane van Gisbergen made his grand debut with a bang. With the #91 car not having any drivers confirmed, it leaves Trackhouse Racing free to go on an international scouting expedition.

Maybe Raikkonen could come back for a third season in a row. Another option could be for Trackhouse Racing to poke around in the IMSA Series, as it is not uncommon to recruit from that pool. Hendrick Motorsports did it when they roped in Jordan Taylor to fill in for Chase Elliott when he was injured. Similarly, they could also look at the World Endurance Championship, just like how 23XI Racing hired Kamui Kobayashi.

READ MORE: NASCAR News: “We Were Both Pretty Happy in Australia, But…” SVG Reveals the Rewarding Reality Behind His USA Arrival

Why eyeing the MotoGP division as a recruitment pool may not be a good idea for Trackhouse Racing?

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On the face of it, the move makes sense on paper. Trackhouse Racing has only just established itself in MotoGP, taking over the remains of the RNF Racing team. However, it could be very bold to try and convince the likes of Miguel Oliveira or Raul Fernandez to give Project 91 a shot. Frankly, the difference between racing a 350-pound bike and a 3,500-pound car is night and day.

Safe to say, if Trackhouse chooses MotoGP as the new recruitment ground for their Project91, there would be a bit of a culture shock, switching from two wheels to four. Owing to this, the team will probably have to dig very deep to find a driver to fill that #91 seat.

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