Since its inception in 2021, Trackhouse Racing has somewhat fast-tracked its way into becoming NASCAR’s most competitive racing team. The two-car setup has worked wonders for Justin Marks and his team. Ross Chastain has led the #1 team to the Championship 4 race, whereas Daniel Suarez is now making his second playoffs run.

It’s not just the on-track progress that’s noteworthy, but also the impressive way Trackhouse Racing has expanded and managed its business. The latest milestone is the inclusion of Shane van Gisbergen following the acquisition of a third charter. However, considering the declining value of charters, now estimated at around $20 million, there was an opportunity for Trackhouse to become a four-car outfit.

This certainly would have helped them keep Zane Smith with the team and aid SVG’s arrival. But, from a business point of view, adding two more charters wasn’t a viable move. He shared his understanding of how he makes such decisions regarding Trackhouse Racing’s expansion.

Trackhouse Racing isn’t going to go the Hendrick or the Joe Gibbs Racing route

Currently, only three teams have a four-car driver lineup. Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Stewart Haas Racing. However, it’s a tough ordeal in itself to successfully run a four-car team, and at times it can be financially draining. SHR is a perfect example of this, as they are taking the exit doors despite being one of the decorated teams in the Cup garage.

Justin Marks has made some bold business calls recently. Be it entering a different discipline of racing—MotoGP—or making changes to his driver lineup. But joining the likes of HMS or JGR wasn’t seen as a good prospect. “I think that sweet spot is three cars. Obviously four car works for Rick; it works for Coach, but for us building a team Trackhouse to the point where we can be very very competitive and strong on the race track, I think three cars is it,” Marks said while speaking on episode number 60 of the Happy Hour podcast.

The thought process for Marks was to build a sustainable business, and they would spread themselves too thin with a 4-car setup at the Cup level. “For a business like ours and just diminishing results on the four cars, you really start to get into that territory, is bite off a little bit more than we can chew. Can we build an organization that is strong enough to support four cars? I don’t think that was really on the cards,” Marks added.

Moreover, Trackhouse Racing wants itself to be differentiated from the rest of the competition with a unique identity. While exploits on the racetrack are something that keeps them ticking, the storyline and narratives surrounding their drivers are something that has helped them connect better with the fans. And SVG’s promotion to the Cup level is something that adds to that key selling point.

Justin Marks trying to reinvent the star driver culture in NASCAR

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NASCAR racing has always been associated with the drivers and their story of how to reach the pinnacle of stock car racing. Though we do have teams like HMS, JGR, and Team Penske that have an ardent fan following, along the way, the narrative surrounding the star drivers has somewhat taken a hit. Justin Marks saw this as his opportunity to fill a gap and has onboarded drivers with their unique stories. And this has been one of their secret sauce for the success they’ve achieved in a short time frame.

“We’ve got an eight-generation watermelon farmer; we’ve got the only Mexican driver in the sport who came to America with the dream of becoming a NASCAR racer. And we’ve got a guy now who has left a very successful career in Australia and New Zealand and moved to America. We have got a guy that smashes watermelons, a guy that punches pinatas, and a guy that kicks rugby ball. And that stuff’s important,” Marks explained.

The 2024 has been a mixed one for Trackhouse Racing. Ross Chastain and the #1 team missed out on the playoffs, while Suarez has reached the Round of 12. But, it’s fair to say, the inclusion of SVG does give them a boost for next year, and they are expected to make a lot of noise with this trio.