Trackhouse Racing is far from done looking for opportunities where the team can put together a motorsports program, and one of those places is Indianapolis.
Team owner Justin Marks (pictured above) acknowledges the Indianapolis 500 is an obvious place to start when considering Trackhouse’s future ambitions.
“Trackhouse Entertainment is recognizing properties and assets in professional motorsports that present opportunities to bring new and compelling experiences to market,” Marks told RACER. “There is nothing I would not consider. It would have to move the needle. Trackhouse is all about doing really unique and compelling things. Whether that’s in short track racing or dirt racing or the Indy 500 or IMSA or NASCAR or anything like that.
“There is a lot of opportunity out there we’re looking at right now.”
Marks is in no rush to start a team, however. His interest is in the early stages of discussion and due diligence around what a Trackhouse presence would look like in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Any program would need to offer something people haven’t seen before while providing a chance to grow the Trackhouse platform and brand. But it would not be a surprise to see the organization launch a new program in the near future, whether at Indy or elsewhere. Trackhouse remains in growth and acquisition mode as it tries to identify where all the opportunities are to create content and grow their profile.
Important pillars for Marks and Trackhouse are content creation, event promotion and sports property ownership. Taking interesting concepts and bringing them to fruition is a big deal and an enjoyable challenge.
It’s how Trackhouse Racing — and its PROJECT 91 program to bring stars of other racing disciplines to NASCAR — came to be in the first place.
Trackhouse debuted in the NASCAR Cup Series last season. To put itself in the best position to do that, the team formed an alliance with Richard Childress Racing that based its program on the RCR campus. This allowed Trackhouse and Marks to learn how to build a company without spending unnecessary money. Any additional program Trackhouse starts would likely be done in a similar manner.
Trackhouse expanded to two cars this season by purchasing the assets of Chip Ganassi’s stock car program. Marks was able to take possession of two charters for two full-time cars and move into a race shop that lets Trackhouse stand independently. Then last month, the next chapter was written when a third car debuted at Watkins Glen with Kimi Raikkonen.
PROJECT91 is intended for elite international drivers who want to experience NASCAR and is expected to grow its presence in the years to come — just as Marks envisions Trackhouse to continue to do in all whatever motorsports discipline makes the most sense.