Trackhouse Racing, the high-profile NASCAR team co-founded by entrepreneur Justin Marks and global music icon Pitbull, has been grappling with a string of underwhelming performances. Despite the backing of Rick Hendrick, the team has struggled to deliver consistent results. This, however, might be on the brink of change following the recent performances of Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain at the Las Vegas Pennzoil 400.
In NASCAR, a sport dictated by tight margins, Trackhouse Racing has found the road to success steep and challenging. The team has been grappling with several factors, including race strategy, pit crew efficiency, and race setups. These elements of the sport often require time and experience to master. Despite having talented drivers like Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and newcomer Shane van Gisbergen, the team has yet to fully acclimatize to the cutthroat competition posed by NASCAR’s juggernauts.
The journey for Trackhouse Racing has not been smooth. It took the team two years to have both its drivers rank in the top five of the Cup Series. This notable feat, as highlighted by Daniel Cespedes, has only occurred three times in the team’s history. Ross Chastain made it to the Championship 4 in 2022 after a remarkable wall ride at Martinsville, but the team has struggled to live up to expectations when compared to their alliance partner, Hendrick Motorsports. This struggle has sparked debates, with some attributing it to growing pains, while others point to a lack of experience.
Trackhouse Racing’s underperformance is particularly surprising given its technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR’s most successful team. This partnership, formed in 2021, provides Trackhouse Racing with access to engineering expertise, technology, and data from Rick Hendrick’s outfit. This strategy echoes the approach of 23XI Racing, which forged a similar alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. The latter alliance proved fruitful, with the Michael Jordan co-owned team reaching the Championship 4 in 2024.
However, despite these strategic alliances, victory eludes the Trackhouse drivers. Daniel Suarez hasn’t tasted victory since the 2024 Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain is also on an 11-race winless streak, while Shane van Gisbergen, despite winning his debut race, hasn’t had similar luck in his six subsequent races for Trackhouse Racing.
The recent Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas might, however, be a sign of better times ahead. Despite a shaky start that saw none of the team’s drivers break into the top 10 after the first 80 laps, a patient approach saw Chastain and Suarez securing some points by the end of Stage 2. Chastain, reflecting on his team’s performance, said, “It’s huge. The last thing I said to [Suárez] was it’s pretty cool to be talking about finishing second and fifth and legitimately running up there.”
With Suarez’s contract ending this year, he is fighting to secure his future at Trackhouse Racing. The competition is intense, especially with the emerging ‘generational talent’ Connor Zilisch waiting in the wings for his Cup Series chance. It remains to be seen whether this recent result is a harbinger of better times for Trackhouse Racing or a mere aberration. Only time will tell.