NASCAR: 5 possible Trackhouse drivers for 2023
By Randy Smith
Trackhouse Racing Team are looking to bring drivers from other forms of motorsport to NASCAR with PROJECT91, a third part-time entry.
Justin Marks and Grammy Award-winning artist Pitbull have continued to show their vision for NASCAR‘s future with Trackhouse Racing Team.
After starting out last season as a single-car team with Daniel Suarez as their driver, the Nashville, Tennessee-based team has expanded to two cars, giving both Suarez and Ross Chastain a home. Both have earned their first Cup Series victories this season.
The team’s most recent addition, PROJECT91, is a part-time entry that Marks and the team are fielding to serve as a way for global motorsport competitors to compete in stock car racing.
2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen is set to be their first driver. Raikkonen is scheduled to be the only driver in the #91 Chevrolet this season. He is set to make his Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen International.
While the car is only set to be run once this year, it is set to see an expanded schedule in 2023. With a global outreach and a desire to expand the Trackhouse Racing Team brand, here are five possible drivers who could pilot the #91 Chevrolet next year.
Possible Trackhouse drivers for 2023: No. 5 – Kimi Raikkonen
While “The Iceman” seemed content with hanging up the Formula 1 firesuit after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Marks’s push to bring him back to NASCAR is what ultimately led to the announcement that he is set to make his Cup Series debut this year.
Raikkonen’s NASCAR experience goes back to 2011, after he initially left Formula 1 and drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in both the Xfinity Series and Truck Series. Back then, he tried his hand at oval racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished those races in 27th and 15th place, respectively.
His run at Watkins Glen International later this year could be another one-off, but with Marks’s strong selling abilities, he could lure the 42-year-old Finn back for another ride in 2023. With Circuit of the Americas being on the Cup Series schedule, Raikkonen could be tempted to compete at a track where he has won, but in a different car.