NASCAR winner unretires to compete in one more race

Trackhouse Racing Team owner Justin Marks is set to set aside retirement and compete in another NASCAR race two weekends from now.

Justin Marks never truly stepped away from NASCAR, though he did “retire” from the competition side of the sport back in 2018, following a second place finish in the inaugural Xfinity Series race and a 27th place finish in the inaugural Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. He later retired from racing in general the following year.

In 2020, he announced that he would be starting Trackhouse Racing Team and entering the No. 99 Chevrolet for Daniel Suarez in the Cup Series the following year.

The new team added Pitbull as a co-owner, and during the 2021 season itself, they announced that they would be acquiring the entire Chip Ganassi Racing operation and expanding to two cars in 2022.

They hired Ross Chastain to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet in 2022, and he made it to the Championship 4 in his first season with the team, a season during which the organization earned their first three victories.

Now Justin Marks himself is set to return to NASCAR as a driver.

The 41-year-old St. Louis, Missouri native, who noted that it is “very difficult to retire as a race car driver”, is set to pilot the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in the upcoming inaugural Xfinity Series race at the new Chicago Street Course.

This race, The Loop 121, is set to be a 55-lap race around the 12-turn, 2.2-mile (3.541-kilometer) temporary street course in Chicago, Illinois.

Marks has 35 career Xfinity Series starts to his name, and he won the race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course back in 2016 when he was competing for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Whether or not he adds any more starts beyond the Chicago race weekend remains to be seen, especially considering there will have been almost five full years between his 35th and 36th starts.

In 2022, Trackhouse Racing Team added a third entry, a part-time entry, called PROJECT91, which was designed to give internationally renowned racing drivers the opportunity to compete in the Cup Series. But Marks, who is also an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race winner, has given no indication that he ever plans to drive that car.

The Loop 121 is set to be broadcast live on USA Network from the Chicago Street Course starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 1. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don’t miss it!