Justin Marks has now come out to reveal the thought process behind Trackhouse Racing's Project 91. The intention behind this was to ensure that NASCAR reaches audiences it had often missed before.

One of the biggest moments in recent NASCAR history has already come from this project, with Shane van Gisbergen winning the inaugural Chicago Street Race in his Cup Series debut.

Explaining the origins of the concept, Marks said, “Project 91 was one of the original sort of whiteboard ideas when we started Trackhouse, and it's not a new thing to bring these drivers into NASCAR, but what was new about it was creating a brand around it, an identity around that program.”

This global brand is apparent through the previous entries for this project, which include Kimi Raikkonen, Helio Castroneves, and van Gisbergen. Van Gisbergen, among these three, has now translated this shot at American racing into a full-time NASCAR career.

Marks explained, “The original vision for Project 91 really was to bring exciting moments to the fans, bring exciting stories to our sponsors, and really help kind of rise in the tide of NASCAR by giving NASCAR an opportunity to promote itself to new audiences and introduce new names, world-class talent.”

With former F1 driver Kevin Magnussen set to join Project 91 for an appearance in San Diego, Marks explained that the goal of the group is “to set the driver up for success.”

This was the exact reason that San Diego was chosen as a Project 91 destination for “it's a new venue,” “it's a road course,” and offers “a softer landing for a talented driver that's never driven a stock car before.”

Marks and Kimi Raikkonen, however, have an interesting history even before this project.

Justin Marks’ longstanding connection to the Magnussen Family

Kevin Magnussen's upcoming Project 91 debut carries a personal connection for Justin Marks dating back to the world of sports car racing. When he was announcing Magnussen for the San Diego entry, the Trackhouse owner made quite an interesting comment.

He revealed, “I'm really excited for San Diego and Project 91 to be a guy that I've followed for a long time,” before adding, “I actually raced against his father. That's how old I am.”

Marks and Jan Magnussen had their racing histories overlap during an era of North American sports car racing. Jan was one of the most successful GT drivers of his generation, becoming a four-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans while racing for Corvette Racing.

Marks, meanwhile, built his career across the Rolex Sports Car Series, IMSA competition, and NASCAR road-course events.

Kevin, too, will now follow his father into NASCAR boots. Jan Magnussen debuted in the Cup Series at Sonoma in 2010, while Kevin is set to drive the No. 91 Chevrolet in San Diego, establishing a two-generational family contribution to NASCAR history.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason