Despite starting in operation just last season, Trackhouse Racing has gained ground upon NASCAR’s top team this season.
Their No. 1 driver Ross Chastain is the only driver, along with William Byron to have multiple wins this season (2). And with a lot of races left, he could certainly add more wins to his collection.
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With this form in mind, many are considering the team to posit a strong challenge to the NASCAR’s top team, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske for the championship. However, their co-owner Justin Marks distanced himself from such talks and such teams, stating the relative lack of experience his team has over other teams.
“I don’t even think we begin to have those conversations,” said Marks. “We’re here today, and we were where we were at COTA and the races leading up to COTA just because we’ve got a process that works, and I think we just have to fundamentally stay committed to that process.
“When you start talking about playoff strategy and how you’re going to mount a run for the championship, that kind of mental bandwidth, I think, is reserved at this point for the teams that have been there a long time. That’s something that Gibbs talks about. That’s something that Hendrick and Penske talk about.
“Trackhouse is so new that we can’t start thinking that way. We have to just focus on what we’re doing every week; just the execution of what we’re doing every week that’s putting us in that position. Obviously, we’re contending for wins week in and week out. We just have to commit to that. I don’t think there’s going to be any conversation about playoff strategy for the foreseeable future.”
Chastain currently sits 9th in the Series Standings but is only second to Byron in terms of playoff points. He has 11 playoff points in the 10 races so far this season.
Just the second year in the Cup Series, the way this season has gone for Trackhouse Racing can already be labeled a success, with a lot of new teams struggling to make their mark in the Cup series, dominated by few teams.
While Marks and the team is maintaining caution in setting their expectations but they would certainly feel motivated and capable enough to make a deep run in the playoffs this season.
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