DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Justin Marks made it clear when Trackhouse Racing was founded that he wanted the team to be more than just a NASCAR Cup Series competitor; it was going to be a force across multiple motorsport disciplines. 

This past weekend, through sportscar team TF Sport, that vision took another step as Marks watched his drivers bring home the No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in 9th place in-class at the IMSA Rolex 24. The race was consistently a fight in the trenches for the new team, with thrown fenders and mistakes made. 

The car was piloted by Trackhouse NASCAR drivers Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, sports car veteran Ben Keating and IndyCar ace Scott McLaughlin. For Zilisch, 18, the race marked another milestone in his rapid rise in motorsports. 

Zilisch made his Rolex 24 debut last year, winning in the LMP2 class for Era Motorsports. For Van Gisbergen, 35, Trackhouse’s expansion into sportscar racing was a new challenge. His extensive history in V8 Supercars prepared him for the grueling 24-hour race and showed his willingness to compete across different disciplines. 

The weekend started off on an average note for the new group. After a competitive qualifying session on Friday, the No. 91 car landed eighth in the GTD Pro class which was stacked with talent, including NASCAR driver Austin Cindric, whose Ford Mustang GT3 earned the pole position for the race.

As the race progressed, it seemed the No. 91 car was on pace with the rest of the GTD Pro class. The team managed to give each driver their seat time, while also focusing on giving Zilisch extra attention as the race moved into the latter half.

As the sun rose over Daytona Beach, Trackhouse’s faith in the young star seemed to pay off as Zillisch commanded the Corvette forward. 

With less than an hour remaining, the young star found the car congested heading into turn 1, and took a bold dive to try and gain more ground. The move caused the car to go under and slide to the left, tagging an LMP2 car with it where both drivers found themselves in the grass. Due to the contact, Zilisch was forced to serve a pass-through penalty for the incident, derailing the team’s hopes of a podium finish. 

The No. 91 car ended the day in 11th place after a day of racing where Marks and company found out just how competitive the professionals of GTD are. 

While the result wasn’t what the team wanted, Marks added yet another piece to Trackhouse’s growing history as a wide competitor in motorsports. In it’s short five year span, the team has competed in NASCAR, Moto GP and IMSA and may look for further ventures in the future. With Marks’ history as a World of Outlaws wheelman, could a stint there be in the future? 

For Van Gisbergen & Zilisch, the race was valuable track time for the drivers, both of whom are competing at Daytona in both the Xfinity and Cup series next month as the NASCAR season kicks off from the World’s Center of Racing. 

~Cam Hanson