Justin Marks – Syndication Server

Zane Smith is the next piece of the puzzle for Trackhouse

Trackhouse Racing continues to grow as Justin Marks had envisioned when founding his team a few years ago, and having Zane Smith under contract next season is the latest piece. “Expansion is something that has been important to use since we first …

Trackhouse Racing continues to grow as Justin Marks had envisioned when founding his team a few years ago, and having Zane Smith under contract next season is the latest piece.

“Expansion is something that has been important to use since we first got on the racetrack, getting to a place where we felt like we could be the most competitive organization as possible,” Marks said. “Expansion can look a lot of different ways.”

“Nothing will look different in 2024. Trackhouse Racing will still field two full-time cars for Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez and there is a developmental deal in place for Shane van Gisbergen that has yet to be laid out.

Smith (pictured above), meanwhile, will compete under the Spire Motorsports banner as a Trackhouse Racing driver. He will be in the Trackhouse system, meetings, and have a presence in the race shop as he continues to develop into a Cup Series driver.

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“With our alliance with Spire and the opportunity to have Zane drive over there next year gives us the ability to grow in 2024 to an organization where we can put three cars on the racetrack full-time in 2025 and beyond,” Marks said. “As that conversation started happening and conversations around the garage area about what growth looks like for Trackhouse, there was a short list of names and Zane was pretty much at the top of that list the whole time. Huge fan of him, what he’s accomplished in the race car, his talent and his grind.

“Probably most importantly and a core tenant of what we do at Trackhouse is he’s a good human and a good person. We try to have good people in our company no matter what they’re capable or not capable of doing. Zane proved that to us really, really quickly in our early conversations. I’m really excited to facilitate a Cup ride for him in 2024 and then go to work as Trackhouse Racing to expand and put three race cars on the racetrack in ’25 and beyond and have Zane be a part of that for a while.”

The new alliance of Trackhouse and Spire Motorsports enables Justin Marks’ team to expand in the most efficient way possible. Gavin Baker/Motorsport Images

Smith is signed to a multiyear deal with Trackhouse Racing. Specific details on contracts are rarely shared, but team president Ty Norris made it known the organization had “acquired (Smith’s) rights well into the future.”

Marks explained it was a strategic decision to farm Smith out for his first full season. With the resources it takes to get a team up and running, Trackhouse Racing wants to take its time getting essential pieces in place (like waiting on haulers becoming available) instead of throwing together a program.

The reigning Craftsman Truck Series champion has become a top prospect in recent years. Not only for his performance with Front Row Motorsports in the Truck Series but in the limited Cup Series starts he’s made since last season, keeping the cars in one piece and performing well for the equipment. Front Row, however, was unable to put together a full-time third team in the Cup Series, opening the door for Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet.

All three drivers — Smith, Chastain and Suarez — are signed to multiyear deals. Van Gisbergen’s deal is specific to 2024, and Marks acknowledged there are a lot of unknowns around how he’ll perform and the future of that program. There will be more to come on that in the future as Marks focuses on bringing Smith into the fold.

“Zane is a driver we have placed with the help of Spire in another car that we’re going to be supporting,” Marks said. “It’s really to make sure all of Zane’s opportunities develop in experiences. Everything next year is in the context of him learning in the first year in the Cup Series and becoming a Trackhouse driver under our roof.”

Marks goes two-in-a-row in Trans Am at Watkins Glen

Justin Marks drove his No. 99 Trackhouse/Jockey Chevrolet Camaro to GYM WEED Victory Circle for the third time this season, claiming his second-consecutive win at Watkins Glen International. Marks started the race from the pole position for the fifth time in 2023 and cruised to victory despite an early challenge for the lead by Boris Said, who was making his 100th start in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli.

At the wave of the green flag, Said in the No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt and Screw Dodge Challenger got an excellent start, passing polesitter Marks going into the very first turn of the race. Said led the event for the first three laps before Marks was able to pick him off. Once Marks reclaimed the lead, it was smooth sailing for the Showtime Motorsports driver. His lead only grew throughout the caution-free race despite strong competition from Said and Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang.

Said held onto the runner-up spot until lap 13, when he started to experience transmission issues. Dyson made his way around Said and into second place while Said’s Challenger slowed. A lap later, Said came to the pits and a transmission fan problem forced his retirement from his 100th event. This allowed Keith Grant in the No. 40 Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to take over the third spot, and Marks, Dyson and Grant crossed the finish line in that order to fill the podium.

Fifth-place starter David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang and sixth-place starter Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang battled tightly for the fourth spot for the duration of the race. While Drissi was able to make the pass on Pintaric in the final laps, Pintaric fought his way back around him, earning him the COOLSHIRT Cool Move of the Race and the fourth finishing position. Drissi rounded out the top five.

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“I want to make sure that these Showtime Motorsports guys get some credit and recognition because they worked really, really hard this weekend battling through some electrical problems,” said Marks. “They had to do a lot of work on the car to get a race car out of it. We always seem to get it right at the right time. I really want to recognize them and all their hard work. It was a good race; it was a drying track at the start of the race, so starting on pole, I didn’t really have the spot I wanted getting into Turn 1. Boris [Said] was able to drive in really deep and roll it outside in Turn 1 and got in front of me. Then we got to battling for a couple laps and I finally got by him and just could maintain a gap from there. I had a really great racecar, and it continues to get better.”

Dyson earned his seventh podium finish in a row. He has scored a podium finish at every race since NOLA Motorsports Park in March.

This was Boris Said’s 100th Trans Am Series race. He was presented with a trophy to commemorate the achievement during the post-race ceremonies.

“Hopefully, there will be a hundred more races left in me,” reflected Said. “What I remember most about my first start is that [Barbara Eden from] ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ said ‘Start your engines’ in 1993 at the Miami Grand Prix. I’ve been racing for 37 years and I just love it. I still feel like a little kid getting in these cars and racing with guys like Justin [Marks]; It’s just a blast. Hopefully, I’ll be racing for a few more years, but right now it’s more about watching my son race. Hopefully he kind of takes the ball.”

XGT

Danny Lowry in the No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 and Ricky Sanders in the No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett Family of Companies Audi R8 LMS battled from start to finish in the XGT class. Even late into the event, the two were within a car length of each other, putting on an exciting show. Ultimately, Lowry took the victory with Sanders finishing just behind him.

“This race was a lot of fun,” said Lowry. “I knew Ricky [Sanders] would be tough. I really give a lot of credit to Ricky. He was fantastic. He kept the pressure on me the entire time and he made it a lot of fun. He got in the draft and I thought he was going to get me going through the bus stop a couple times, but I don’t know if he backed out or had mercy on me. That was all-out racing and I had a mirror full of Ricky. He did a fantastic job and he’s a good buddy of mine. I’d like to thank the Bennett Family of Companies, BridgeHaul, and Ricky Sanders Racing for all the help they give us.”

SGT

Lee Saunders in the No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper could not be stopped by Josh Carlson in the No. 36 Enseva/TC Fab/Diercks Ltd. Ford Mustang. Saunders set the pace for the class and never relinquished the lead, scoring his fifth-consecutive SGT class victory.

“I’d like to first thank God for giving us no rain,” said Saunders. “I was a little worried we were going to have to start on rain tires, and that’s never a good thing in a Viper. Luckily, we had a dry line and we got through it. I want to thank Kevin with KSR. They’re the reason we get up here on the podium all the time. It’s just meticulous car prep by them; they’re awesome. All the competitors had a great time and there were some great battles. This is an absolutely fantastic track. Seeing the elevation changes for a flatlander Florida guy like me, this is really exciting. It’s a very good, very fast track. Thanks to Trans Am for putting this race on.”

Chris Coffey in the No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4 started the race first in the GT class, but immediately after the green flag, Michael Saia in the No. 13 KMC/Rabid Wraps/Rapid Performance Management Porsche GT3 Cup 997.1 sailed around him. However, Coffey was able to recover the lead and hold it for the remainder of the event. Saia had a strong run in second, but contact late in the race led to a broken transmission, forcing him to retire early. Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 finished second and Saia was relegated to third.

“I am incredibly thankful that the weather decided to hold out for us,” said Coffey. “I thought for sure that we were going to be starting on a completely wet track, but thankfully it was dry enough. It was a great race. This guy [Michael Saia] went straight past me on the start and I had to track him down, but I had an incredible race. I’d like to thank Colin and Nancy Cohen. They’re by far my biggest sponsors. They’re with me every step of the way, and I couldn’t do this without them. I’d also like to thank my crew; I couldn’t be here without those guys.”

The replay of Saturday’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, September 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes return to the track in two weeks for the series’ first visit to World Wide Technology Raceway September 23 and 24.

RESULTS

Marks powers to third TA pole in a row and fifth of 2023 at the Glen

Justin Marks in the No. 99 Trackhouse/Jockey Chevrolet Camaro earned his fifth Motul Pole Award of the the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli season with a time of 1m44.333s around Watkins Glen International on Friday. Marks kicked off the season with back-to-back poles at Sebring International Raceway and NOLA Motorsports Park, and this weekend is his third pole in a row after topping the speed charts at both Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America.

Boris Said in the No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger will start second in his 100th-career Trans Am Series race. Two-time champion and current points leader Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang will start third.

“We’ve been fighting electrical gremlins all weekend, so qualifying was the first time we were able to make a lap of any kind,” said Marks. “These guys worked hard to replace the starter switch, the wiring harness, and to find a bunch of ways around a problem that was robbing power from the car. They worked really hard today. I just really didn’t get any laps, so I had to kind of go out there and remember my brake points and everything from last year. The car was pretty good, so we were able to get it on pole.”

The TA/XGT/SGT/GT race will be contested on Saturday, September 9 at 11:30 a.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on MAVTV and streamed live here. The TV broadcast replay of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, September 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

RESULTS

IMS Walk & Talk with Shane van Gisbergen and Justin Marks

Trackhouse Racing NASCAR team owner Justin Marks and driver Shane van Gisbergen go for a walk around Indy’s Gasoline Alley with RACER’s Marshall Pruett to talk about their origins, driving careers, motivations, and achievements in the sport. Or …

Or click HERE to watch on YouTube.

Presented by:

RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at the Gallagher Grand Prix is presented by Skip Barber Racing School. With multiple locations in the US, Skip Barber Racing School has developed more winning racers than any other school. Their alumni have taken the podium in all facets of motorsports including NASCAR, INDYCAR, SCCA, World Challenge and IMSA. Click to learn more.

Marks, Trackhouse take second TA win of 2023 at Road America

Justin Marks earned his second win of the season in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, claiming the top step on the podium at Road America. Marks engaged in a tight battle with Chris Dyson and Boris Said for much of the race, but at the end, no one could compete with his No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro’s speed, earning him the victory in the Denny Lamers Tribute 100.

Starting from the pole for the fourth time this season (more than any other driver), Marks led the field to green, but second-place starter Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang and third-place Said in the No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger both got off to great starts. Said immediately jumped into the second position ahead of Dyson, but Dyson leapfrogged them both by Turn 3, taking the lead. Dyson paced the field for the first eight laps as the top three remained within less than a second of each other, and the trio pulled away from the field behind them. After running in Dyson’s shadow and making repeated attempts to pass, Marks was able to close the deal, taking over the point position on lap nine.

Once Marks had clean air in front of him, his Trackhouse machine came to life, opening up a 4s lead in front of Dyson and Said. He maintained that gap until a full-course yellow slowed the field on lap 12. The caution was brought out when Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Corvette and David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang made contact, with both cars spinning into the Turn 1 gravel trap. While Ruman was able to free herself and continue on, Pintaric was stuck and required a tow. Oil on the track following the incident required extensive cleanup, forcing competitors to come to a stop on pit road under black-flag conditions.

Racing was able to resume on lap 16 with Marks in the lead, but the Tennessee native went wide into Turn 3, which allowed Dyson and Said to pass him for first and second. However, Marks recovered quickly, picking off both Dyson and Said and reclaiming the lead. Once again, the clean air allowed Marks to drive away, and this time, he never looked back. Marks took the checkered flag with a significant gap behind him; Dyson crossed the finish line second, and Said rounded out the podium with a third-place finish. Ruman captured a fourth-place result, and Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang rallied from early troubles to finish fifth.

“My car was really, really good today; big thanks to all of my guys,” said Marks in GYM WEED Victory Lane. “This is an awesome racetrack. I love coming to this side of the country and seeing all the fans here. I’ve gotten to race here in IMSA, World Challenge and Xfinity, and I’ve always wanted to win here, so I’m really excited that it happened today. That’s three wins in a row for this Trackhouse brand and hopefully we can keep doing it tomorrow in Atlanta. It was really nice to race against both of these guys; we can race hard, and we can all race clean. Overall, it was just a good day for us.”

This was Justin Marks’ second win of 2023. His first of the season was at Lime Rock Park in May. Trackhouse Racing has won the last two races in the NASCAR Cup Series, scoring victories at Nashville Superspeedway and the Chicago Street Course, and he extended the brand’s streak in his Chevy Camaro at Road America Saturday.

Chris Dyson has scored a podium finish at every race since NOLA Motorsports Park in March. His second-place finish extends the two-time champion’s lead in the standings.

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With his only competitor withdrawing due to mechanical issues prior to the race, Danny Lowry in the No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 ran competitive lap times and cruised to victory, finishing sixth overall and claiming the XGT win.

“Today felt really good, and I’ll tell you what, a lot of the credit goes to the folks at Road America,” said Lowry on the podium. “They have done one heck of a job with the racetrack. It’s an incredible racing surface, it’s beautiful, and I’ve loved every minute of it. The entire weekend was fantastic, the facilities are great. I’d like to thank Trans Am for putting on this show; you guys have done a wonderful job. It’s always fun to race in the series and come out here to compete with these gentlemen. We had a lot of fun today. I’d like to thank my buddy Ricky Sanders, BridgeHaul, and Bennett Racing. And thank you to my wife back home, who lets me come out and do this thing.”

Lee Saunders in the No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper was a force to be reckoned with again this weekend, scoring his fifth win of the season in SGT. He started the race from the point position and nearly led from start to finish, only facing brief challenges from Ricky Sanders in the No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup. Josh Carlson in the No. 36 Enseva/TC Fab/Diercks Ltd. Ford Mustang had an impressive Trans Am debut, finishing third behind Sanders. Milton Grant in the No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 earned the Masters Award for his fourth-place finish. Milton’s son Carey Grant in the No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche suffered a hard crash in Turn 1 on lap one, which resulted in a last-place finish.

“First of all, I want to thank God for a beautiful day and for keeping us safe,” said Saunders. “I’m really happy that Carey (Grant) is okay; that was real scary going into Turn 1. I want to thank my wife for keeping everything together this weekend. I was told I don’t thank her enough and I don’t. I want to thank KSR, they gave me a great car. The car was on rails today, it was really good. Thank to everyone at Trans Am for putting this on, and Ricky (Sanders) for racing us clean. He got around me and he had a good look at us there in Turn 5. Thanks to the fans for coming out, you guys are awesome.”

GT also experienced a withdrawal prior to the green flag, leaving Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 to carry the torch for the class. Attaway earned his second race win of 2023 and his fifth podium of the season.

“I’d like to thank Ricky Sanders, Danny Lowry, and Pitboxes.com,” said Attaway. “I also want to mention the local guys that came up here this weekend. There’s a lot of them, and they’ve done great this weekend.”

The replay of Saturday’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, July 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes return to the track on September 7-10 at Watkins Glen International.

RESULTS

Nashville win ‘huge’ for Trackhouse – Marks

A dominant performance at Nashville Superspeedway en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series win in over a year had Justin Marks singing the praises of his driver Ross Chastain. “I think Ross showed today that he’s really in rare air in this series, at …

A dominant performance at Nashville Superspeedway en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series win in over a year had Justin Marks singing the praises of his driver Ross Chastain.

“I think Ross showed today that he’s really in rare air in this series, at this level,” Marks said Sunday night. “He’s learning, he’s maturing. It’s an incredible moment for us.”

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Nashville is the birthplace of Trackhouse Racing, which helped make the victory sweeter. But for Chastain, it helped quiet the criticism he’s faced in recent months about his driving style, doing so in a race where he had the best car

Chastain started from the pole and led a race-high 99 of 300 laps. In the first stage, Chastain finished second to Tyler Reddick, and he finished third in the second stage to Denny Hamlin. Throughout the race, Chastain’s average running position was 10.6.

Given his history with Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., Chastain admitted there was satisfaction in having to pass those two drivers for the victory. A victory that was his first on a true oval after wins at the Circuit of the Americas road course and Talladega Superspeedway.

But for Marks, the win was about capitalizing on an opportunity. Chastain was the subject of criticism at Darlington Raceway for crashing with Kyle Larson while battling for the lead late in the going. It appeared to be a turning point as Marks publicly said there were things to clean up and discuss.

“There was not really a moment, a sit-down moment, with Ross,” said Marks. “It wasn’t like, ‘Do this,’ or ‘Do that.’ I have been going through this experience as a Cup owner alongside Ross as a Cup driver for the first time. He’s made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. We’re learning together.

“I think after Darlington, there was such an opportunity to have such a moment for our team that I think we just sat down and go, ‘How do we make sure that we don’t miss these opportunities?’ When we’ve got opportunities to make statements and win races, with the speed we have in our race cars, how good everybody is, let’s make sure we’re making decisions to put ourselves in a position to capitalize and have nights like we did tonight.”

Chastain has had to learn to compete at the Cup Series level. In the process, his aggressive style ruffled feathers. Entering the weekend, Chastain admitted he’s still evolving as a driver.

“You look at a race like tonight, he just did everything right, everything perfectly,” said Marks. “He had a super-fast car. The conditions changed from day to night. They ran three wide for three laps, which was incredible. He did everything right.

“I think it’s a huge win for us because I think it’s a big moment for him and this team personally because it says that we have an opportunity to win so many races and compete and win for championships in this series. Such a bright future ahead of us. We’re all, like, super motivated and inspired for the future.”

With the victory, Chastain clinched a return trip to the playoffs, where he came within one spot of winning the championship last season.

Marks slides to third TA pole of 2023 at wet Mid-Ohio

Justin Marks in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro laid down the quickest lap in the wet following a rainy day for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Marks earned his third Motul Pole Award of 2023 with a …

Multiple competitors in the various classes opted not to take a lap in the wet conditions.

“These are really hard conditions because they’re constantly changing,” said Marks. “The track can change up to two seconds from lap to lap when it mists or stops misting, so you have to attack at the right time, and you have to get a little bit lucky. It started to mist right as we were about to be released for qualifying. I was worried it was going to get heavier and heavier, so I attacked right away and tried to get the lap in. I still planned on staying out the whole time in case it did stop raining and the track started getting faster and drier. We did good today. It was not very comfortable in practice, and we talked a lot about what changes we were going to make. They made some really good changes and made me feel like I was in the car that I needed. I missed the test session yesterday, so if we have a dry race tomorrow, we’re going to end up guessing on our setup, but we’ll do it with enthusiasm.”

The TA/XGT/SGT/GT race will be contested on Saturday, June 24 at 1:10 p.m. ET and will be streamed live here. The TV broadcast of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

RESULTS

Marks joins Kaulig for Chicago Xfinity Series race

Justin Marks will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next weekend on the Chicago street course with a drive for Kaulig Racing. Marks will be behind the wheel of the No. 10 Jockey Chevrolet. It will be his first start in the series since 2018. “It’s …

Justin Marks will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next weekend on the Chicago street course with a drive for Kaulig Racing.

Marks will be behind the wheel of the No. 10 Jockey Chevrolet. It will be his first start in the series since 2018.

“It’s very difficult to retire as a race car driver,” said Marks. “I’ve got a lot of experience on street courses, so when NASCAR announced it was going to Chicago, I just felt like I really had to be a part of that experience. We have a great relationship with Kaulig Racing through our pit crew department and being a fellow Chevrolet team, so making my return to racing with the team just felt right.”

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Marks has one win in 35 starts in the Xfinity Series. Running a partial schedule with Chip Ganassi in 2016, Marks went to victory lane at Mid-Ohio.

NASCAR visits the streets of Chicago for the first time July 1-2. Marks will run in the Saturday race as a driver before the two cars he owns with Trackhouse Racing compete in Sunday’s Cup Series race.

Kaulig Racing has nine wins on road courses. The No. 10 Chevrolet features a rotating cast of drivers.

“We’re excited to have Justin, another road course ringer, come out of retirement and compete for us in the Xfinity Series,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “I think that says a lot about the tremendous success Kaulig Racing has had in just a few short years, especially on road courses.

“Not only is Justin Marks a successful team owner in NASCAR, but he has a ton of experience on street courses, so having him come on board for this historic weekend in our industry just makes sense.”

Marks wins at Lime Rock, breaks CD Racing win streak

Justin Marks overcame multiple mechanical challenges on his way to victory in the Memorial Day Classic, where he broke Chris Dyson’s three-race winning streak at CD Racing’s home track of Lime Rock Park. After starting the race seventh, Marks drove …

Matthew Brabham in the No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang started from the pole after a record-breaking lap in qualifying and started side-by-side with CD Racing owner Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang. Marks started the weekend at Lime Rock by topping the speed charts in practice, but his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro required an engine change after the session and then broke a rotor in qualifying, putting him seventh overall for the green flag.

Brabham got off to a solid start when the race began, but by lap two, Dyson was able to make the pass for the lead, taking control of the race. Marks was also on the move, advancing to fourth by lap two, then taking over the third position on lap four. The two CD Racing cars had opened up quite a gap in front of Marks, but with consistently faster lap times, Marks began to chip away at their lead each lap. However, the gap opened up one more time when Marks went wide and put a tire off the racing surface on lap 18, leaving him to once again need forward progress to get within striking range.

On lap 28, Brabham make the same mistake as Marks, and when he went too wide, Marks was able to pounce, getting around the No. 20. Marks set his sights on Dyson’s bumper, and after hitting his marks on the next three laps, he was breathing down the 2022 champion’s neck.

Lapped traffic began to hold up Dyson, and on lap 32, Marks made his move to take over the point position. With the race less than halfway complete, Marks was holding off Dyson and opened up a three-second gap over second place by lap 42. Unfortunately, Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang, who had been laying down impressive laps in the fourth position, missed a corner and went off track, burying his car in the tire barrier. Drissi emerged from his car safely, but a lengthy red flag followed to allow for cleanup and wall repair.

Racing resumed on lap 47, and the restart would be key to determining who would ultimately prevail at Lime Rock. Marks pulled off a flawless restart and once again made consistently fast lap times, creating an insurmountable gap in the final 13 laps. He crossed the finish line to earn his first victory of the season, followed by Dyson and Brabham nine seconds behind him.

Behind the trio, David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang and Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette had an impassioned battle the entire race, but Ruman experienced trouble with three laps to go, giving Pintaric the fourth position while Ruman was scored fifth in class. On the cooldown lap, Marks celebrated his win with a NASCAR-style victory burnout.

“Winning feels good,” said Marks. “You know, we were on pole the first two races, so it’s been a good start to the year, but we weren’t able to translate either of those into wins. It’s so good to get the win today. My crew had to work a lot harder than they signed up for this weekend, having to replace a motor after first practice and a rotor after qualifying. It’s nice to reward those guys with a win. It was tricky; both of the CD Racing cars were fast and I had to really use lapped traffic to try to get by them. I think in a straight-up dog fight it would have been tricky to get around them. I’m so proud of my team and all these guys, and I’m so glad to be here in victory circle at Lime Rock.”

Marks’ win today breaks a five-race win streak for CD Racing. Between Dyson and Brabham, the team had won every race since Virginia International Raceway last November until the series’ last outing at Road Atlanta. The victory also breaks Dyson’s three-race winning streak in the Memorial Day Classic.

Marks was the last driver to defeat the Dyson teammates when he scored his win at Watkins Glen International last fall in the race before CD Racing’s streak began.

Dyson, Brabham and the CD Racing team are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Dyson’s family team, Dyson Racing, which debuted at Lime Rock Park in 1983.

Following his hard impact, Drissi spoke to the crowd of fans at Lime Rock Park.

“I want to thank the response team that got me out of the car safely today,” said Drissi. “I was having a great race, and I was trying to run the kinds of laps that I would need to run if we got closed up with a caution. I was just trying to go too fast and cooked it too hard. The incident was all on me. I hate that we wrecked the car, but I’m so grateful to all the fans, crew members and track officials who checked to make sure I was okay.”

TA Top Five:
1. Justin Marks, No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro
2. Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang
3. Matthew Brabham, No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang
4. David Pintaric, No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang
5. Amy Ruman, No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette

TA Masters Award:
Kerry Hitt, No. 22 Advanced Composite Products Inc. Chevrolet Camaro

COOLSHIRT Cool Move of the Race:
Justin Marks, No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro

In XGT, Danny Lowry in the No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 was the class of the field for much of the race, but a mistake on the final restart took him off the track and out of contention for the race win. Nathan Byrd in the No. 88 Sonesta/Tilson/Hopegivers Porsche 911.1 GT3 Cup and Randy Hale in the No. 31 Hale Motorsports/Marsh Racing Corvette had been battling each other fiercely for the entire race, but the battle became a bit too aggressive when Hale made intentional contact with Byrd in order to pass him. Hale went on to cross the finish line first but received a 25-second penalty for avoidable contact. He was dropped to third in class, with Byrd named the class victor, followed by Lowry.

“This race was pretty crazy, and my dad was doing a really great job helping me be aware of my surroundings,” said Byrd. “I was making progress through the field and was able to move up to second, and eventually on the restart, Danny [Lowry] kind of took himself out. I felt bad for him because he was running a really, really good race, and I don’t think we were going to catch back up to him if that hadn’t happened. Me and Randy [Hale] had a little bit of contact. I can’t thank the fans enough, and I want to thank God for this awesome Memorial Day and thank the troops that gave the last measure for us.”

XGT Results:
1. Nathan Byrd, No. 88 Sonesta/Tilson/Hopegivers Porsche 911.1 GT3 Cup
2. Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3
3. Randy Hale, No. 31 Hale Motorsports/Marsh Racing Chevrolet Corvette

The SGT class had a smooth competition, with Lee Saunders in the No. 44 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper leading from flag-to-flag. Ricky Sanders in the No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Corvette was never far behind, but was unable to catch the leader, ultimately finishing second. The victory for Saunders was his first back in his Dodge Viper, which he had to replace with a graciously loaned competitor’s car at Road Atlanta due to mechanical issues.

“It’s good to be back in the Viper,” said Saunders. “I feel more comfortable in it, but, obviously, we appreciate that we were able to get by without it and I appreciate Ricky [Sanders] running us cleanly today. I want to thank God for a great day here. It’s super exciting to see all the fans out on this wonderful day. Thank you to all our veterans and everybody who has died to make this country great and free. Never forget the sacrifices they’ve made.”

SGT Results:
1. Lee Saunders, No. 44 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper
2. Ricky Sanders, No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1

Michael Saia in the No. 13 KMC/RabidWraps/Rapid Performance Management Porsche GT3 Cup 997.1 started the race first in class and was able to stay there due to Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 having mechanical issues which repeatedly brought him into the pits.

“Well, it didn’t rain, which is always a plus,” said Saia. “It was a great race today. Thanks to Trans Am, thanks to my competitor, and to KMC for setting up the car. They did a great job as always. Rabid Wraps did a crazy wrap on the car and we love it. Thanks to everyone for coming out.”

GT Results:
1. Michael Saia, No. 13 KMC/Rabid Wraps/Rapid Performance Management Porsche GT3 Cup 997.1
2. Michael Attaway, No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8

Serck Precision Award
Michael Saia, No. 13 KMC/Rabid Wraps/Rapid Performance Management Porsche GT3 Cup 997.1

The broadcast of today’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 1 at 9:00pm ET.

The Trans Am Series TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes return to the track June 15-17 with a standalone event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

RESULTS

Trackhouse Racing’s Justin Marks at the Indy 500

Trackhouse Racing NASCAR team owner Justin Marks catches up with RACER’s Marshall Pruett during practice for the Indianapolis 500 where his team might appear in the near future.