Justin Marks knows firsthand how tough it can be to balance a racing empire. That challenge stretches from NASCAR to MotoGP, where Trackhouse secured its first win in only its second season. Yet Marks’ long-term presence in the series could depend on financial backing beyond his own investment.
Speaking with Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, Marks was open about the economics behind his motorsports ventures.
While he’s committed to MotoGP, outside investment may be necessary to sustain the team, whose riders frequently compete on Trackhouse-branded bikes rather than traditional sponsor-backed machines.
Is Justin Marks’ Trackhouse Racing Struggling to Keep Up With NASCAR’s Powerhouses?
After years of waiting and endless delays, NASCAR’s Next Gen car finally debuted in February 2022, hailed as the great equalizer.
By the time it took the track at the Busch Light Clash in Los Angeles the next February, the promise was clear: parity. Every team, big or small, would have the same shot at success. For a while, it delivered. Underdogs rose, giants stumbled, and the racing was wild and unpredictable.
But three seasons later, that promise of equal footing is starting to fray. Trackhouse Racing boss Marks is one of the first to call it out, articulating in words what many fans and insiders have been feeling.
“Where we’re at in our business is the proverbial cream has risen to the top of the sport and the big three teams have taken their places again at the top of the sport, and some of the sort of chaos and unpredictability in the early years of the Next Gen car is gone,” Marks told Stern.
The Next Gen era has largely been a showcase for the big three: Penske, Hendrick and Joe Gibbs Racing. Penske took home titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 thanks to Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, while Hendrick claimed the 2025 championship with Kyle Larson.
Even the four drivers who made the 2025 final–Denny Hamlin, Larson, William Byron, and Chase Briscoe–all race for Hendrick or Joe Gibbs, showing just how dominant the top teams remain.
Meanwhile, Trackhouse Racing has had a rough start to 2025, with the season marked by struggles and disappointments.
“So that has certainly exposed the areas at Trackhouse that we need to improve on. And we’re working hard on it week in and week out. Speed has not been where we wanted it to be,” Marks said.
Still, not everything has been bleak–road course specialist Shane Van Gisbergen has been a bright spot for Trackhouse this season.
“But on the flip side of that, we won more races this year than we ever have as a business, big thanks to what Shane has done on road courses this year,” Marks revealed.
The Kiwi delivered five of the team’s six victories this season–in Mexico, Sonoma, Chicago, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval. He was constantly racing wheel-to-wheel with NASCAR’s best, so fans are excited to see what lies ahead for SVG and his future at Trackhouse.
