Justin Marks teases Project 91 revival

NASCAR’s most successful crossover experiment might be coming back. Justin Marks spent the weekend at Watkins Glen talking up Trackhouse’s future, and when he got asked about Project 91, he dropped a very deliberate tease instead of shutting it down. That matters because Project 91 is the program that brought Shane van Gisbergen into NASCAR in the first place. And now, with Trackhouse settled into a three-car Cup lineup for 2026, Marks sounds like he’s ready to reopen the door for another international star. (sportskeeda.com) ### What is Project 91? Project 91 is Trackhouse Racing’s part-time “wild-card” car — the No. 91 Chevrolet — built to import top drivers from other series and drop them into NASCAR Cup races. Marks launched it in 2022 as a way to make Trackhouse a landing spot for global talent, not just another domestic stock-car team. The pitch was simple: if a world-class driver wants to try NASCAR, Trackhouse wants to be the team that makes it happen. (jayski.com) ### Why does this program matter so much? Because it already worked once in the biggest possible way. Kimi Räikkönen used Project 91 for Cup starts in 2022 and 2023, which gave the idea credibility. Then van Gisbergen showed up for the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023 and won on debut — one of the wildest one-off success stories NASCAR has seen in years. That win didn’t just create buzz. It changed van Gisbergen’s career and gave Marks proof that the concept could produce real results, not just headlines. (jayski.com) ### What did Marks actually say now? At Watkins Glen, Marks got asked whether Trackhouse had plans to bring another new name into NASCAR through Project 91. He paused, then said: “Don’t forget about Project 91. That’s all I’ll say right now.” That’s not a formal announcement, but it’s also not vague filler. In racing-team language, that kind of answer usually means conversations are active and the team isn’t ready to name the driver or sponsor yet. (sportskeeda.com) ### Why now? Turns out Marks had already been laying the groundwork months ago. In November 2025, he said Project 91 was “never dead” and tied its return to sponsorship — basically, get the right commercial partner first, then align on which athlete makes sense. He also said he’d “bet on it” coming back in 2026 and that Trackhouse was “pretty close” to getting a deal done. So the Watkins Glen tease looks less like a fresh idea and more like a status update on something already in motion. (jayski.com) ### Why is sponsorship the hinge? Because Project 91 is expensive and unusual. A normal Cup program builds around one driver, one season, one sponsor plan. Project 91 works more like a special event — extra logistics, extra marketing, and usually a driver who needs NASCAR-specific prep in a hurry. Marks has been clear that the sponsor helps shape the whole package, including which athlete gets the seat. That makes the program part competition play, part global marketing play. (jayski.com) ### Does Shane van Gisbergen change the calculus? Absolutely. Van Gisbergen is the proof of concept sitting right in front of everyone. He went from imported road-course ace to full-time Trackhouse Cup driver, and his latest Watkins Glen win only sharpens the argument that elite international talent can translate faster than NASCAR insiders sometimes assume. For Marks, SVG is basically the billboard for why Project 91 is worth reviving. (sportskeeda.com) ### So who could the next driver be? Marks hasn’t said. That’s the whole intrigue. But the profile is clear — someone with international name recognition, serious road-racing pedigree, and enough commercial pull to justify a one-off or limited run. The upcoming San Diego street-race weekend has already fueled speculation because street courses are the kind of event where a crossover driver makes the most sense. That part is still inference, not confirmation — but it fits exactly how Trackhouse has used the program before. (msn.com) ### What’s the bottom line? Marks hasn’t revived Project 91 on paper yet. But he’s now teased it publicly after already saying the sponsor side was close. Basically, the program looks alive, funded enough to keep discussing, and one driver reveal away from becoming a real 2026 NASCAR story. (sportskeeda.com)