There have been numerous conversations over the past year about seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson potentially returning to the Cup Series for some one-off events. Now he may have a ride available.
Justin Marks, the owner of Trackhouse Racing, provided some thoughts on the matter ahead of the trip to the Charlotte Roval. He told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass that he is friends with Johnson and that “it would be an honor” to have him take over a Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. However, it would not be part of the Project91 initiative. It would be a separate entry that appears at select events.
“Project91, the brand strategy for that is geared toward bringing international drivers to NASCAR, so something like that wouldn’t fall under the Project91 umbrella,” Marks told Pockrass.
“I’ll speak for myself, I would love to put Jimmie Johnson in one of our cars. 100% I would love to do that, and I think that if the interest is there on his side, then it’s an exercise that we have to go through.”
Discussions With Johnson Have Not Taken Place
GettyJimmie Johnson could potentially join Trackhouse Racing for one-off events.
Marks said that it would be an honor to have a seven-time champion take over one of his entries for a “bucket list” event, but a deal does not appear to be imminent. Marks indicated that there hasn’t been any discussion with Johnson.
For Marks, the focus remains on a different mission. Both of his drivers — Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain — are above the cutline heading toward the Round of 12 cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval, and they have a solid opportunity to move on to the Round of Eight.
Chastain is currently third in the Cup Series standings. He is 28 points above the cutline after a fourth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. Suarez is seventh in the standings and 12 points above the cutline after an eighth-place finish in which his engine expired on the final run to the checkered flag.
Both Trackhouse Racing drivers have registered road course wins during the 2022 season, so they will be among the drivers to watch at the Charlotte Roval. Though neither has a top-10 finish at the North Carolina track.
Marks Has Plans for the 2023 Season
Marks and Trackhouse Racing made waves during the 2022 season with the unveiling of Project91, a new entry for select events. The purpose was to help bring international drivers to the NASCAR Cup Series.
Only one race has featured Project91, the road course race at Watkins Glen International. Kimi Raikkonen took over the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro at the road course, and he finished 37th after an incident sent him into the wall.
There are no plans for Project91’s return during the 2022 season. However, the entry will make many more appearances during the 2023 Cup Series season. International drivers will have the opportunity to compete in NASCAR at some of the biggest events on the schedule.
“Ultimately, Project91 is a program that operates at all of the road courses during the season and then potentially some of the major events, like the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, or something like that,” Marks explained, transcript courtesy of General Motors.
“I think at some point, you get so many races that you have to look at just actually fielding a third full-time car. But I think for Project91, it’s a six to eight-race program potentially next year and beyond. It’s a brand extension of Trackhouse. I think we can get really unique on the content side, on the merchandise side, and just create great stories. That’s sort of where I’d like to see it go.”
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Justin Marks Addresses Potential Jimmie Johnson Team-Up