Today, Dorna announced that an American group called Trackhouse Racing will be taking over Aprilia’s satellite team in the MotoGP World Championship for the next three seasons. But who is Trackhouse Racing?
Trackhouse Racing, a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group, is a relatively new entity co-owned by international music recording artist Pitbull, a.k.a. Armando Christian Perez, and race-winning NASCAR and IMSA Rolex Sports Car Series driver Justin Marks.
“Trackhouse is a sports and entertainment brand rooted in racing, bringing a fresh approach to NASCAR, sports and entertainment,” according to the company’s official Google description.
Marks, 42, who last raced in the NASCAR Xfinity race on the street course in Chicago in the summer of 2023, opened Trackhouse Motorplex, a 0.7-mile outdoor karting track in Mooresville, North Carolina, with business partner Michael McDowell in 2012.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Marks later partnered with others to own and operate race teams in the K&N Pro Series East and World of Outlaws series. Then in 2020, Marks teamed up with former NASCAR executive Ty Norris to create Trackhouse Racing to compete in the NASCAR Cup premier series.
In 2021, Trackhouse Racing purchased Chip Ganassi Racing’s two-car NASCAR Operation, and then in 2022, Ross Chastain earned Trackhouse Racing its first NASCAR race victory at Circuit of The Americas and finished second in the Championship point standings. Chastain won the 2023 NASCAR Cup season finale in Phoenix and placed ninth in the Championship standings.
Trackhouse Racing plans to continue with Chastain in the #1 Chevy Camaro and Daniel Suarez in the #99 Chevy Camaro in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series.
While Trackhouse Racing’s NASCAR operation is located in Concord, North Carolina, the group’s MotoGP program will have its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the Trackhouse Racing website.
Stay tuned for more information on Trackhouse Racing.
