Justin Marks will run his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race in five years on 1 July when he enters the Chicago Street Race for Kaulig Racing, driving the #1 Chevrolet Camaro.
Marks has not raced in the series since 2018, when he was a road course ringer for Chip Ganassi Racing with his last start being a runner-up at the Charlotte Roval. He ended his driving career to focus on business afterwards, which culminated in starting up Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021; incidentally, he expanded the team to its current two-car slate after purchasing CGR’s assets.
While mainly focusing on ownership since, he has continued racing in the Trans-Am Series; in May, he won the TA class at Lime Rock Park. In 2022, Marks entered the Truck Series race at Mid-Ohio but crashed out. He also did an oval start in the Superstar Racing Experience that year, finishing ninth as a replacement driver for Hélio Castroneves.
His road racing prowess also led to his lone national series victory when he claimed the 2016 Mid-Ohio Xfinity round in the rain.
“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.”
The #10 is fifth in owner points with drivers including A.J. Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Derek Kraus, Kyle Larson, and Jordan Taylor. Allmendinger won in the car at the first road race at COTA while Larson did so at Darlington.
“If you’re in a road course car in the Xfinity Series, A.J. demonstrates pretty consistently, that the Kaulig Racing cars are the ones you want to be sitting in,” Marks continued. “It’s going to be a very unique event, and I know we will have a good race car.”