2022 Season in Review: Trackhouse Racing

Trackhouse Racing is one of the most interesting teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. Founded in 2020 with partial ownership from musician Pitbull, Trackhouse entered the sport with Daniel Suarez as their driver. The team’s rookie season was unremarkable but Suarez showed speed at times. After the acquisition of Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, Trackhouse became a two car team. Joining Suarez was Ross Chastain, coming along with the rest of the Ganassi employees, to drive Trackhouse’s second ride. Expectations were relatively low for a second year team in the Cup Series. Sure, the Next Gen car was set to even the playing field. However, no one could have predicted what Trackhouse Racing did in 2022.

Ross Chastain – #1

2022 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 2 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 21 Top-10s, Avg Fin: 13.3

Crew Chief: Phil Surgen

Driver’s Points Ranking: 2; Owner’s Points Ranking: 2

Notable Results: “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville to get into Championship Four; First career win at COTA; Win at Talladega; Consistently being a thorn in Denny Hamlin’s side

Before the season began, no one had Ross Chastain finishing second in points and being arguably the best driver all season. After a mediocre season with Chip Ganassi in 2021, Chastain’s move to Trackhouse was met with moderate fanfare. Chastain was a sympathetic figure in NASCAR. His progression through the lower series was completely upended by the DC Solar scandal. Unlike other drivers, Chastain did not have built in financial backing. As many have heard throughout the season, he was a watermelon farmer from Florida.

The 2022 season started out poorly for Chastian. He finished last at the Daytona 500 after wrecking out. Auto Club was a poor showing of speed as he finished two laps down. Then came his first stretch of impressive finishes. From Las Vegas to Dover, Chastain produced seven Top-5 finishes in nine races. These included his first two career wins at COTA and Talladega. With this stretch, Chastain immediately established himself as a championship contender.

That stretch of races was no fluke though. Over the course of the season, Chastain finished in the Top 5 of most statistical categories. Chastain led all drivers in Top-5s and Top-10s. Only Chase Elliott was able to top him for best average finish. Chastain replicated that early season run in the playoffs. Other than the races at the Charlotte ROVAL and Darlington, Chastain finished strong in his playoff races. In the final four races of the season, Chastain finished with a Top-5 in each of them. At Phoenix, Chastain was the only championship competitor that seemed to have a chance against Joey Logano.

Receiving the Spotlight

To go along with his strong performances, Ross Chastain was able to garner a lot of media attention. For both positive and negative stories, Chastain was constantly being discussed by reports, TV personalities, and NASCAR Twitter. In one season, Ross Chastain became a polarizing figure: either you loved him or hated him. This stemmed out of Chastain’s aggression driving.

Starting with punting AJ Allmendinger at COTA for the win, Chastain was labeled as an overly aggression driver. Chastain lived up to the label though. At Dover, his blocking of Martin Truex Jr came under scrutiny after Truex wrecked on the last lap trying to get around him. Fast forward to WWT Raceway, Chastain spun both Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. Both drivers retaliated against Chastain during the race. Chastain once again ruffled Hamlin’s feathers at the Atlanta Summer race. During the later portion of the race, Chastain chased his car up to the track and into Hamlin’s quarter panel, causing him to wreck. Hamlin would get his revenge at Pocono by pushing Chastain up the track into the wall while passing for the lead. To end the season, Chastain held his line as Chase Elliott wrecked himself on Chastain’s nose at Phoenix.

TV analysts like Jeff Burton and Kyle Petty were consistently harsh on Chastain’s driving. In a rare sign of humility, Chastain normally took the blame in incidents where he was at fault. Though, the consistent apologies did not alter Chastain’s approach on the track. Even with the constant critiques and upset drivers, Trackhouse owner Justin Marks backed Chastain. Marks wants Chastain to keep his aggressive side.

The Hail Melon

Ross Chastain’s aggressive tendencies led him to one of the greatest racing maneuvers in NASCAR history. On the last lap at the elimination race at Martinsville, Chastain was two points out of the Championship Four. Coming into the final corner, the Melon Man decided to make every NASCAR Thunder 2004 player’s dream come true. Instead of braking into turns three and four, Chastain threw the car into fifth gear and floored it. Chastain rode the wall around the turns, moving from tenth to fifth on track. His “hail melon” turned an elimination into a spot in the Championship Four.

Many drivers have attempted a video game type move on the track. Carl Edwards tried to pass Jimmie Johnson for the win at Kansas in 2008 by flooring it. Kyle Larson, who was critical of the move, attempted to wall ride around turns three and four at Darlington last year. Sheldon Creed did the same attempt this year at Darlington in the Xfinity Series. However, only Chastain has emerged on the other end successfully.

Ross Chastain not only took the NASCAR and racing world by storm, but the entire sports world. His move was the number one play on ESPN’s Top Ten plays. When has that ever happened before? The video views of Chastain’s views are in the tens of millions. It brought NASCAR the attention it wishes it could produce on a weekly basis.

2022 Grade: A+

Few drivers will earn an “A+” in this grading system. Even without winning the championship, Ross Chastain deserves the grade. Leading the field in Top-5s and Top-10s is no small feat. While the wins stopped early in the season, it is doubtful anybody was predicting Chastain to win any races in 2022 (barring at a superspeedway) heading into the season. Chastain was one of the best drivers to adapt to the Next Gen car.

In one year, Chastain’s stock rose from Top-20 competitor to front runner. During his journey to the Cup Series, Ross Chastain has shown flashes of his talent. During the 2020 Xfinity Series season, he was one of the most consistent drivers in the field despite no wins. With Chip Ganassi last year, Chastain would have his 42 car running strong some weekends. He was clearly a step up from what Matt Kenseth was giving the team in 2020. However, it was still a far cry from what Trackhouse received in 2022.

All of the accolades on the track are a major portion of this grade. However, another factor is that Ross Chastain is now a house-hold NASCAR name. Even non-NASCAR fans will know of Chastain simply for his Martinsville move. Chastain has garnered a fan base that is growing. As of this writing, he is in the top ten of voter getters in the most popular driver contest. Between the on-track success and the off-track support, Ross Chastain had one of the best seasons in the Cup Series.

2023 Driver Outlook

Heading into 2023, Ross Chastain should be a Championship Four favorite. While it may be early to declare him in that “A” tier of drivers, the way he drove in 2022 implies he will be able to carry it over into 2023. The fact that Chastain consistently ran with (or better than) drivers from Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske speaks volumes to Chastain (and Trackhouse). Plus, Chastain drove well at every track. He collected a Top-5 at every type of track on the 2022 schedule.

After his 2022 performance, Chastain is the lead driver at Trackhouse. That is not a knock on Daniel Suarez, but an indictment on how good Chastain was in 2022. Could it be a one-off fluke? Of course. Anything can happen in NASCAR. However, the strong performances from the Trackhouse Racing team mixed with Chastain’s talent spell many strong years to come.

Daniel Suarez – #99

2022 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 1 Win, 6 Top-5s, 13 Top-10s, Avg Fin: 16.5

Crew Chief: Travis Mack

Driver’s Points Ranking: 10; Owner’s Points Ranking: 9

Notable Results: First career win at Sonoma; Advanced to Round of Twelve in the playoffs

Trackhouse Racing seems to be the home of the feel good stories in the Cup Series. Daniel Suarez was a journeyman driver prior to the 2022 season. From 2018 to 2021, Suarez had driven for four different teams. After two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, Suarez bounced to Stewart-Haas Racing. Though his 2019 season was his best season (to that point), he was booted from his ride in favor of Cole Custer. From there, he drove a season for Gaunt Brothers Racing. Now, he has found a home with Trackhouse Racing.

As mentioned earlier, Daniel Suarez’s 2021 was a middling affair. During the weeks that the team would show speed, something would happen to ruin a Top-10 finish. In 2022, the hope was to see the 99 team take a step forward. While it was lesser than Chastain’s season, Daniel Suarez had a career year in 2022.

Suarez hit career bests in almost every statistical category. The talent that Suarez had teased throughout his NASCAR career finally started to shine through. In addition to the Top-5s and Top-10s he was racking up, Suarez scored his first career win at Sonoma. Suarez was able outpace Christ Buescher after the final restart to secure the win. While Chastain smashes watermelons in victory, Suarez battered a pinata to celebrate his win. Trackhouse drivers know how to celebrate.

Not only did Suarez nab his first playoff appearance via his win at Sonoma, he was able to advance into the Round of Twelve. Suarez was poised to punch his ticket to the Round of Eight before a power steering issue at the ROVAL ruined his playoff chances. There are no guarantees in NASCAR, but if Suarez does not have the power steering issue, odds are that Trackhouse has two teams in the Round of Eight.

2022 Grade: B+

Similar to Ross Chastain, no one would have called this type of performance out of Daniel Suarez at the start of the season. It is easy to get caught up in the prestige of the now for Trackhouse and their drivers. By the end of the season, they were expected to be at the front. However, that was not the pre-season expectation. That plays into the grading.

Daniel Suarez’s career season has been outshone by Ross Chastain. With all of the media attention toward Chastain, it is easy to forget how good Suarez was for the bulk of the year. Suarez consistently ran in the Top-10. His best stretch of the season start with his win at Sonoma. From Sonama to Pocono, Suarez’s average finish was 6.5. His worst finish during that stretch was fifteenth at Nashville.

2023 Driver Outlook

Much like everything Trackhouse currently, the expectations are high going into 2023 for Daniel Suarez. Another year of playoff racing should be in Suarez’s future. After showing the potential speed to race his way into the Round of Eight, Suarez can surely meet his benchmark from this year. Anything less would be a disappointment.

Daniel Suarez will be a threat to win races next year. While most would put that prediction at a road course, Suarez has a chance to win at almost any track. Remember back in 2021 when he led a chunk of laps at Bristol dirt. With that said, a win is not a guaranteed bet. Though Suarez was consistently in the Top-10, his race winning speeds were a bit fewer in number. A win would not be a surprise in 2023 for Suarez. It could happen and can be predicted. However, chiseling it into stone as a guarantee would be too far.

PROJECT91

PROJECT91 is Trackhouse Racing’s international all-star entry. Announced in 2022, Trackhouse is slated to run their 91 car in select events throughout the 2023 season. The 91 car made its debut at Watkins Glenn in 2022. Former Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen made NASCAR debut with Trackhouse for PROJECT91. Räikkönen was able to drive the car into the top ten during the race. Unfortunately, an incident with Austin Dillon and Loris Hezemans caught Räikkönen in a wreck that ended his day early.

NASCAR fans might see PROJECT91 to start the season at the Daytona 500. According to Adam Stern, Helio Castroneves is attempting to find a ride for the Daytona 500. Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 is considered a favorite to land him, along with The Money Team. After Daytona, the potential slate of drivers for PROJECT91 is tantalizing. What international driving star could fill that seat? Fans will speculate, picking names from Formula 1, IndyCar, and other racing series. PROJECT91 is an example of Trackhouse’s innovating and willingness to push themselves to uncharted areas of NASCAR.

Trackhouse Racing Grade: A

What Trackhouse Racing did this year is nothing short of spectacular: two feel-good drivers earn their first career wins, both drivers make the playoffs, and one of them finishes second in the Championship Four. In one season, Trackhouse went from a middling team to the second best Chevy team on the grid. Without major alliances with the other Chevy teams, Trackhouse raced with the big hitters in the sport. Trackhouse is the first team since Furniture Row Racing to compete in the Championship Four that was not one of the big four teams (Hendrick, JGR, Penske, and SHR). Even then, it could be argued that Furniture Row was an unofficial fifth JGR entry.

Justin Marks seems to have a special talent for being a team owner. Innovation is the center of what Trackhouse does. It makes the team exciting. What other team would do an experiment like PROJECT91? After one showing, fans want more of it. There is no guarantee that it will be a successful project. The PROJECT91 entry could be terrible and never return after 2023. However, the willingness to attempt something like this is exciting. The hope that is does pay off. It makes fans wonder what Trackhouse will do next.

Trackhouse’s future is bright. There is no reason to believe that 2022 was a fluke and that they will slide back into mediocrity. Trackhouse Racing could be the next top tiered team in racing. NASCAR should be thrilled about it. Trackhouse Racing is the type of team they want succeeding. They are the team to use as advertisements for potential owners. If all continues on this forward momentum, Trackhouse Racing could be holding the championship trophy in the near future.

2022 Season in Review Previous articles:

JTG-Daugherty – Robert Cwick

2022 Cup Series Statistical Driver Review: Part 1 – Daniel Smith

Team Penske – Griffin Fuller

Wood Brothers Racing – Griffin Fuller

2022 Cup Series Statistical Driver Review: Part 2 – Daniel Smith

LiveFast – Robert Cwick

2022 Cup Series Statistical Driver Review: Part 3 – Daniel Smith

Front Row Motorsports – Robert Cwick

2022 Cup Series Statistical Driver Review: Part 4 – Daniel Smith

2022 Cup Series Statistical Driver Review: Part 5 – Daniel Smith

Stewart-Haas Racing – Griffin Fuller