After a breakout season in 2022, Trackhouse Racing was looking to build off the immediate success as a two car operation. In one season, Trackhouse went from intriguing new team to the most exciting team in the Cup Series. Ross Chastain broke out as one of NASCAR’s new stars. Daniel Suarez had a career season. PROJECT91 was announced and looked to expand in 2023. Heading into 2023, the big question was whether 2022 was a one-off or the foundation for something more. If the team could replicate their success, Trackhouse Racing would be established as Chevy’s number two team. After receiving an A in last year’s Season in Review, how well did Trackhouse fare this season?
Ross Chastain – #1
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 2 Wins, 10 Top-5s, 14 Top-10s, 1 Pole, Avg Fin 15.0
Crew Chief: Phil Surgen
Driver Points Ranking: 9;Â Owner Points Ranking: 9
Notable Results: Two wins, including the season finale race at Phoenix; Round of 12 appearance; Selected as Anheuser-Busch’s next driver
Last season, Ross Chastain went form a journeyman driver to the face of his organization. Two wins, a Championship Four appearance, and the most viral NASCAR moment transformed Chastain into a fan favorite. While Chastain’s aggressive driving has made him polarizing, there is no argument that he drastically improved his popularity and value in one season. Prior to the 2023 season, Ross Chastain signed a multi-year extension to remain with Trackhouse Racing. That extension was rewarded with Anheuser-Busch leaving Stewart-Haas Racing for Trackhouse after the 2023 season.
On track, Ross Chastain started his season with the same momentum he ended 2022 with. Through the first 12 races, Chastain had racked up 4 Top-5s, sat first in the points, and ruffled many feathers. Chastain looked to be a championship contender, especially after back to back Top-5s at Dover and Kansas. Plus, he got to punch Noah Gragson in the face. During throwback weekend at Darlington, Chastain was running Top-5 for most of the race. On one of the last restarts, Chastain attempted an aggressive move under Kyle Larson, which results in both cars wrecking. At that moment, the season changed.
Reigning in Chastain
After taking Kyle Larson out of contention, Rick Hendrick was none too pleased with Ross Chastain. Hendrick made it a point to talk with Chastain and Justin Marks about the Melon Man’s aggressive driving. Marks also had a discussion with Chastain, which indicated that the Trackhouse owner wanted to reign Chastain’s aggressiveness down. It was rumored that Chevy also got involved (likely at the behest of Hendrick), but those have been disputed.
While no one on the outside will truly know what was said, it seems that the Darlington incident altered Chastain’s season. Post Darlington, the 1 team rarely flashed the race winning speed that was featured heavily to start the season. Nashville was the exception, as Chastain started on pole, led 99 laps, and won Trackhouse’s home race. Outside of that, the stretch between the two Darlington races only saw Chastain finish in the Top-10 3 times. Was this due to Chastain being reigned in or was Trackhouse simply suffering a summer slump?
The Aggression QuestionÂ
When it comes to Ross Chastain, the big question is whether his aggressiveness is beneficial to himself and his team. There will be some that will point out his aggressiveness has cost him race wins during his time with Trackhouse. Throwback Darlington is a prime example of that. Chastain had a car worthy of winning, but overdrove that one restart and wrecked out. His rivalry with Denny Hamlin likely cost him a Top-5 finish at Pocono last year and Phoenix in the spring.
On the other hand, Chastain’s aggressive maneuvers granted him his first career Cup win. A less aggressive Chastain likely does not do the Hail Melon to advance to the Championship Four. It is hard to argue against the success that Chastain has found with his driving style. That style allowed him to be the first non-Championship Four driver to win the season finale in the current playoff format. As he stated after the race, he did not care about angering Ryan Blaney. He was determined to get the win for his team. Sometimes, that type of mentality is good. Other times, it is disastrous for a team.
If the 13 race slump over the summer was due to a reigned in Chastain, then maybe it is better (for Trackhouse) to let Chastain loose. The team sees both the benefits and downsides to the aggression, but it seems that an aggressive Chastain is a faster driver. Plus, half the field already blames Chastain for incidents whether it is his fault or not. What is there to lose? If he stays away from the Hendrick cars, then there will be little pushback. Even if there is pushback, look at what happened to Noah Gragson.
2023 Grade: B
After leading the Cup Series in Top-5s-and-10s in 2022, Chastain fell back to the field a bit this season. He had 5 less Top-5s, 7 less Top-10s, and his average finish increase by 1.7 positions. On the flip side, he matched his win total, captured his first pole, and improved his lead lap finishes mark. What really hampers Chastain’s 2023 season was his summer slump. During those 13 races, Chastain finished outside the Top-20 more than inside the Top-10 and had an average finish of 17.8.
Chastain’s numbers in the other 23 races look much improved compared to his summer. During the other 23 races, Chastain averaged a 13.4 finish with 9 of his 10 Top-5s on the season. Those numbers resemble his 2022 stats pretty well. His elimination from the playoffs came down to bad luck at Talladega. Outside of his two DNFs, Chastain averaged a Top-10 in the final 10 races.
2024 Outlook
With a fresh anchor sponsor, Ross Chastain will look to return to the Championship Four in 2024. While there is more doubt about Trackhouse heading into this offseason, Chastain’s end of year run demonstrates that the 1 team has the ability to compete for a championship. Avoiding the summer slump will be key in boosting Chastain through the playoffs. Stacking playoff points during the regular season will be the safety net with two rounds featuring a superspeedway race. If Chastain can survive to the Round of 8, there could be a championship watermelon smash at Phoenix.
Daniel Suarez – #99
2023 Stats: 36 Starts – 3 Top-5s, 10 Top-10s, 1 Pole, 48 Laps Led, Avg Fin 19.0
Crew Chief: Travis Mack
Driver Points Ranking: 19;Â Owner Points Ranking: 19
Notable Results: 3 Straight Top-10s to start season
While Ross Chastain was grabbing the headlines, Daniel Suarez put together his career best season in 2022. Suarez won a Cup race and made the playoffs for the first time in his career. Not only did he make the playoffs, Suarez advanced to the Round of 12. If not for a power steering issue at the ROVAL, Suarez would have joined his teammates in the Round of 8. Based on this success, Suarez also signed an extension prior to the Daytona 500. Momentum was on his side heading into this season. To start the season, Suarez used that momentum to rattle off three straight Top-10s. Then it all fell a part.
After finishing tenth at Las Vegas, Suarez struggled to find himself inside the Top-10. From Las Vegas until Michigan, Suarez only managed to able to finish in the Top-10 three more times. Not only was Suarez struggling to finish Top-10, he barely managed to finish inside the Top-20 most weeks. During that 19 race stretch, Suarez had 12 finishes worse than twentieth. If you remove the superspeedway races from this stretch, the Trackhouse driver only has one Top-10.
Surprisingly, the road courses were also a struggle for Suarez. Out of the six road course races, Suarez only managed one Top-10 (third at the Indy GP). Even that one cannot be celebrated because a bad pit stop likely cost the 99 team the win. After winning at Sonoma last year, Suarez missed a shift on the drop of the green flag and fell deep into the field. He would never recover, finishing in 22nd. Overall, Suarez’s average finish on road courses ballooned to 22.3 after an average of 16.5 last season.
2023 Grade: D
2023 was a poor season from Daniel Suarez. After a strong start, Suarez consistently found himself running poorly or making critical mistakes. Out of Suarez’s 10 Top-10s, 4 came on superspeedways. In the remaining 30 non-superspeedway races, Suarez only managed 6 Top-10s and an average finish of 20.3.
The road course issues is truly concerning for Suarez. While you could point to Trackhouse looking slow as a whole, speed was not the issue on road courses. Suarez’s average qualifying position for road courses was 6.2. Clearly, the speed was there. However, Suarez and the 99 team would simply find ways to spoil that speed. On average, Suarez lost 16.2 positions per road course race.
2024 Outlook
The pressure is on Daniel Suarez heading into 2024. While he signed a multiyear extension prior to the season, underperforming drivers can be fired. Plus, Trackhouse has two potential Suarez replacements already on the payroll. With the additions of Zane Smith and Shane van Gisbergen, Suarez should be on the hot seat next year. While Trackhouse likely has plans to expand their team, it would fiscally better to replace Suarez than buy a third (or fourth) charter.
A down year for Ross Chastain saw the Melon Man win twice and make it to the Round of 12. Meanwhile, Suarez’s down season saw an uncompetitive car most weekends. Suarez will need to rebound this coming season in order to keep his seat safe. If Chastain is able to win multiple races in back to back seasons, then the equipment cannot be a massive issue for competitiveness. This will be something to keep an eye on throughout the 2024 silly season.
PROJECT91
2023 Stats: 3 Starts – 1 Win, 1 Top-5, 2 Top-10s, 10 Laps Led, Avg Fin 13.3
Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen (1 Start) & Shane van Gisbergen (2 Starts)
Crew Chief: Darian Grubb
Notable Results: Win at Chicago Street Course
After making its debut last year, PROJECT91 returned for three races in 2023. It was disappointing to only see the PROJECT91 car in three races. For many fans, the expectation was to see the 91 car at most of the marque NASCAR events, such as the Daytona 500 and Coke 600. When the car was not entered into the Daytona 500, it was a bit deflating. PROJECT91 made its 2023 debut with Kimi Raikkonen at COTA. Much like his Watkins Glen run, Raikkonen ran respectably until the late race restarts turned the event into a clown show.
The 91 car would go away for a bit until it was announced that New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen from the Supercars world would wheel it at the Chicago Street Course. In his NASCAR debut, Gisbergen did the unthinkable and won. Although Supercars are similar to the NextGen car, no one expected Shane van Gisbergen to actually win in Chicago. Looking back in retrospect, things did play out perfectly for Gisbergen to win. Not only was it the first street course race in the Cup Series, but it also rained heavily from Saturday into Sunday. The combination of those factors allowed Gisbergen to best the field for the win. Even in retrospect, it is still quite the accomplishment for both driver and team.
With his win, Trackhouse was almost forced to bring the 91 car back before 2023 ended. Based on remarks from Justin Marks, that did not seem to be the plan prior to Gisbergen’s win. However, the 91 car reemerged for the Indy GP. Once again, Shane van Gisbergen was at the helm. While it was not a win, Gisbergen held his own and finished with a Top-10.
The lack of track time for the PROJECT91 entry seems mostly due to financial reasons. Apparently, Trackhouse lost money running the 91 car at Chicago despite winning. Since it is an unchartered entry, the race winning payout is different. When you also consider running the 91 means that either the 1 or 99 loses a chassis for three weeks, it does make sense why PROJECT91 was limited in its starts. Now that Shane van Gisbergen has signed a developmental deal with Trackhouse, it is more likely to see the 91 with more regularity in 2024.
Trackhouse Racing Grade: B-
Despite a dip in performance, Trackhouse Racing is still one of the most exciting teams in NASCAR. Justin Marks continues to be a fascinating owner to watch. Pitbull seems to be a celebrity owner that cares about the well being of his team. Ross Chastain continues to do Ross Chastain things. Trackhouse signed two drivers this season, building their team up for the future. With the developmental deal signed by Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse should be running the PROJECT91 car more. Plus, they will surely have their influence with a Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series team when Gisbergen runs. Zane Smith will be driving for Spire Motorsports, which indicates some form of alliance there. Also, Daniel Suarez is still there.
Trackhouse has an opportunity to establish themselves as a top tier team in NASCAR. Arguably, they are already Chevy’s number two team. As long as they do not rush the growth of the team, Trackhouse Racing could be an annual contender for championships. They have their driver one with Ross Chastain. The big question moving forward will be who partners with him as driver two. While it felt like Daniel Suarez found his home, Chastain outperforming Suarez in the same equipment questions his job security. With Zane Smith (and Shane van Gisbergen) knocking on the door, Trackhouse could see its first lineup change for the 2025 season.
For other 2023 Season in Review articles, click the link(s) below:
Griffin Fuller – Team Penske, Wood Brothers, Stewart-Haas Racing
Robert Cwick – JTG-DaughertyÂ
Daniel Smith (Statistical Breakdown) – Team Penske/Wood Brothers, Hendrick Motorsports
