Justin Marks admits road blocks, but "wouldn't count out" Max Verstappen for future NASCAR start

The Trackhouse founder has had 'conversations' through their shared Red Bull ecosystem, but noted that the current Ford power unit is an obstacle

Justin Marks recently spoke about Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 program, a part-time entry that features various star drivers from around the world and offers them the opportunity to take on NASCAR.

2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, and most recently Kevin Magnussen have piloted the car.

Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen famously won in his NASCAR Cup debut while driving the No. 91 at the 2023 Chicago Street Course race. He has since turned that into a full-time career as a NASCAR driver.

Max Verstappen was watching SVG's spectacular Chicago win live, saying then that he was "literally screaming" as he watched Van Gisbergen claim victory.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

But would Verstappen ever give it a try, himself? The four-time Formula 1 World Champion has said no in the past, but Trackhouse founder Justin Marks did not shut that door in a recent SPEED interview with Kevin Harvick.

Red Bull sponsors Trackhouse, and two of the team's three Cup stars are Red Bull athletes -- Van Gisbergen, and also Connor Zilisch.

"They gotta get a different power unit in that F1 car for that to happen first, said Marks, as Trackhouse is a Chevrolet team. There's brand conflicts and all that stuff, but it's certainly on his radar. Through the Red Bull ecosystem, we've had those conversations and that's a guy that wants to do all different types of racing. I think, right now, it's tough to do that, but I certainly wouldn't count it out for the future."

As for any upcoming races for the Project 91 car, Marks did not elaborate, but it appears that Magnussen's San Diego race may be its lone start of the 2026 season. In that race, he drew the ire of Noah Gragson, and was involved in a tense post-race confrontation with the Front Row Motorsports driver. Marks noted that Magnussen has the perfect personality for NASCAR, and the run-in with Gragson did not faze him one bit.