Watkins Glen was a sigh of relief for Trackhouse Racing after a long while in the 2026 season. Finally, their cars were able to return to the front row once again. For the majority of the race, both Trackhouse cars of Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen ran in the top 5. But it seems like Justin Marks’ confidence about his team rubbed the fans the wrong way.

When the interviewers tried to inquire about the relevance of the No. 91 project and confirm these rumors, Justin Marks only claimed: “I would say I say, ‘Don’t forget about Project 91.’ That’s all I’ll say right now.”

It was a rather bold statement, coming from a team that has only recently displayed a considerable amount of pace.

With the removal of the ‘win and in’ system, Trackhouse Racing is in a dire position currently. Shane van Gisbergen’s victory at Watkins Glen barely pushed him into the top 16, just barely inside the playoff cutline. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch are miles away from even qualifying for the Chase.

Moreover, Marks has himself admitted that Trackhouse Racing has been unable to provide Connor Zilisch with a good car. So in that case, it seems rather unfavorable for the team to dilute their resources further. Instead, they should be focusing on researching better solutions to increase their cars’ pace. And Zilisch is undoubtedly a rising talent in the Cup Series who might leave the team soon if they fail to give him a better machine.

Even Trackhouse Racing’s experienced veteran, Ross Chastain, is unable to find enough pace during the races to compete with the rest of the pack. He has also acknowledged the pattern where the car qualifies decently only to fall apart when it matters the most.

So when we consider all factors, Trackhouse’s recent victory was simply a result of SVG’s immense road course racing talent and knowledge of taking the corners without losing time like his Cup Series counterparts, which saved his team’s already declining reputation.

So it’s no wonder that when fans address the team, they have zero interest in their expansion plans. Instead, they want better racing action and more focus on their current lineup.

Fans dismiss Trackhouse Racing’s plans for special San Diego entry

The social media reaction united around a single frustration: why plan a fourth car when the three you have are underperforming?

One of the users commented, “How about focusing on one project, ‘Improve your current cars on the team,’ before another one-off? Scattered attention leads to just this…less than mediocre results.” And another fan cut to the chase entirely: “Shut down Project 91 and fix the 1 and 88 cars first. Win races with your actual team before you go chasing headlines.”

The comparison that further backs the criticism is the one that can be drawn with 23XI Racing – both teams entered the Cup series at the same time with similar ambitions and resources.

While 23XI Racing initially struggled to take off, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s help and through their personal efforts in developing their cars, the team has now become an independent championship contender. Trackhouse Racing, on the other hand, had the tools at its disposal after taking over Chip Ganassi Racing’s operations and ran for the championship title too.

Despite that, within a span of two years, their progress has stumbled, relegating them to the back of the grid. What’s more insane is that Trackhouse Racing closely worked with Chevrolet in the initial years – an advantage they didn’t utilize properly.

So, one of the fans did not hesitate to call out the entire team for celebrating SVG’s victory as if it were their own. “⁠Trackhouse don’t spread your resources too thin to an extraneous degree (challenge: impossible). Every time Shane outdrives his equipment at a road course, people conventionally forget how awful the team’s management is. I have little faith in this.”

While the public is busy slandering Trackhouse Racing and their NASCAR program, they are also wondering about the driver who will be joining hands with the team for the rumored one-off start. The signs and public sentiments pointed towards Max Verstappen. Although many fans believe that due to Red Bull Racing’s commitment to Ford in Formula 1, Verstappen won’t be allowed to drive a Chevy car in NASCAR, where Ford is already competing against GM.

As one of the users suggested, “I wish TH would change to Ford because that would open up more opportunities. Not just the obvious with Max, but Red Bull Supercars are now Fords, and Marks would love to bring another driver over.” But in the counterargument, people are arguing that Max Verstappen has never said that he is tied to a Ford-only program in motorsports.

In fact, in his latest GT3 race, Max Verstappen drove a Mercedes-AMG-powered car. Similarly, last year, Verstappen drove a Ferrari to set the lap record at Nurburgring. So it does not seem like there is a non-compete clause in his contract when it comes to racing outside Formula 1.

As one user suggests, “Some of you are clueless or just don’t know that Max drives and owns a Mercedes GT3 team. He is not tied to driving only Fords.” Additionally, people are also suggesting that instead of Max Verstappen, some other drivers might end up racing in the No. 91 car. One user suggests that instead of Formula 1, Trackhouse Racing might instead go in the direction of IndyCar. According to them, “I’m guessing it’s Scotty Mac or Dixon at San Diego.”

Both Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon are accomplished drivers in the IndyCar series. He also spent time with both SVG and Connor Zilisch in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. If their excitement for NASCAR has rubbed off a bit on McLaughlin, then there’s a high chance he might want to trade doors and windows for an open seat.

On the other hand, when it comes to Scott Dixon, the six-time champion has actively expressed his interest in joining NASCAR for a one-off entry. Most of all, he was also looking forward to a Daytona 500 start this year with Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club. For now, Dixon has not expressed any interest in San Diego, nor is he actually communicating with other team owners except Johnson.

But considering the motto of Project 91, Scott Dixon would be a great addition to bring along, paired with his ambitions to run a NASCAR race. What do you think? Will Project 91 really make an appearance this year?

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