AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Ross Chastain was testing in Delaware when he received an ominous text from a friend: ‘Justin bought Chip’s,’ wrote the friend.
“I said, ‘I hope you mean Doritos,’” deadpanned Chastain.
He had finally landed his dream job with a top Cup team and the eighth generation watermelon farmer from Florida felt he’d at last become a serious contender to win races at Chip Ganassi Racing.
Then in came Justin Marks, one of a many young new owners on the NASCAR grid. Marks had Pitbull as his partner at Trackhouse Racing and they fielded one car in 2021, for popular Mexican driver Daniel Suarez.
Marks refused to jump into the bidding wars for the charter he needed to ensure Trackhouse’s stability. Instead, he just cold-called Ganassi and negotiated the purchase of Ganassi’s entire NASCAR organization.
Marks, who just turned 41 on Friday, has flipped upstart Trackhouse into a playoff-bound Cup team.
Chastain, in his sixth race since Ganassi’s 20-year-old operation was reshaped into Trackhouse, became a first-time winner alongside the organization Sunday
He sat at the Dover Motor Speedway test last June trying to get any information possible on what was happening to his place of employment, and then the 29-year-old finally texted Marks.
“I want this,” Chastain said he wrote. “Once I sent the text … I’ve done all I can do. He knows.”
The second seat at Trackhouse was never a serious question to Marks. He kept both Chastain and crew chief Phil…
