“I think it's here to stay”: Justin Marks reacts to a successful NASCAR Chicago race

Last weekend's NASCAR race in downtown Chicago went down in the history books as the first-ever street race in the history of the sport. After winning the first event, Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks believes there will be many more to come.

NASCAR's first-ever street race weekend was off to a disappointing start with the postponement followed by the cancellation of The Loop 121 Xfinity race due to inclement weather. The heavy downpour in Chicago also put the Cup Series race in jeopardy, but it eased down in the evening.

The Grant Park 220 Cup Series race was building up to be a thriller with changing weather conditions. The first-ever street race delivered on the hype by creating exciting battles and thrilling action throughout the field.

Add to that the fact that an international racing star won the race on his debut, which put the series in global headlines. Speaking about the unique spectacle that unfolded last week, Justin Marks lauded the efforts put in by the organizers.

Making an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said:

"We had a great race, I think it's amazing, It's here to stay and I'm excited to continue the tradition of street racing in NASCAR. It's a great move that they have done, I'm really really proud of them."

The Cup Series team owner believes that the only way forward is to put such races in front of an audience on downtown streets.

He added:

"The world is changing and we have an amazing and compelling product. To think outside of the box and to do races like this and bring our product to the downtown city streets, of a city like Chicago, its a big vision and a lot of work they nailed it!"

The damage done by the Chicago weather was undone by the Cup Series race on Sunday, as it put forward a strong case for more street course races.

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Justin Marks delighted after Project 91's first NASCAR win

Shane van Gisbergen winner of Chicago street race

Trackhouse Racing is one of the newest Cup Series teams and also one of the most innovative. Its unique Project 91 entry has helped create a lot of buzz for NASCAR and the team itself.

After attracting former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen, Shane van Gisbergen put the #91 Chevrolet in victory lane in his debut race at Chicago.

Team owner Justin Marks is delighted after scoring the win, as he claims that Project 91 is an elite effort.

He said, post-Chicago Street race:

"It just puts fuel in the tank as far as we’re trying to build something here where the greatest drivers in the world have a place that they can call home if they want to try NASCAR racing. For us to put it in Victory Lane, it just shows, I think, the world that this Project91 is a very, very elite effort."