Justin Marks reveals reason behind “super beneficial” pairing of Shane van Gisbergen and 18-YO Connor Zilisch in Rolex 24

Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks shared his thoughts on pairing Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch for the Rolex 24 this past weekend. IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin and SportsCar veteran Ben Keating joined the two NASCAR drivers for the famed endurance race, which was Trackhouse's debut entry in the IMSA SportsCar championship.

On January 26, in conversation with Bob Pockrass, Marks opened up on how the coming together of the 18-year-old Zilisch with Supercars champion van Gisbergen would benefit the stock car drivers in the 2025 NASCAR season. He said:

"I think what's good about SVG and Connor racing together is it just builds their relationship. I mean, you know, they both work for the same company now and you know Connor is going to be going to be absorbing a lot of what SVG and what Ross [Chastain] and what Daniel [Suarez] are going to be doing every single week as he prepares for you know his cup future whenever that comes.

So, I mean, it's just good relationship building and then it's just it's good to be in a race car before we go to Daytona just get the rust knocked off and get kind of the juices flowing and getting everything. So I think in a lot of those ways it's super beneficial."

Moreover, van Gisbergen and Zilisch will drive select races in the NASCAR Cup Series, sponsored by Red Bull, as the iconic energy drink brand returns to NASCAR.

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"There's just nobody bigger or more influential than Red Bull": Justin Marks shares his feelings on the historic collaboration

Trackhouse Racing has been making strides in motorsports and is showing its presence by adding another discipline to its roster this year. The Justin Marks-owned team competed primarily in the NASCAR Cup Series and will now field three full-time entries starting in the upcoming season.

Furthermore, the North Carolina-based organization recently announced its partnership with Red Bull as the primary sponsor for the No. 88 Chevy entry of Shane van Gisbergen in select races and Connor Zilisch's No. 87 entry in his Cup debut.

Speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Trackhouse Racing founder and owner Marks said:

"This is bigger than Trackhouse, this is bigger than, you know, Red Bull alone, I mean, this is just a big moment for the sport of NASCAR. I mean, you know, it's influential and it's a big moment for all of us, for the fans, for the teams, the media partners, for everybody that, you know. Red Bull has made the commitment to dive back in, because I think everybody knows, you know, they don't do anything small."

"There's just nobody bigger or more influential than Red Bull, and, you know, they recognize where there's opportunities in all forms of motorsports to tell a really unique story and, you know, find partnerships that, you know, reflect their passion for motorsports, their creativity, their willingness to take risk, and, you know, all of us at TrackHouse are, you know, really thrilled and honored that they saw, you know, those attributes in the partnership with us."

Van Gisbergen will drive at the March 16 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, July 13 at Sonoma Raceway, Aug. 3 at Iowa Speedway, Aug. 23 at Daytona International Speedway, and Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway. Meanwhile, Zilisch will drive the RB paint scheme at the Circuit of the Americas race on March 2.