“This is great forward thinking by Trackhouse”: Denny Hamlin praises Justin Marks for Shane van Gisbergen and Zane Smith signing

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is impressed by the move of Trackhouse Racing to sign three-time Supercars champion Shave van Gisbergen and 2022 NASCAR Truck Series champion Zane Smith.

Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks made two announcements last week, signing Van Gisbergen to a developmental deal and Smith to a full-time Cup Series deal beginning next season. The defending Truck Series champion will race for Spire Motorsports, as part of an alliance between the two teams.

Denny Hamlin, who is a co-owner of 23XI Racing believes that the new signing is a great sign for Trackhouse. He also said that Smith deserves his full-time Cup Series shot because he has performed well whenever he gets the limited opportunity in NASCAR's top-tier series.

On the latest episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, praising Trackhouse, Hamlin said:

“This is a great sign for Trackhouse. Zane is certainly deserving of this opportunity. Every time he’s had the opportunity to compete in the Cup, he’s done a great job. Got great results. This is great forward thinking by Trackhouse and Justin [Marks] for his team to look towards the future,” as quoted by Pro Talk.

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“I really look forward to SVG running in multiple series next year” – Denny Hamlin

Shane van Gisbergen impressed everyone in the NASCAR garage after winning the inaugural Chicago Street Race on his debut driving the #91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing.

Speaking on SVG’s developmental deal, Denny Hamlin said that he is a tremendous talent but won’t be ready to compete full-time in ovals with just a one-year development program. He also added that Justin Marks needs to give him a few years to progress to the series naturally.

Denny Hamlin said:

“I don’t think there’s any secret that the SVG thing is more of an experiment than anything. I really look forward to SVG running in multiple series next year… Think he’s a great dude and tremendous talent, obviously. But that experiment could take some time. Would he be ready to run Cup full-time in ovals in a year? No way. Just no way. I mean, these guys are just too good, but you wanna see him have a steady progression of it,” as quoted by Pro Talk.

He continued:

“So if Trackhouse can keep him under contract for a few years, maybe you see the progression that you like after a year or two, and then you move him up to Cup if the opportunity presents itself.”

van Gisbergen will run select races in NASCAR’s top-three national series including some late model and other races in 2024.