Ross Chastain raises alarm as Trackhouse battles car woes

NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 21, 2026

Trackhouse struggles deepen

Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain said he has become more vocal inside the organization as the team’s troubles have grown, and he described the meetings around the car as urgent. He said the team is “pulling the fire alarm” when it talks through what is going wrong. Chastain said the core problem is a disconnect between what the drivers feel in the cars and what the crew chiefs and engineers are seeing in the numbers. He said the cars are inconsistent, and he said they slide at both the front and the rear. That leaves Trackhouse chasing balance and grip at the same time, with Chastain pointing to broader Chevrolet setup issues tied to the updated Camaro ZL1 body as part of the picture. The results have made the concerns impossible to ignore. Through 23 races, Trackhouse Racing had no wins and only one top-five finish, and the No. 1 Trackhouse team had only five top-10 finishes. Chastain offered one of the brighter notes in the slump when he finished seventh at Iowa for his fifth top-10 finish of the season. Even so, that result left him 18th in the standings with 504 points and 63 points below the cut line.

Marks reviews rebuild

Justin Marks said Trackhouse’s decline since its breakout 2022 Next Gen debut has been driven by NASCAR parity, with bigger teams learning how to use the car better. He said the response inside the organization is already underway. Trackhouse is reviewing its structure, investing in tools and staff and building toward 2027. Marks said he handles the situation by asking drivers what they need and keeping the discussion solution-oriented, a method aimed at turning frustration into a plan. Chastain said the team is united in wanting to move forward, and that message fits the way he has pushed himself deeper into the conversation as the problems have lingered. He also said he initially believed his NASCAR Cup Series career was over when Marks bought Chip Ganassi Racing in June 2021, a reminder of how quickly his path changed before he landed at Trackhouse. His future with the team remains part of the conversation because his contract runs through 2027. That timeline keeps the focus on both the present performance and the long-term direction of the program, with Trackhouse trying to sort out the car while also deciding how it wants to build for the next stretch.