Which NASCAR Cup Series Teams Might Field a Part-Time Car in 2025?
What’s Happening? Part-time, “open” cars are a fan favorite in NASCAR as they bring back iconic numbers and historical drivers. As…
Trackhouse Racing appears to be relaunching its PROJECT91 program. This team fielded one of the most exciting entries in recent NASCAR history; however, what’s the latest on the car, and who is the team hiring to drive the No. 91 in 2025?
At 3:00 PM EST, Trackhouse and PROJECT91 confirmed that the four-time Indianapolis 500 Champion will start the Daytona 500 in the No. 91.
Sunday, on X, Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 account posted an ominous message after months of non-racing-related posts.
This post and a subsequent Instagram post followed what was a weekend full of rumors surrounding the team’s future. These rumors first came from an account on X claiming that four-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Helio Castroneves will start the Daytona 500 for PROJECT91.
While NASCAR fans debated the viability of these claims into the week, on Monday, Jordan Bianchi of the Athletic confirmed that this rumor is true and the former Penske superstar will make his NASCAR debut at Daytona.
Castroneves is a 25-race winner in the NTT IndyCar Series and a six-time winner in the former CART Series. However, he has never made a start in NASCAR, and while IndyCar does not race at Daytona, Helio has had a stock car on the track before.
As part of the IROC Series, Castroneves made four starts at Daytona in the Series superstar races. In those starts, Helio had a best start of fourth in 2002 and a best finish of sixth in 2004. While today’s cars are much different from any stock car of that generation, that experience will be valuable in February.
PROJECT91 was one of the original “all-star” cars in the NASCAR Next-Gen era. This car was an “open” or unchartered entry fielding racing stars and legends from different disciplines. In 2022, Trackhouse Racing introduced the entry at Watkins Glen with Kimi Räikkönen.
The former Formula One world champion finished 37th in that race and rebounded with a 29th-place finish at COTA in 2023. However, that summer, PROJECT91 made its most significant impact yet, hiring multi-time Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen to race at the inaugural Chicago Street race.
SVG and the No. 91 stole the show that day, winning in his first career start. He earned another start in the car at the Indianapolis Road Course and ultimately a contract with Trackhouse, leading to his 2025 Cup Series full-time debut in the team’s new No. 88 entry.
What’s Happening? Part-time, “open” cars are a fan favorite in NASCAR as they bring back iconic numbers and historical drivers. As…
After Räikkönen’s tough starts with the team, SVG recovered the car well, winning in Chicago and a top-ten at Indianapolis. However, that race at Indianapolis in August 2023 was the last time fans saw the No. 91 on track. There were small rumors throughout 2024 of a return, but none came to fruition, and with Trackhouse’s expansion, fans feared the car’s time was over.
However, in December 2024, team co-owner Justin Marks said during RACER.com’s annual Race Industry Week live stream, “PROJECT91 is certainly not dead” and that “I would expect to see that on the racetrack sooner rather than later.”
It appears that the car’s return from uncertainty is imminent.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinions on Discord or X, and don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
