- 23XI Racing has piled up wins this season, while Trackhouse Racing has slipped.
- Sponsorship may have influenced the teams’ rise and decline.
- Uncertainty around Next Gen car may have fuelled Trackhouse early success.
On one side of the garage, 23XI Racing is piling up wins as if there is no tomorrow, with Tyler Reddick bagging five victories in the first nine races of the season, while teammate Bubba Wallace has also held his ground. On the other side, Trackhouse Racing, once seen as a force in the garage, has watched its form slip, leaving more questions than answers.
While Michael Jordan has been celebrating results at 23XI, Justin Marks has admitted that Trackhouse is in a rebuilding phase, with the team working to get back on track.
Could sponsorship hold the key to the contrast between the two teams?
A core pillar of 23XI Racing’s argument in the charter court case over the winter rested on the idea that permanent charters would unlock greater investment, offering owners a guaranteed and tangible stake in the series. With the ruling going in their favor, it stands to reason that increased investment followed, and in motorsports, money on paper often turns into speed on track.
That same line of thinking may help explain Trackhouse’s struggles this season. Pitbull had been a key investor in the team, and since stepping back, there appears to have been a dip in performance that has not gone unnoticed.
23XI has been busy building its backing. In April 2026, Rockstar Energy joined hands with the team, returning to NASCAR as the sponsor for Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE. Earlier in January, Hardee’s signed on as the Official Quick Service Restaurant of NASCAR and a primary sponsor for Bubba Wallace.
Xfinity expanded its role to become a majority partner for Wallace in 2026, while CELSIUS came on board to back Corey Heim and the No. 67 team. At Kansas Speedway last weekend, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America served as the primary partner for Wallace and the No. 23 entry.
Trackhouse, on the other hand, has seen movement in the opposite direction. Reports indicate that WeatherTech, once a key sponsor, is no longer listed on the team’s sponsor page. Die-cast renders for Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch have also been updated, removing WeatherTech branding. The company had a strong presence in 2024 and 2025, but now appears to be shifting its focus elsewhere.
New partners for Trackhouse
Worldwide Express, once a major primary sponsor, particularly for Ross Chastain, is also absent from the 2026 primary sponsor schedule. Unilever, while still active in NASCAR through JR Motorsports, is no longer tied to Trackhouse for this season.
That is not to say Trackhouse has been left empty-handed. New partners have come in, including Roto-Rooter, Red Bull, SuperFile, and Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Wendy’s has extended its partnership into a third season, serving as a primary sponsor across all three entries of Ross Chastain, Connor Zilisch, and Shane van Gisbergen. Jockey International has renewed its long-term agreement through 2026, featuring a gold 150th-anniversary livery for Zilisch at Las Vegas.
SafetyCulture has also renewed through 2026, taking on the role of workplace operations partner while backing both SVG and Chastain. Choice Privileges continues its association, appearing on Zilisch’s No. 88 car across multiple races.
But even with these additions, the departure of a figure like Pitbull appears to have left a mark, while 23XI Racing has found its rhythm with both funding and setup this season. In NASCAR, money talks, and when resources rise or fall, results tend to follow suit.
Was Trackhouse Racing team’s rise built on timing?
Back in 2022, when Trackhouse drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez were mixing it up at the front and collecting wins and top-five finishes, the sport, teams, and drivers were also adjusting to the arrival of the Next Gen car.
As Denny Hamlin and several observers have pointed out, that phase may have played into Trackhouse’s hands. While established teams were still getting to grips with the new machinery and seasoned drivers were searching for tempo, Trackhouse seized the moment and surged ahead, even leaving established outfits in its wake.
Four years down the line, the topography has shifted. Teams now have a clearer understanding of the car, data pools have grown, and those with deeper resources and established systems have climbed back to the front. Teams that have not kept pace in development have found themselves losing ground.
There is also the question of focus. Trackhouse’s attention to road courses may have come at the expense of its oval program, leaving gaps that show up over a full season. With efforts also directed toward bringing Connor Zilisch up to speed and refining Shane van Gisbergen’s oval craft, priorities have been spread across multiple fronts.
On the contrary, 23XI Racing benefits from a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, giving the team access to data and setups from one of the sport’s leading organizations. That link provides a foundation that few can match and goes a long way in explaining the team’s surge.
At the same time, Joe Gibbs Racing supports 23XI, yet finds itself competing against the same team that is now taking wins off the table. How long that balance holds remains to be seen, but for now, 23XI Racing continues to cash in while Trackhouse searches for a way back into the fight.
