Trackhouse Racing has always been quite particular with their choice when it comes to the Project 91; after all, it was this project that gave them Shane van Gisbergen, essentially a cheat code on the road courses. And as NASCAR now moves to the Naval Base Coronado for its one-of-a-kind race, team owner Justin Marks finally broke the silence on who the driver will be for the #91 car this year, and once again, it’s a former Formula 1 driver.

“I’m incredibly excited and honored to have the opportunity to compete in NASCAR,” Kevin Magnussen said in a team statement. “What Justin Marks and Trackhouse have done with Project 91 is unique, to provide drivers from outside of the NASCAR world with a chance to compete at this level. I’m proud to have this opportunity.”

Having spent close to two decades in open-wheel racing, Kevin Magnussen is now prepared to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut with Trackhouse Racing, becoming the second Formula 1 driver, after Kimi Raikkonen in 2022 and 2023, to drive for the Project 91.

Magnussen spent a decade racing in F1. While his final years were predominantly with Haas F1 Team, he also spent ample time with Renault and McLaren, having debuted with the latter back in 2014. His stint in the series ended with the conclusion of the 2024 season, and ever since, he has been experimenting in different series, including the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

While he never won an F1 race, Magnussen became one of the few drivers in history to score a podium finish on debut, finishing P2 during the 2014 Australian GP – also his only podium finish throughout his career. Currently signed with BMW in the World Endurance Championship, he recently clinched his career-best P2 in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

With Project 91, Magnussen would be moving to stock car racing for the first time, and he seems prepared.

“I’ve already spent time with the team in North Carolina — meeting everyone, doing the seat fit, going through pit-stop procedures and all the details that come with preparing for a NASCAR weekend. They’re an awesome group of people, incredibly dedicated, and just as excited about this debut as I am. I really can’t wait to get to San Diego and experience it all for the first time,” he added.

The Project 91’s goal, as Justin Marks once explained, is to look beyond the horizons of just stock car racing and allow some of the world’s best drivers to race in NASCAR’s premier series.

His debut is matched with NASCAR’s visit to the Naval Base Coronado. Announced last year, this unique race will be held on an active military base in San Diego. This is, understandably, set to be a road course race, which would play to Magnussen’s advantage, considering just how much time he has spent in open-wheel and supercar racing.

Fans back Trackhouse’s partnership with Magnussen

“All my homies love Project 91,” one fan wrote.

The project holds quite a special place in fans’ hearts, and quite understandably. The drivers that Trackhouse Racing managed to bring in through this project, including four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, have made some of the NASCAR races quite memorable. In fact, Kimi Raikkonen, who had run at COTA in 2023 after his Cup Series debut in August for Trackhouse at Watkins Glen, brought along a good storyline – the final victory of his Formula One career in 2018 came at the Circuit of the Americas. It was with him that the team had launched the project.

This one entry throughout the season is hyped by the fans, but no one cares about it more than the collectors. New and world-famous drivers also mean that Trackhouse releases quite a bit of merchandise, and this is something that keeps the fans excited.

“Let’s see the car I’ll be adding to my diecast case,” said another fan. These paint jobs on the #91 Chevy are considered special, considering how rare it is for the fans to have such special drivers pilot amongst the Cup Series field. But there is something more about Magnussen that has fans eyeing him.

“LETS GO KMAG. no penalty points welcomes you.” Kevin Magnussen, often referred to as KMAG by some old-time fans, had quite a unique pointer in his long Formula 1 run. He was the only Formula 1 driver in history to score 12 penalty points, hence, having to miss the 2024 Azerbaijan GP.

Interestingly, this penalty points system was introduced in the same year that Magnussen made his F1 debut. The drivers are penalized for incidents during a Formula 1 season, each of which points is valid for a period of 12 months. If any of the drivers accumulate 12 points, they’re forced to skip the next race, which is precisely what happened with the former Haas driver.

At the same time, fans also had some other suggestions: “You can call Barrichello next time.”

Rubens Barrichello is another former F1 driver who raced in the series between 1993 and 2011. He was most famously Michael Schumacher’s teammate during his dominant years with Scuderia Ferrari. Ever since his F1 departure, Barrichello has been involved in stock car racing, having amassed ample experience. In fact, he even won the 2025 NASCAR Brasil Series championship.

“Trackhouse needing to nerf svg with another trackhouse car is diabolical,” a fan wrote.

Trackhouse Racing will be fielding two drivers in the race who have extensive experience that extends beyond stock cars. Shane van Gisbergen, as mentioned, made his way to the team via the Project 91, and it would be rather iconic if Kevin Magnussen were to give him some competition in the race later this month.