Justin Marks

BORN: 3/25/81 - St. Loius, MO
HOMETOWN: Rocklin, CA
RESIDENCE: Sacramento, CA/Cornelius, NC
FIRST PRO RACE: 2001 24 Hours of Daytona w/TRG

Quick Takes

Teaming up with Andy Lally for the 2009 GT season after banging wheels in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2008

Bio Career Achievements Contact Info

BIO

How did you get interested in racing?
My Grandparents used to take me to the dirt track races back in the Midwest. I've been a fan ever since.

What do you remember from those dirt tracks?
I got hooked on the noise and the color of the cars. Everything was so exciting. The drivers were my first heroes. My heroes have always been racecar drivers.

How did you decide to be a racecar driver?
In 1995 my Dad and I went to the Indy 500. I was only 14, and just seeing all those people, and how fast the cars were, it just blew my mind that car racing was that big. That's when I decided that that's what I wanted to do.

What was your first race?
It was a street stock race at Altamont Raceway in California.

What was your first racecar?
1969 Datsun 510

Favorite racecar?
Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype, or the ALMS BMW M3 V8 GTR.

If you could race any car at any time, what would it be?
Either a 1973 Porsche 917/30 or the McLaren MP4/4.

Favorite racetrack(s)?
Mt. Tremblant and Bristol Motor Speedway

Least favorite track?
Mid-Ohio

How do you mentally prepare for a race?
I stay loose; I always do my best when I don't prepare anything special. The more casual I am, the better I run.

What's your daily driver?
Chevy Silverado

Hobbies?
Karting, working out, playing guitar

Musical influences on the guitar?
I'm a huge Hank Williams Sr. fan. He's my favorite of all time. I also like heavy metal, hard rock, and the blues. I listen to everything.

How do you keep in shape for racing?
Circuit and interval training. Sauna for heat tolerance, that really helped me in stockcars.

What do you love about sportscar racing?
It's the purest expression of the sport there is. Racecars derived from streetcars on road courses. It's the essence of motorsports since racing began.

What do you love about stock car racing?
The quality of the racing and the competition is very high. It's a unique challenge.

What kind of racing do you want to do in the future?
Indy 500

Favorite win?
The 2005 Brumos 250 when we won from the back. In practice we lost a motor and a gearbox, so we only had 5 laps of practice. We didn't qualify, so we had to start in the very back, and we still got the win. It was the 50th professional win for BMW in North America.

Craziest race you've ever been in?
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona. The most intense 2 hours of my life.