Justin Marks to Compete in Daytona 500 with Rick Ware Racing

Justin Marks will make his Daytona 500 debut in two weeks with Rick Ware Racing, the team announced on Friday. Marks will pilot the No. 51 Chevrolet in his first 500. Rick Ware Racing has formed an alliance with Premium Motorsports to give Marks the oppurtunity in a chartered ride. Harry's Shaving Products and long-time partner Katerra will be the primary sponsors on Marks No. 51.

"Racing in the Daytona 500 is a dream come true," Marks said in the team release. "The team has taken a dramatic step forward for 2018 and I think we're going to have some real good equipment for this year's 500. Going down there in the race, without the drama of having to qualify, is going to relieve a lot of pressure and we can focus on our race car's handling and race ability so were fully prepared for the event. Additionally, it's awesome to welcome a new company, Harry's, to NASCAR. The car looks great, they're excited, and it's going to be fun to introduce NASCAR fans to a new way of shaving."

Marks will make his fourth start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He made his debut at Sonoma in 2013 with Tommy Baldwin Jr.. The Rocklin, CA native has a total of 72 starts in all three of NASCAR's top series. He has one career victory at Mid-Ohio in 2016 driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the XFINITY Series. The Daytona 500 will be Marks second superspeedway start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, he finished 40th last October at Daytona after a crash sidelined him after only 16 laps.

Marks has one previous attempt at racing in the Daytona 500 back in 2015 with RAB Racing. He failed to race his way into the event, which would end his attempt at running triple duty. That season Marks also competed in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 NCWTS event and the Alert Today Alive Tomorrow 300 NXS event. (Koelle,2018)

Photo Credit - Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images