2023 SRX Series explained

The 2023 Camping World SRX Series was the third season of the Superstar Racing Experience, a stock car racing series in the United States. The six-race season began at Stafford Motor Speedway on July 13 and ended at Lucas Oil Speedway on August 17.

Marco Andretti entered the season as the defending series champion and returned to run full-time in the SRX Series in 2023.[1] Ryan Newman won the series championship by 45 points over Andretti and Brad Keselowski after winning one race during the season at Stafford II.[2]

Drivers

Full-time drivers

No.DriverPrimary seriesBackground/accomplishmentsRef
1 Marco AndrettiIndyCar Series2003 Barber Formula Dodge Eastern class champion
2004 Barber Formula Dodge National class and Southern class champion
2 IndyCar Series wins
2022 SRX Champion
5 Hailie DeeganNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series2020 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year
First female winner in the ARCA Menards Series West
2-time consecutive Truck Series Most Popular Driver (2021 and 2022)
6 Brad KeselowskiNASCAR Cup Series2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion
2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion
75 NASCAR national series wins (35 in Cup, 39 in Xfinity, & 1 in Truck)
NASCAR Cup Series team owner
14 Tony StewartNASCAR Cup Series3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2002, 2005, and 2011)
1996–97 IndyCar Series champion
62 NASCAR national series wins (49 in Cup, 11 in Xfinity, & 2 in Truck)
NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series team co-owner
2021 SRX Champion
[3]
18 Bobby LabonteNASCAR Cup Series2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion
1991 NASCAR Busch Series champion
32 NASCAR national series wins (21 in Cup, 10 in Xfinity, & 1 in Truck)
[4]
39 Ryan NewmanNASCAR Cup Series2008 Daytona 500 winner
26 NASCAR national series wins (18 in Cup, 7 in Xfinity, & 1 in Truck)
52 Ken SchraderNASCAR Cup Series1985 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year
1983 USAC Sprint Car Series Champion
1982 USAC Silver Car Series Champion
4 NASCAR Cup Series wins
[5]

Part-time drivers

No.DriverPrimary seriesTrack(s)Background/accomplishmentsRef
06 Hélio CastronevesIndyCar SeriesPulaski County, Berlin, Lucas Oil Speedway4-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021) (tied for most all-time)
2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship champion
3-time consecutive 24 Hours of Daytona winner (2021, 2022, and 2023)
07 Clint BowyerNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford I, Pulaski County, Lucas Oil Speedway2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion
21 NASCAR national series wins (10 in Cup, 8 in Xfinity, & 3 in Truck)
NASCAR on Fox Cup Series color commentator
[6]
2 Josef NewgardenIndyCar SeriesPulaski County2-time IndyCar Series champion (2017 and 2019)
2023 Indianapolis 500 winner
27 IndyCar Series wins
3 Paul TracyIndyCar SeriesStafford I and II, Pulaski County1990 American Racing Series champion
2003 Champ Car World Series champion
31 CART/Champ Car wins
10 Indy Lights wins
4 Kevin HarvickNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford I, Berlin2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion
2-time NASCAR Busch Series champion (2001 and 2006)
2007 Daytona 500 winner
121 NASCAR national series wins (60 in Cup, 47 in Xfinity, & 14 in Truck)
[7]
8 Matt KensethNASCAR Cup SeriesEldora2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion
2-time Daytona 500 winner (2009 and 2012)
68 NASCAR national series wins (39 in Cup & 29 in Xfinity)
[8]
9 Kasey KahneNASCAR Cup Series
World of Outlaws
Berlin31 NASCAR national series wins (18 in Cup, 8 in Xfinity, & 5 in Truck)[9]
10 Johnny Benson Jr.NASCAR Cup SeriesBerlin1995 NASCAR Busch Series champion
1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the year
2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion
[10]
11 Denny HamlinNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford I3-time Daytona 500 winner (2016, 2019, and 2020)
71 NASCAR national series wins (51 in Cup, 18 in Xfinity, & 2 in Truck)
NASCAR Cup Series team owner
[11]
28 Ron CappsNHRAEldora3-time NHRA Funny Car champion
73 NHRA wins
[12]
33 Austin DillonNASCAR Cup SeriesEldora2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion
2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion
2018 Daytona 500 Winner
20 NASCAR national series wins (4 in Cup, 9 in Xfinity, & 7 in Truck)
[13]
36 Kenny WallaceNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford II, Lucas Oil Speedway9 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins
Former NASCAR on Fox & Speed and NASCAR RaceDay analyst
[14]
41 Ryan PreeceNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford II2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion[15]
49 Jonathan DavenportLucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesLucas Oil Speedway3-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Champion (2015, 2018, and 2019)[16]
51 Kyle BuschNASCAR Cup SeriesPulaski County, Berlin2-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2015 and 2019)
2009 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion
229 NASCAR national series wins (most all-time) (63 in Cup, 102 in Xfinity, & 64 in Truck)
NASCAR Truck Series team owner
57 Chase BriscoeNASCAR Cup SeriesEldora14 NASCAR national series wins (1 in Cup, 11 in Xfinity & 2 in Truck)[17]
66 Tony KanaanStock Car Pro SeriesStafford I and II, Eldora2004 IndyCar Series champion
2013 Indianapolis 500 winner
16 IndyCar Series wins
69 Greg BiffleNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford II2000 NASCAR Truck Series champion
2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion
56 NASCAR national series wins (19 in Cup, 20 in Xfinity, & 17 in Truck)
[18]
99 Daniel SuárezNASCAR Cup SeriesStafford II2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion
5 NASCAR national series wins (1 in Cup, 3 in Xfinity, & 1 in Truck)
[19]
Ernie Francis Jr.Indy NXTLucas Oil SpeedwaySeven-time consecutive Trans-Am Series champion (2014 through 2020)[20]

Notes:

Schedule

The 2023 schedule was announced on December 21, 2022. All races were held on Thursday nights instead of Saturday nights. The 2023 season also started in July and ended in August for the first time. The first two seasons started in June and ended in July. [22]

The 2023 SRX schedule featured a return to Stafford Motor Speedway for the third straight year (making it the only track on the SRX schedule in all three years of the series) and series co-founder Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway dirt track for the first time since 2021. The other three tracks, two of which are paved and one (Lucas Oil Speedway) of which is a dirt track, were new to the SRX.[22] The original schedule included the paved quarter-mile Thunder Road International SpeedBowl in Barre, Vermont as the second event of the season, but due to extensive flood damage in the area the event was moved to Stafford (making it the only track so far in SRX history to host back to back races), with Thunder Road being granted a guaranteed date in 2024.[23]

The schedule was designed based on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in order to attract drivers from that series to race in the SRX race on the Thursday before the weekend's Cup Series race. Each race except for the season finale at Lucas Oil Speedway was held at a track in the same area of the country as the track that the Cup Series raced at that weekend.[24]

No.TrackLocationTypeDate
1Stafford Motor SpeedwayStafford Springs, Connecticut0.5 mile, pavedJuly 13
2July 20
3Pulaski County Motorsports Park0.416 mile, pavedJuly 27
4Berlin RacewayMarne, Michigan0.4375 mile, pavedAugust 3
5Eldora SpeedwayRossburg, Ohio0.5 mile, dirtAugust 10
6Lucas Oil SpeedwayWheatland, Missouri0.375 mile, dirtAugust 17

Broadcasting

All six races were broadcast live on TV in the United States on ESPN, replacing CBS and Paramount+.[22]

On April 25, 2023, the lineup of commentators for the SRX in 2023 was announced. Lap-by-Lap Allen Bestwick and pit reporter Matt Yocum moved over from CBS and returned in 2023. Bestwick previously worked for ESPN on their NASCAR coverage from 2007 to 2014 (first as a pit reporter, then as a studio host and then as a play-by-play) and IndyCar Coverage from 2014 to 2018. There were three rotating guest color commentators in the booth: Joey Logano at Stafford I, Berlin and Eldora, Conor Daly at Pulaski County Motorsports Park and Lucas Oil Speedway, and Darrell Waltrip at Stafford II.[25]

Lindsay Czarniak, who was the host role for the SRX on CBS in 2021 and 2022, did not return for this season. She previously worked for ESPN in the same role on their IndyCar coverage. On July 6, ESPN revealed that Nicole Briscoe, who was the studio host for NASCAR on ESPN from 2011 to 2014, would be the host on the SRX TV broadcasts in 2023, replacing Czarniak.[26] There was no roving reporter this season, a role previously filled by Brad Daugherty in 2021 and Willy T. Ribbs in 2022, resulting in each broadcast only having four commentators (down from five).

Results and standings

Race results

TrackHeat 1 winnerHeat 2 winnerFeature race winner
1Stafford Speedway
2Stafford SpeedwayTony StewartBrad Keselowski
3Motor Mile SpeedwayMarco AndrettiClint BowyerKyle Busch
4Berlin RacewayBrad KeselowskiRyan NewmanKyle Busch
5Eldora SpeedwayTony StewartTony StewartTony Stewart
6Lucas Oil SpeedwayJonathan DavenportBobby LabonteJonathan Davenport

Drivers' championship

Points are awarded for both heat races as well as the feature:

PointsPosition
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th
Heat1211109876543211
Feature252220181614121086421

(key) * – Most laps led (feature) 1 – Heat 1 winner 2 – Heat 2 winner

DriverSTASTAMMIBERELDLOSPts
1Ryan Newman2215323 4212
2Marco Andretti6391466167
3Brad Keselowski910242*192167
4Tony Stewart1171371*127164
5Ken Schrader7412683150
6Bobby Labonte86794 122145
7Hailie Deegan5885210140
Part-time drivers (ineligible for points)
Kyle Busch1*10
Denny Hamlin1*10
Jonathan Davenport1*10
Clint Bowyer32250
Daniel Suárez20
Paul Tracy411100
Greg Biffle50
Matt Kenseth50
Hélio Castroneves6890
Chase Briscoe70
Kenny Wallace980
Tony Kanaan1012120
Kevin Harvick12100
Ron Capps100
Josef Newgarden110
Kasey Kahne110
Austin Dillon110
Ernie Francis Jr.110
Johnny Benson Jr.120
Ryan Preece13*0

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Toby . Christie . Andretti, Hunter-Reay, Tracy Return for Full SRX Season; Newgarden, Kanaan Return Part-Time . TobyChristie.com . February 28, 2023.
  2. Web site: Christie . Toby . August 18, 2023 . Jonathan Davenport Wins SRX Season Finale; Ryan Newman Captures... . August 18, 2023 . Racing America.
  3. Web site: Toby . Christie . Tony Stewart Returns to SRX Racing For Full 2023 Season . TobyChristie.com . February 23, 2023 . February 25, 2023.
  4. Web site: NASCAR drivers sign up to run full-time in SRX Series . Shane . Walters . Racing News . February 1, 2023 . February 2, 2023.
  5. Web site: Ken Schrader to Compete for 2023 SRX Championship . Racing America . June 30, 2023.
  6. Web site: Joseph . Srigley . Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Helio Castroneves Competing in SRX's Third Season . TobyChristie.com . January 18, 2023 . January 19, 2023.
  7. Web site: Joseph . Srigley . Kevin Harvick Competing in SRX Events at Stafford and Berlin . TobyChristie.com . January 17, 2023 . January 19, 2023.
  8. Web site: Kevin . Rutherford . Matt Kenseth Joining SRX at Eldora . Frontstretch . May 4, 2023 . May 5, 2023.
  9. Web site: Toby . Christie . Kasey Kahne to Join SRX Racing Field at Berlin Raceway . TobyChristie.com . April 27, 2023 . April 28, 2023.
  10. Web site: Grace. Woelbing. Johnny Benson Jr. to line up in SRX field at Berlin. July 29, 2023. July 23, 2023.
  11. Web site: Joseph . Srigley . Denny Hamlin Signed to Compete in Season-Opening SRX Event at Stafford Speedway . TobyChristie.com . February 1, 2023 . February 2, 2023.
  12. Web site: Mike . Pryson . NHRA Funny Car Champ Ron Capps Going Dirt-Track Racing with SRX . . April 4, 2023 . April 15, 2023.
  13. Web site: Glover . Luken . Austin Dillon Making SRX Debut at Eldora . Fronstretch . 5 July 2023. July 5, 2023.
  14. Web site: Kenny Wallace to Race in SRX Finale at Lucas Oil Speedway . Racing America . February 21, 2023 . February 22, 2023.
  15. Web site: Srigley . Joseph . Ryan Preece Joins Camping World SRX Series for Relocated Race at Stafford . Racing America . 14 July 2023. July 14, 2023.
  16. Web site: Kornhoff . Taylor . Jonathan Davenport Running Lucas Oil SRX Race . Frontstretch . 7 August 2023. August 7, 2023.
  17. Web site: Michael . Finley . Chase Briscoe Competing in Eldora SRX Race . Fronstretch . August 3, 2023 . August 4, 2023.
  18. Web site: Wyatt . Watson . Greg Biffle Running Thunder Road in SRX . Frontstretch . April 28, 2023 . April 29, 2023.
  19. Web site: Kevin . Rutherford . Daniel Suarez Running SRX at Thunder Road . Frontstretch . April 10, 2023 . April 15, 2023.
  20. Web site: Glover . Luken . Ernie Francis Jr. Running Lucas Oil SRX Race . Fronstretch . 5 July 2023. July 5, 2023.
  21. Web site: (Twitter post) . Donald Hawk . July 12, 2023 . July 15, 2023 . "Aaron - yes that's precisely what happened there and we wish him all the best @IndyCar and hope to have him back to @SRXracing someday soon.".
  22. Web site: Joseph . Srigley . Superstar Racing Experience Announces 2023 Schedule . TobyChristie.com . December 21, 2023 . January 19, 2023.
  23. Web site: SRX Cancels Thunder Road Visit, Awards 2024 Date . Speed Sport . July 13, 2023 . 13 July 2023.
  24. Web site: John . Moriello . Tony Stewart's SRX Schedule Is Sure to Attract Cup Series Drivers and Concern NASCAR . Sportscasting . December 22, 2022 . January 19, 2023.
  25. Web site: ESPN Names SRX 'Thursday Night Thunder' Crew . Barrett Media . April 26, 2023 . April 28, 2023.
  26. Web site: (Twitter post) . . . July 6, 2023 . July 15, 2023.