Superstar Racing Experience Explained

Superstar Racing Experience (SRX Racing)
Category:Auto racing
Country/Region:United States
Inaugural:2021
Drivers:12–13 (per race)
Engines:Ilmor
Tires:Goodyear
Champion Driver:Ryan Newman (2023)
Website:SRXracing.com

Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), officially known as the Camping World SRX Series, is an American stock car racing series founded by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag and George Pyne.[1] The formation of the series was announced on July 13, 2020, and debuted on June 12, 2021, televised on CBS on Saturday nights.

On January 31, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on June 18, 2022 and was also aired on Saturday nights.[2] Its third season aired on July 13, 2023, on ESPN with the series moving races to Thursday nights.

On January 11, 2024, it was announced that the 2024 season was postponed due to market factors.[3] with Everham later stating in an interview with Forbes that the poor television ratings for the third season was the primary market factor for the cancelation of the series.[4]

On March 22, 2024, the Skip Barber Racing School announced that it had acquired the series and is forming a plan for a 2024 season.[5]

History

On July 13, 2020, it was reported that SRX was in preparation for a 2021 debut season. The series' founders included former NASCAR driver and current team owner Tony Stewart, former NASCAR team owner and crew chief Ray Evernham as well as former NASCAR executive George Pyne and sports agent Sandy Montag. Initially, series management was split between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Camping World acquired the naming rights to the series on June 1, 2021, dubbing it the Camping World SRX Series.[6]

On January 20, 2022, Don Hawk was named CEO of SRX.[7] On March 30, Evernham announced via Twitter that he was no longer in charge of SRX, but has kept his role as an investor of the sport.[8] [9]

Championship

SRX draws direct contrast from NASCAR when aiming for shorter races at shorter tracks, and also with the random pairing of driver and crew chief for each race.[10] Founder Tony Stewart compared it to IROC by comparing the aspects of identical cars and an all-star cast of drivers.[11]

Cars

SRX cars were completely designed by founder Ray Evernham and were in concept stage when the series was founded in July 2020.[12] Teaser photos of the car showed it has a high rear spoiler and is said to have high horsepower and low downforce.[13] Fury Race Cars serves as the cars' chassis designer and builder.[14] The cars use naturally aspirated Ilmor V8 396 cui engines, which are primarily featured in the ARCA Menards Series, with components from Edelbrock,[15] while brakes are provided by Performance Friction Corporation (PFC).[16]

Drivers receive their cars before each race via random draw.[17] A driver's car retains its color for the full season for easy identification.

Drivers

The series' lineup is made up of younger up and coming drivers looking for exposure in addition to the older and retired drivers.[18] In addition to those running the full schedule, the series provides a "Rocky Balboa" car for a local champion at each track and a "ringer" entry for notable drivers making cameo appearances.[19] [20]

The drivers for the inaugural SRX season included Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Hélio Castroneves, Ernie Francis Jr., Paul Tracy, Bill Elliott, Willy T. Ribbs, Michael Waltrip and Marco Andretti for all six races.

Part-time drivers and Local Legend drivers include: Tony Kanaan, Hailie Deegan, Greg Biffle, Scott Speed, Doug Coby, Brian Brown, Scott Bloomquist, Kody Swanson, Luke Fenhaus, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch

Tracks

Races are primarily held on half-mile dirt and asphalt short tracks.[21] The six tracks from the series' first season was Stafford Motor Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, Eldora Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway, Slinger Speedway, and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The 2022 schedule featured Five Flags Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, I-55 Raceway and Sharon Speedway. The 2023 schedule featured Stafford and Eldora, but also featured new tracks Motor Mile Speedway, Berlin Raceway and Lucas Oil Speedway. Thunder Road SpeedBowl was originally part of the 2023 schedule but due to flooding in the area the track was given a 2024 date, and was joined by Berlin, Stafford, Slinger and new track Cedar Lake Speedway.

Race format

Races last 90 minutes without pit stops, though there is also a "halftime" for adjustments to be made to the car.[22]

Two 12-minute heat races take place before the feature; the final lap begins when time runs out and the leader crosses the start/finish line. A random draw sets the starting lineup for the first heat, while the second is determined by an inversion of the first race's finishing results. The duration of the heats was originally set to 15 minutes before being changed following the inaugural race.

The feature race is 100 laps long at all paved ovals but Slinger, where the distance is 150 laps, while the dirt tracks have 50-lap features.[23] The starting order is based on average finishing position between the two heats. There are also unlimited attempts at a green–white–checker finish.

PointsPosition
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th
Heat121110987654321
Feature25222018161412108642

Statistics

Updated August 10, 2023

!Driver!Starts!Wins!Podiums!Heat Wins!Most Laps Led!DNFs
Tony Stewart18510640
Ernie Francis Jr.1012010
Bobby Labonte1813211
Marco Andretti1815210
Hélio Castroneves1212400
Paul Tracy1501015
Michael Waltrip1200002
Bill Elliott801112
Willy T. Ribbs600001
Tony Kanaan1200010
Hailie Deegan1102000
Scott Speed201100
Greg Biffle902200
Doug Coby111110
Chase Elliott222000
Luke Fenhaus101110
Kody Swanson101000
Bobby Santos III100000
Scott Bloomquist100100
Brian Brown100000
Ken Schrader702011
Matt Kenseth402000
Ryan Newman1226200
Cole Williams100100
Ryan Blaney100000
Dave Blaney100000
Peyton Sellers100000
Bubba Pollard101100
Josef Newgarden100100
Matt Hirschman100000
Justin Marks100000
Ryan Hunter-Reay600100
Denny Hamlin111110
Kyle Busch222010
Daniel Suárez101000
Brad Keselowski602310
Clint Bowyer201100
Kenny Wallace200000
Josef Newgarden100000
Kevin Harvick200000
Ryan Preece100010
Kasey Kahne100000
Johnny Benson Jr.100000
Austin Dillon100000
Ron Capps100000
Chase Briscoe100000
Jonathan Davenport111110

Series champions

Drivers

!Year!Car No.!Driver!Point Spread
202114Tony Stewart+45
202298Marco Andretti+2
202339Ryan Newman+45

Media

CBS Sports aired the 2021 and 2022 six-race season in two-hour primetime Saturday night television windows on the main CBS network.[24]

On April 14, 2021, CBS announced their broadcast team for the inaugural season. Veteran motorsports announcer Allen Bestwick served as lead announcer, with Lindsay Czarniak as host, Brad Daugherty as roaming reporter, and Matt Yocum on pit road. Three driver analysts, Danica Patrick (Stafford and Knoxville), James Hinchcliffe (Eldora, Slinger and Nashville Fairgrounds), and Dario Franchitti (Lucas Oil) were the color analysts for the inaugural season.[25]

Bestwick, Yocum, Daugherty, and Czarniak returned for the 2022 season, while 2021 driver Willy T. Ribbs joined the broadcast team as an analyst. Conor Daly was signed as a driver analyst.[26]

A video game based on the series, titled SRX: The Game and developed by Monster Games, was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam on May 28, 2021.[27]

For the 2023 season, races were held on Thursday nights and televised on ESPN, reviving its former Thursday Night Thunder branding, which had been used from 1989 to 2002 for primetime broadcasts of short track races.[28] [29]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ourand . John . July 13, 2020 . Off To The Races: Powerful group launching new auto racing circuit to debut next year on CBS . July 13, 2020 . Sports Business Journal.
  2. Web site: January 31, 2022 . Superstar Racing Experience Returns to Primetime Saturdays This Summer for Second Season on CBS . February 3, 2022 . Speedway Digest.
  3. Web site: SRX Racing will not compete this year . . NASCAR Digital Media . January 11, 2024 . January 12, 2024.
  4. Web site: Engle . Greg . NASCAR Hall Of Famer Ray Evernham On Demise Of SRX And Future Of IROC . 2024-03-08 . Forbes . en.
  5. Web site: March 22, 2024 . SKIP BARBER RACING SCHOOL ACQUIRES SUPERSTAR RACING EXPERIENCE . March 22, 2024 . Skip Barber Racing School.
  6. Web site: Hopkins . Dalton . June 1, 2021 . SRX Adds Camping World As Title Sponsor . June 1, 2021 . Frontstretch.
  7. Web site: January 20, 2022 . Don Hawk Named Chief Executive of SRX . January 20, 2022 . . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  8. Web site: Segal . Davey . April 1, 2022 . NASCAR Mailbox: How Will Ray Evernham's Absence Impact SRX? . July 12, 2022 . Frontstretch.
  9. Bonkowski . Jerry . June 14, 2022 . Tony Stewart's SRX Season 2 Brings New Names, New Leadership . . July 12, 2022.
  10. Web site: Martinelli . Michelle . July 13, 2020 . What we know so far about Tony Stewart's new 'Superstar' short-track racing circuit . July 13, 2020 . . USA Today.
  11. Web site: Fenwick . Adam . July 13, 2020 . Stewart & Evernham Launching Superstar Racing Experience . July 13, 2020 . Speed Sport.
  12. Web site: Wolkin . Joseph . July 19, 2020 . Superstar Racing Experience Is Creating A Fresh Take On IROC . July 21, 2020 . Forbes.
  13. Web site: August 30, 2020 . Tony Stewart comments on SRX tracks . September 18, 2020 . Racing News . en-US.
  14. Web site: October 2, 2020 . FURY to design, build SRX race cars . October 2, 2020 . Racer.
  15. Web site: February 25, 2021 . Ilmor V8s to power SRX cars . February 25, 2021 . Racer.
  16. Web site: Evans . Zach . March 19, 2021 . SRX Cars Will Be Equipped With PFC Brakes in 2021 . March 19, 2021 . Speed51.
  17. Web site: May 6, 2021 . SRX reveals race format . May 6, 2021 . Racer.
  18. Web site: Smith . Steve Cole . November 9, 2020 . Update: The New IROC Series Is Still On for 2021 . December 7, 2020 . The Drive.
  19. Web site: January 8, 2021 . Which Short Track Racers Should Join SRX in 2021? . March 22, 2021 . Speed51.
  20. Web site: Nguyen . Justin . January 4, 2021 . Six-race 2021 Superstar Racing Experience schedule revealed . March 22, 2021 . The Checkered Flag.
  21. Web site: September 17, 2020 . INSIGHT: Why Evernham feels the time is right for a modern reimagining of IROC . September 18, 2020 . . en-US.
  22. Web site: July 13, 2020 . Stewart, Evernham to re-create IROC as SRX . September 18, 2020 . . en.
  23. Web site: June 16, 2021 . SRX reduces race lengths ahead of Knoxville . October 5, 2021 . Racer.
  24. Web site: Mayer . Ryan . July 13, 2020 . 'Shorter Races, More Exciting Formats, Bring To Life Driver Personalities': CBS To Air Superstar Racing Experience In 2021 . July 13, 2020 . . CBS.
  25. CBS Sports reveals all-star announce team for Superstar Racing Experience inaugural season . April 14, 2021 . April 22, 2021 . ViacomCBS.
  26. CBS Sports unveils all-star announce team for second season of Superstar Racing Experience . April 26, 2022 . April 26, 2022 . ViacomCBS.
  27. Web site: Pryson . Mike . May 21, 2021 . Tony Stewart's SRX Has Had No Races Yet, But It's Already Got a Video Game . May 22, 2021 . Autoweek.
  28. Web site: Rutherford . Kevin . December 12, 2022 . SRX Returning In 2023, Moving To ESPN . December 12, 2022 . Frontstretch.
  29. Web site: Kerschbaumer . Ken . 2023-07-13 . Thursday Night Thunder Returns to ESPN via SRX; SMT, Plucky Revamp Graphics, Data . 2023-07-19 . Sports Video Group . en.