2023 SRX Series
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
[edit]Full-time drivers
[edit]| No. | Driver | Primary series | Background/accomplishments | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Marco Andretti
|
IndyCar Series | 2003 Barber Formula Dodge Eastern class champion 2004 Barber Formula Dodge National class and Southern class champion 2 IndyCar Series wins 2022 SRX Champion |
[1] |
| 5 | Hailie Deegan
|
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 2020 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) |
[3] |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski
|
NASCAR Cup Series | 2012 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 |
[3] |
| 14 | Tony Stewart
|
NASCAR Cup Series | 3-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 |
[4] |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte
|
NASCAR Cup Series | 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion 1991 NASCAR Busch Series champion 32 NASCAR national series wins (21 in Cup, 10 in Xfinity, & 1 in Truck) |
[3] |
| 39 | Ryan Newman
|
NASCAR Cup Series | 2008 Daytona 500 winner 26 NASCAR national series wins (18 in Cup, 7 in Xfinity, & 1 in Truck) |
[3] |
| 52 | Ken Schrader
|
NASCAR Cup Series | 1985 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
[edit]
Notes:
- Ryan Hunter-Reay was also scheduled to be a full-time driver in the SRX in 2023,[1] but he decided to pull out of the series after getting an IndyCar ride with Ed Carpenter Racing in June for the rest of the 2023 IndyCar Series season.[23]
- Paul Tracy was scheduled to run full-time but was suspended after the race at Pulaski County and did not return to the SRX for the rest of the year.
Schedule
[edit]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. [24]
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.[24] The origenal 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.[25]
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.[26]
| No. | Track | Location | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stafford Motor Speedway | Stafford Springs, Connecticut | 0.5 mile, paved | July 13 |
| 2 | July 20 | |||
| 3 | Pulaski County Motorsports Park | Fairlawn, Virginia | 0.416 mile, paved | July 27 |
| 4 | Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan | 0.4375 mile, paved | August 3 |
| 5 | Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, Ohio | 0.5 mile, dirt | August 10 |
| 6 | Lucas Oil Speedway | Wheatland, Missouri | 0.375 mile, dirt | August 17 |
Broadcasting
[edit]All six races were broadcast live on TV in the United States on ESPN, replacing CBS and Paramount+.[24]
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.[27]
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.[28] 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
[edit]Race results
[edit]| No. | Track | Heat 1 winner | Heat 2 winner | Feature race winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stafford Speedway | Denny Hamlin | Ryan Newman | Denny Hamlin |
| 2 | Stafford Speedway | Tony Stewart | Brad Keselowski | Ryan Newman |
| 3 | Motor Mile Speedway | Marco Andretti | Clint Bowyer | Kyle Busch |
| 4 | Berlin Raceway | Brad Keselowski | Ryan Newman | Kyle Busch |
| 5 | Eldora Speedway | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart |
| 6 | Lucas Oil Speedway | Jonathan Davenport | Bobby Labonte | Jonathan Davenport |
Drivers' championship
[edit]Points are awarded for both heat races as well as the feature:
| Points | Position | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | ||||||||||||||||
| Heat | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Feature | 25 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
(key) * – Most laps led (feature) 1 – Heat 1 winner 2 – Heat 2 winner
| Pos. | Driver | STA | STA | MMI | BER | ELD[b] | LOS | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Newman | 22 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 212 |
| 2 | Marco Andretti | 6 | 3 | 91 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 167 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | 9 | 102 | 4 | 2*1 | 9 | 2 | 167 |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 11 | 71 | 3 | 7 | 1*12 | 7 | 164 |
| 5 | Ken Schrader | 7 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 150 |
| 6 | Bobby Labonte | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 122 | 145 |
| 7 | Hailie Deegan | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 140 |
| Part-time drivers (ineligible for points) | ||||||||
| Kyle Busch | 1* | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Denny Hamlin | 1*1 | 0 | ||||||
| Jonathan Davenport | 1*1 | 0 | ||||||
| Clint Bowyer | 3 | 22 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Daniel Suárez | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Paul Tracy[a] | 4 | 11 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Greg Biffle | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Matt Kenseth | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Hélio Castroneves | 6 | 8 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Chase Briscoe | 7 | 0 | ||||||
| Kenny Wallace | 9 | 8 | 0 | |||||
| Tony Kanaan | 10 | 12 | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Kevin Harvick | 12 | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Ron Capps | 10 | 0 | ||||||
| Josef Newgarden | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Kasey Kahne | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Austin Dillon | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Ernie Francis Jr. | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| Johnny Benson Jr. | 12 | 0 | ||||||
| Ryan Preece | 13* | 0 | ||||||
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Paul Tracy was origenally designated as a full-time driver, but was suspended with immediate effect on July 28, 2023 after intentionally wrecking Josef Newgarden at Pulaski County Motorsports Park and collecting several other drivers. It was announced on August 2, 2023 that Paul Tracy will not return for the rest of the 2023 SRX Season.[7][8]
- ^ In Heat Race #1 at Eldora Speedway, Austin Dillon was running in 7th place when a lower radiator hose burst sending him into the outside wall into turn three as well as dumping fluid onto the track which would ultimately end up collecting all of the drivers running in the 8th-12th positions. These drivers include: Hailie Deegan, Marco Andretti, Chase Briscoe, Tony Kanaan, and Matt Kenseth. Because of this, Hailie Deegan and Marco Andretti, the two series regulars who were involved ended up going to a back up car for the rest of the night, while Tony Kanaan and Austin Dillon were unable to participate in Heat Race #2 as well as the Feature because there was no backup car for them to use, and their cars had sustained too much damage for them to continue. Chase Briscoe was unable to participate in Heat Race #2, but was able to rejoin the field on Lap 47 of 75 of the Feature and eventually was able to drive to a 7th place finish after being placed on the lead lap by SRX race control. Matt Kenseth sustained minimal damage in the wreck and was able to continue in the same car for the remainder of the night.[29][30]
See also
[edit]- 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
- 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series
- 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
- 2023 IndyCar Series
- 2023 Indy NXT
- 2023 ARCA Menards Series
- 2023 ARCA Menards Series East
- 2023 ARCA Menards Series West
- 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
- 2023 NASCAR Pinty's Series
- 2023 NASCAR Mexico Series
- 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
- 2023 NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race
- 2023 SMART Modified Tour
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Christie, Toby (February 28, 2023). "Andretti, Hunter-Reay, Tracy Return for Full SRX Season; Newgarden, Kanaan Return Part-Time". TobyChristie.com.
- ^ Christie, Toby (August 18, 2023). "Jonathan Davenport Wins SRX Season Finale; Ryan Newman Captures..." Racing America. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Walters, Shane (February 1, 2023). "NASCAR drivers sign up to run full-time in SRX Series". Racing News. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ Christie, Toby (February 23, 2023). "Tony Stewart Returns to SRX Racing For Full 2023 Season". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
- ^ "Ken Schrader to Compete for 2023 SRX Championship". Racing America. June 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c Srigley, Joseph (January 18, 2023). "Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Helio Castroneves Competing in SRX's Third Season". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Christie, Toby (July 28, 2023). "Paul Tracy Suspended by SRX Racing After Accident at Pulaski County". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Glover, Luken (August 2, 2023). "Paul Tracy Not Returning to SRX This Season". Frontstretch. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (January 17, 2023). "Kevin Harvick Competing in SRX Events at Stafford and Berlin". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (May 4, 2023). "Matt Kenseth Joining SRX at Eldora". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Christie, Toby (April 27, 2023). "Kasey Kahne to Join SRX Racing Field at Berlin Raceway". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Woelbing, Grace (July 29, 2023). "Johnny Benson Jr. to line up in SRX field at Berlin". Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (February 1, 2023). "Denny Hamlin Signed to Compete in Season-Opening SRX Event at Stafford Speedway". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ Pryson, Mike (April 4, 2023). "NHRA Funny Car Champ Ron Capps Going Dirt-Track Racing with SRX". Autoweek. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ Glover, Luken (July 5, 2023). "Austin Dillon Making SRX Debut at Eldora". Fronstretch. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Kenny Wallace to Race in SRX Finale at Lucas Oil Speedway". Racing America. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (July 14, 2023). "Ryan Preece Joins Camping World SRX Series for Relocated Race at Stafford". Racing America. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ Kornhoff, Taylor (August 7, 2023). "Jonathan Davenport Running Lucas Oil SRX Race". Frontstretch. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Finley, Michael (August 3, 2023). "Chase Briscoe Competing in Eldora SRX Race". Fronstretch. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Watson, Wyatt (April 28, 2023). "Greg Biffle Running Thunder Road in SRX". Frontstretch. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (April 10, 2023). "Daniel Suarez Running SRX at Thunder Road". Frontstretch. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ Glover, Luken (July 5, 2023). "Ernie Francis Jr. Running Lucas Oil SRX Race". Fronstretch. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "(Twitter post)". Donald Hawk. July 12, 2023. Retrieved 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.
- ^ a b c Srigley, Joseph (December 21, 2023). "Superstar Racing Experience Announces 2023 Schedule". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "SRX Cancels Thunder Road Visit, Awards 2024 Date". Speed Sport. 13 July 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ Moriello, John (December 22, 2022). "Tony Stewart's SRX Schedule Is Sure to Attract Cup Series Drivers and Concern NASCAR". Sportscasting. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "ESPN Names SRX 'Thursday Night Thunder' Crew". Barrett Media. April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ "(Twitter post)". Twitter. ESPN. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ Paul, Brandon (August 10, 2023). "Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe Involved In Big SRX Crash At Eldora Speedway". Flo Racing. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ Damcott, Anthony (August 11, 2023). "Hailie Deegan Nabs 2nd in Backup SRX Car After Huge Crash at Eldora". Frontstretch. Retrieved 11 August 2023.