Superstar Racing Experience

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the specific season, see 2021 SRX Series.
Superstar Racing Experience (SRX Racing)
SRX Logo - High Res.png
CategoryAuto racing
CountryUnited States
Inaugural season2021
Drivers12 (per race)
Tire suppliersGoodyear Tire & Rubber
Drivers' championTony Stewart (2021)
Official websiteSRXracing.com
Motorsport current event.svg Current season

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.

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.[1] Initially, series management was split between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina.[1]

Camping World acquired the naming rights to the series on June 1, 2021, dubbing it the Camping World SRX Series.[2]

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.[3] Founder Tony Stewart compared it to IROC by comparing the aspects of identical cars and an all-star cast of drivers.[4]

Cars[]

SRX cars were completely designed by founder Ray Evernham and were in concept stage when the series was founded in July 2020.[5] Teaser photos of the car showed it has a high rear spoiler and is said to have high horsepower and low downforce.[6] Fury Race Cars serves as the cars' chassis designer and builder.[7] The cars use Ilmor V8 396 engines, which are primarily featured in the ARCA Menards Series, with components from Edelbrock,[8] while brakes are provided by Performance Friction Corporation (PFC).[9]

Drivers receive their cars before each race via random draw.[10] A driver's car retains its color for the full season for easy identification.[11]

Drivers[]

The series' lineup is made up of younger up and coming drivers looking for exposure in addition to the older and retired drivers.[12] 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.[13][14]

The drivers for the inaugural SRX season included Tony Stewart, 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 and Chase Elliott.

Tracks[]

Races are primarily held on half-mile dirt and asphalt short tracks.[15] The six tracks from the series' first season was Stafford Motor Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, Eldora Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway, Slinger Speedway, and Fairgrounds Speedway.

Race format[]

Races last 90 minutes without pit stops, though there is also a "halftime" for adjustments to be made to the car.[16]

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.[11] 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.[10] The duration of the heats was originally set to 15 minutes before being changed following the inaugural race.[11]

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.[11] The starting order is based on average finishing position between the two heats. There are also unlimited attempts at a green–white–checker finish.[10]

Points Position
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
Heat 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Feature 25 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2

Statistics[]

Car No. Driver Starts Wins Podiums Heat Wins Most Laps Lead DNFs
14 Tony Stewart 6 2 5 2 1 0
2 Ernie Francis Jr. 6 1 2 0 1 0
18 Bobby Labonte 6 0 1 0 0 1
98 Marco Andretti 6 1 1 2 0 0
3 Hélio Castroneves 6 0 1 2 0 0
13 Paul Tracy 6 0 0 0 1 2
15 Michael Waltrip 6 0 0 0 0 2
9 Bill Elliott 6 0 1 1 1 2
17 Willy T. Ribbs 6 0 0 0 0 1
48 Tony Kanaan 4 0 0 0 0 0
1 Hailie Deegan 3 0 1 0 0 0
41 Scott Speed 2 0 1 1 0 0
69 Greg Biffle 2 0 1 1 0 0
10 Doug Coby 1 1 1 1 1 0
94 Chase Elliott 1 1 1 0 0 0
4 Luke Fenhaus 1 0 1 1 1 0
63 Kody Swanson 1 0 1 0 0 0
22 Bobby Santos III 1 0 0 0 0 0
00 Scott Bloomquist 1 0 0 1 0 0
21 Brian Brown 1 0 0 0 0 0

Series champions[]

Drivers[]

Year Car No. Driver Point Spread
2021 14 Tony Stewart +45

Media[]

CBS Sports airs the 2021 six-race season in two-hour primetime Saturday night television windows on the main CBS network.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Ourand, John (July 13, 2020). "Off To The Races: Powerful group launching new auto racing circuit to debut next year on CBS". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Hopkins, Dalton (June 1, 2021). "SRX Adds Camping World As Title Sponsor". Frontstretch. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Martinelli, Michelle (July 13, 2020). "What we know so far about Tony Stewart's new 'Superstar' short-track racing circuit". For The Win. USA Today. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  4. ^ Fenwick, Adam (July 13, 2020). "Stewart & Evernham Launching Superstar Racing Experience". Speed Sport. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Wolkin, Joseph (July 19, 2020). "Superstar Racing Experience Is Creating A Fresh Take On IROC". Forbes. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "Tony Stewart comments on SRX tracks". Racing News. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  7. ^ "FURY to design, build SRX race cars". Racer. October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  8. ^ "Ilmor V8s to power SRX cars". Racer. February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Evans, Zach (March 19, 2021). "SRX Cars Will Be Equipped With PFC Brakes in 2021". Speed51. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "SRX reveals race format". Racer. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d "SRX reduces race lengths ahead of Knoxville". Racer. June 16, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  12. ^ Smith, Steve Cole. "Update: The New IROC Series Is Still On for 2021". The Drive. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  13. ^ "Which Short Track Racers Should Join SRX in 2021?". Speed51. January 8, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  14. ^ Nguyen, Justin (January 4, 2021). "Six-race 2021 Superstar Racing Experience schedule revealed". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "INSIGHT: Why Evernham feels the time is right for a modern reimagining of IROC". RACER. 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  16. ^ "Stewart, Evernham to re-create IROC as SRX". ESPN.com. 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  17. ^ Mayer, Ryan (July 13, 2020). "'Shorter Races, More Exciting Formats, Bring To Life Driver Personalities': CBS To Air Superstar Racing Experience In 2021". CBS Boston. CBS. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "CBS Sports reveals all-star announce team for Superstar Racing Experience inaugural season". ViacomCBS (Press release). April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  19. ^ Pryson, Mike (May 21, 2021). "Tony Stewart's SRX Has Had No Races Yet, But It's Already Got a Video Game". Autoweek. Retrieved May 22, 2021.

External links[]

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