For the past two summers, the Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham created SRX Racing – Superstar Racing Experience – Series has spent Saturday nights on CBS.  Next year, the series takes a road trip to Thursday nights on ESPN.  The move will revitalize ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder Series that has been dormant for some 40 years.  SRX has signed a multi-year deal with ESPN to air the six race season beginning in July.

The original Thursday Night Thunder was a short track grass roots racing program.

Series co-creator NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart spoke on the series saying, “Thursday Night Thunder is where guys like me, who were just starting our careers in USAC, got the chance to make a name for ourselves because of its presence on ESPN.  It’s great to see Thursday Night Thunder return, but to also be a part of it all over again with SRX.”

The SRX Racing Series takes 12 identically built stock cars and puts drivers from all manner of racing behind the wheel including retired drivers and current drivers from NASCAR, IndyCar, Late Models, and Sprint Cars.  Most of the races are back to basics races on the dirt with no pit stops and only two crews to make repairs during the break between heats and the main event.

Last season’s line up of drivers featured five NASCAR Cup Series championships, three IndyCar championships, four Daytona 500 wins, five Indianapolis 500 wins, and four NASCAR Hall of Famers.  Not surprising, series creator Tony Stewart took home the inaugural championship with IndyCar driver and third generation racer Marco Andretti taking the championship.

President of ESPN programming and original content Burke Magnus spoke on bringing SRX to the network saying, “SRX has been an impressive property in its first two seasons and has produced competitive and exciting action.  We look forward to bringing live racing back to summertime Thursday nights on ESPN with SRX.”

SRX CEO Don Hawk added, “when we had the opportunity to pitch the concept of ‘Thursday Night Thunder’ on ESPN, it was my firm belief this would be another disruptive and monumental moment in SRX and racing history: reuniting race fans with ESPN on short tracks with superstar drivers all across the U.S. for years to come.”

The 2023 SRX Racing schedule begins on July 13 and ends August 17.  Engines fire up at 9pm eastern time.