This summer the SRX – Superstar Racing Experience – enters its third year with a new network and a new night; along with some driver changes.

The short track series is only six races long during the summer.  Created by NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and former crew chief Ray Evernham, SRX moves to ESPN for Thursday Night Thunder in July and August.

The series features 12 identically set up cars with drivers from a variety of racing series including a “local track hero” from the track where the series is racing.

While there are some drivers who run all six races in a competition for the championship; there are drivers who run only a few of the races during the season.

NASCAR drivers Hailie Deegan, Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte, and Ryan Newman have all signed on to drive for the full SRX season.  Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer have all signed on to drive a portion of the season.

While the full list of participants for the 2023 season has yet to be revealed, past drivers include Tony Stewart, Paul Tracy, Bill Elliott,Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Ernie Francis Jr, Michael Waltrip, Gregg Biffle, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Dave Blaney.

Kevin Harvick spoke on his entering the series for a couple of races saying, “I’ve watched the SRX Series the last couple of years and it looked like a lot of fun.  With the way the schedule worked out, it wasn’t very convenient with my schedule, but this year with it being on Thursdays it was easy to coordinate.”

He added, “I’ve always wanted to race at Stafford Speedway. I’ve had a great relationship with them over the years. … Berlin Raceway is such a historic short track, and has produced some great racers, so having the opportunity to run there really appealed to me.”

Running in the first race of the season, Denny Hamlin commented on the opportunity saying, “I am absolutely fired up to join the SRX season opener at Stafford Motor Speedway.  That track has so much history, to finally get to race there will be a bucket list item for me. It’s been fun watching SRX grow over the past two years, and it’s an honor they asked me to join them.”

Brad Keselowski also spoke on joining the SRX series saying, “I’ve been watching the SRX series on TV over the years, and given our limited practice and qualifying time in motorsports now, this provides another outlet to gain track time and better my craft.   The addition of ESPN and return of Thursday Night Thunder is a huge plus as the series continues to deliver its exciting product to fans at home. This is an incredible opportunity for me to compete and I’m excited for it to kick off this summer.”

After running a race last season, Hailie Deegan is set to return for the full season saying, “I can’t wait to be running the full SRX series. Ever since I did my first SRX race I’ve been hoping that the schedule would work out to where I could race in it full time.   Coming back to the SRX series is already exciting as it is, but being able to run the full series makes it that much better. Going into this year I was hoping I had no conflicts and could participate in the whole season.”

Returning to racing Ryan Newman said, “I am honored to be competing in the SRX series again this year. Last year was a great experience, and the trip for me and my girls to victory lane in Stafford (CT) will always be remembered. Being back on Thursday Night Thunder with Tony will be special as well.”

Making a return for the third season, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte said, “it’s quite an honor to be invited back to the SRX Series for a third year. Everybody has done a great job making the series more popular every year. We had a good run last year, won a race and contended for the championship. I am really excited to be competitive again this year, and compete for the 2023 series championship.”


The 2023 SRX season begins on July 13 at Stafford Motor Speedway with Denny Hamlin joining the lineup.

SRX 2023 season:
July 13  at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT – Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer
July 20 at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT –
July 27 at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, VA – Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer
Aug 3 at Berline Raceway in Grand Rapids, MI – Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick
Aug 10 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH –
Aug 17 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO – Clint Bowyer