Could there be a reprieve for SRX?
On March 22, the Skip Barber Racing School announced it had acquired the rights for Superstar Racing Experience. The statement was released a day after Don Hawk, the former CEO of SRX, was named chief strategy officer.
Anthony DeMonte, Chief Executive Officer for SBRS, said at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday “The possibilities are there” to revive the tour. Skip Barber Racing School provided logistical services for SRX over its first three seasons.
“Fortunately, we know the brand very well,” DeMonte said. “We’ve been involved for the last three years. We’re excited to be in the mix to try and keep it moving forward.”
On January 11, SRX announced a “postponement of the fourth season.” The statement was released four days following Ray Evernham’s news of his intention to resurrect the IROC Series with investor and former NASCAR team owner Rob Kauffman.
Evernham, a founder of SRX, left the management group after the first season, much to the surprise of those who followed the tour. Philosophically, he didn’t appear satisfied with the direction the series was taking. But the show must go on—and did with series co-founder Tony Stewart.
For race fans, Superstar Racing Experience became a welcome appetizer during a weekend of racing. During the coronavirus pandemic, SRX provided entertainment from grassroots race tracks for a starved audience of race fans when it debuted in June 2021.
With NASCAR Hall of Famers Evernham and Stewart at the helm, along with sports marketer George Pyne and former TV exec Sandy Montag, the series had great promise. Stewart already owned a variety of successful motorsports properties.
“I think the management did a really, really good job of bringing what fans wanted to the local tracks,” DeMonte said. “It was very appealing to the fans and very exciting for everybody to see the competition it put forward.”
SRX started as an IROC Light tour for veterans and added up-and-coming local stars from the venues it visited. Enticements such as a father-and-son match between two of NASCAR’s most popular drivers—Bill and Chase Elliott—followed by ‘the Battle of the Blaneys” at the family’s Sharon Speedway, attracted both new fans and old.
Stewart won the first SRX title, followed by Marco Andretti and then Ryan Newman last year when ESPN took over the TV production and moved the show to Thursdays—giving it a Thursday Night Thunder feel of old.
DeMonte wouldn’t reveal his final plans for the series or what type of vehicles SRX might use moving forward. DeMonte also didn’t discount the opportunity to provide an SRX type of experience for Skip Barber Racing School patrons.
“It’s something we’ve been discussing internally,” he said.
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
