The Superstar Racing Experience grabbed the attention of race fans last summer, putting some of the best-known racing drivers in the world in equal equipment on challenging short tracks in an entertaining battle to determine the best.
The agreement with ESPN for six races in the venerable Thursday night spot meant the sport was riding high. The time meant current drivers, especially from NASCAR, could compete before their primary competitions on the weekend, and Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch both picked up wins. Its car was being scanned by iRacing to add to the simulator and bring it to a new audience. The 2024 schedule was almost entirely revealed, too, with tracks already selling tickets.
That high came crashing down, fittingly enough, on a Thursday, when SRX released a surprise statement on Twitter about the ‘postponement’ of the 2024 season.
“It is with deep disappointment that we announce the postponement of SRX’s fourth season,” the statement read. “We entered the next phase of our racing series with great anticipation and excitement for what was ahead. Our expectations, however, have been tempered by market factors that have proven too much to overcome.
“Time has run out to put forth the kind of events our fans, partners, drivers, and tracks deserve. We’re thankful to each for their commitment, their contributions, and their support as we brought a new idea to reality.
“The racing industry continues to evolve and we are actively exploring strategic options for the series’ long-term potential. We made this announcement now to allow our partners the time and flexibility to best serve their interests.
“We will provide updates on future plans for SRX when they’re available.”
The statement came without much warning, posted to the same Twitter account that had promoted the competitiveness of the series’ dirt racing earlier that day. TV partners ESPN didn’t provide any warning either.
“We enjoyed our relationship with SRX and wish them all the best,” a spokesman for the network told CupScene.
The timing does come at an interesting time, though. Just four days prior, Ray Evernham and Rob Kauffman announced that they’ve acquired the IROC brand and formed IROC Brand Holdings LLC. Hall of Fame NASCAR crew chief Evernham was one of the original founders of the SRX series, along with Tony Stewart, and he designed the unique-looking race cars before walking away from the series with no explanation ahead of the 2022 season.
SRX has followed a similar formula to the former IROC series, the International Race Of Champions, which ran its last season in 2006, by putting famous drivers from a variety of disciplines in equal equipment. Perhaps Evernham has reached a deal to come back to the series he founded with a bit extra historical cache involved.
There’s no evidence that such a move has necessarily been planned, and the drastic announcement from SRX appears to suggest a longer-term shutdown rather than a rebrand. Still, that hasn’t stopped speculation.
As for the series’ other notable founder, Tony Stewart has plenty on his plate. He’ll be running a full season at the top level of NHRA drag racing to fill in as his wife hopes to start a family, and his NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing has undergone something of a rebrand before racing without former star driver Kevin Harvick.
For now, there’s a racing gap in the Thursday night slot this summer.
Update, December 12th: SRX CEO Donald Hawk released a statement to Twitter about his thoughts “as I reflect on SRX Racing.”
“It was a special kind of two years,” he wrote. “We had some good moments and bad moments BUT we had some mic drop moments and memories for so many fans all across the USA.
“It was one heck of a ride……and oh yeah, I’m not retiring yet. Hope to see you around soon.”
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