SRX Superstar Racing Experience will not race in 2024, postpones fourth season
Despite a heavily anticipated 2024 season, the Superstar Racing Experience is not going to go racing this year. The 2024 slate of races was lined up and almost ready to go. However, SRX has had to pull back on the year due to unforeseen circumstances it would appear. NASCAR icon Tony Stewart is an owner of the series.
The series puts the best of yesterday’s and today’s stars in racing against one another. On short tracks of asphalt and dirt, these SRX cars are all identical and set up to put on a level playing field – leaving it up to the drivers themselves.
The Superstar Racing Experience will now be on hold. Last season the series was sponsored by Camping World and appeared on a renewed ESPN Thursday Night Thunder spot in the summer.
It is disappointing to see the SRX Series come to a (temporary) end like this.
While the series says this is a postponement, we will have to wait and see if SRX makes a return.
“It is with deep disappointment that we announce the postponement of SRX’s fourth season,” a statement from the team 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.”
Read the rest of the statement in the Twitter/X post below.
Ultimately, it sounds like funding was the main issue here.
Superstar Racing Experience postponed for now
The SRX Series was able to pull in a lot of great talent. Ryan Newman was the series champion this year. Tony Stewart was a regular. Kenny Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and others were also among the drivers in 2023.
The reality of it, despite great in-person crowds, the series didn’t pull in ratings. For whatever reason, production value, the cars, the drivers, whatever it was – it didn’t take off like many had hoped. That means sponsors aren’t as keen to chip in when it comes to renewing these deals.
Camping World barely stuck around for 2023 after making their exit from the Truck Series. I’m shocked that Bass Pro Shops didn’t pick SRX up as the title sponsor. Then again, Johnny Morris and the crew are stretched a bit thin as it is in NASCAR.
It is very interesting that this comes in the same week we learned IROC is coming back. Ray Evernham and his crew are trying to revive that series. It felt like we would see some healthy competition between SRX and IROC – now, we’ll be lucky if we get one of these series in 2024.
The Superstar Racing Experience was a great project. Maybe it can be absorbed into the CARS Tour somehow? Put these SRX cars on those tracks and see how it goes for six to ten races a season.
While we are seeing growth in motorsports as a whole, this is a reminder that there isn’t room for everybody to eat at the big kid’s table. Fans will not be happy about this, especially those at regular SRX tracks such as Berlin Raceway.