Three current and former NASCAR drivers join SRX in 2023 for at least two races each, as the series announced on Instagram that Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer will help fill the roster in four of six races. A partial schedule for Helio Castroneves was also announced.
The SRX series was launched to create a bridge between veteran drivers, up-and-comers and visiting superstars. Chase Elliott won the last two season finales at Nashville (Tennessee) Fairgrounds in 2021 and Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio last year.
The availability of NASCAR drivers is partly attributable to the series moving from Saturday nights to Thursdays for a reboot of ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder, which will remove any conflicts with the weekend schedules.
SRX gets underway Thursday, July 13 at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut and then runs for six consecutive weeks. Harvick, who will make 2023 his final season in NASCAR, and Bowyer, his former teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing, will be on hand for the kickoff.
Week 3 of the schedule will also feature two NASCAR drivers with Kyle Busch making his first appearance alongside Bowyer. Castroneves will race in this event as well.
One week later at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan, Harvick, Busch, and Castroneves will square off once again.
Bowyer will make a third appearance during the season in the finale at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri along with Castroneves.
Stafford has now been on the schedule for each of the series’ three seasons. In fact, Stafford is the only repeat track in 2023 with the other five venues hosting their first ever SRX races. Doug Coby won there in 2021; Ryan Newman was victorious in in 2022.
The six-race schedule in 2023 include stops at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont, Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia, Berlin, Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio and Lucas Oil.
“The six tracks we selected came from a list of 42 fantastic venues, all who had real interest in hosting an SRX race this summer,” said Don Hawk, SRX Chief Executive Officer in a press release. “When selecting the schedule, we prioritized historic tracks that have had success hosting big-time events. We are really excited with the six tracks that have been selected - the venues will be packed and bring incredible energy and local racing passion.”
2023 Schedule
July 13: Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, CT)
July 20: Thunder Road Speedbowl (Barre, VT)
July 27: Motor Mile Speedway (Radford, VA)
Aug. 3: Berlin Raceway (Grand Rapids, MI)
Aug. 10: Eldora Speedway (New Weston, OH)
Aug. 17: Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO)
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