DriveTribeAaron Machado | DriveTribe
What the SRX proved to the world.
SRX is the brainchild of 1997 Indycar and 3 time nascar champion Tony “smoke” Stewart and the crew chief of Jeff Gordon during the dominance of the rainbow warrior Ray Evernham which thrives off bringing top level talent to the small tracks of america. In America there’s local tracks you’d never hear about if you watch a series like NASCAR or Indy but provide a family atmosphere that many grew to love with motorsport. Tracks like Eldora, Knoxville and Slinger to name a few are where many get their first sight in motorsports. The SRX takes the fame Daytona and Watkins Glenn and replace them with the dirt of Knoxville and the pavement of Nashville fairgrounds which adds to the SRX family atmosphere.
1st point: The Roster
The SRX has well established legends from multiple series from trans am like Willy T Ribbs and Indycar like reigning Indy500 champ Helios Castroneuves and NASCAR royalty like Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte and the founder of the series Tony Stewart. Another unique aspect of the series is having young talent like Hailie Deegan and Ernie Francis Jr as well as having a cameo of the local track champion also known as the “ringer”. It plays on a idea of equal equipment as the cars are randomized but giving the same design in order for fans to be able to tell the difference and also provide a bright atmosphere on track while also having the perfect “ whos better” scenarios like you have Bill Elliott racing against his son Chase whos the current NASCAR playoffs champ on the same track at Nashville. It’s a series that due to no sponsor affiliation leads to seeing the personality’s coming out like Paul Tracy vs Hailie Deegan at Slinger or Helios Castroneuves vs Scott Speed at Lucas Oil Raceway.
2nd point: it’s atmosphere
The tracks are done local and aren’t marketable which is a good thing, the lack of billboards you see compared to what you see in the big 3 in the USA brings a more family and relatable atmosphere. The fans are able to interact with the drivers and aren’t isolated like you see in F1 which gives more dependence on the fans which SRX actually listens to their fans, when the initial concept of the cars came out with a splitter and aero focus and the fans themselves spoke up, SRX got rid of it and just that little gesture built more trust between the organization and the fans. This atmosphere also brought out a more laid back demeanor for the drivers, there wasn’t this robotic attitude you see of these drivers in their native series and in fact many enjoyed it. The whole series was made with emphasis on drivers having fun which encouraged drivers from all series. There was a importance on a race rather than a championship that no one cared who won the championship but still enjoyed the series
3rd point: the schedule
They kept it short which while many would say is a bad thing, it kept the series in tune and not fighting against NASCAR,Indycar or F1. It also kept it fun as they didn’t take themselves too seriously. Another point is mixing asphalt and dirt which produced amazing racing highlighting different drivers skills wether they come from dirt like Hailie Deegan and Tony Stewart initially or asphalt like Helios Castroneuves and Michael Waltrip
4th point: the cars
The cars are designed by Fury Race cars who design stock cars for all series from top level NASCAR to ARCA cars. They’re also powered by a Ilmor 396 V8 that you can find in ARCA and using a Holley EFI fuel injection. They were supposedly designed to pay tribute to the NASCAR of the 60’s and even some of the 80’s like the Pontiac Grand Prix and Plymouth Superbird.
5th point: it’s history
While it’s started in 2021, it’s foundation is based on the IROC series which started in 1974 and ended in 2006. The “international Race of Champions” was a series that put series from Indycar,NASCAR and rumored NHRA together. Unlike the SRX series you’d had manufacturers like Porsche (like the king Richard Petty famously drove) Pontiac and Dodge. The schedule also included some road courses like Watkins Glenn, the final season of it in 2006 was ironically won by Tony Stewart.
All these points lead to a series that has a promising future and leaves me with a question, who would you like see compete in the SRX series?
