NASCAR: 5 drivers who should compete in SRX in 2023

NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) is set to return. Which superstars are among those who could join?

NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart’s stock racing series, Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), came to an end a few weeks ago after another successful six-week summer run.

The 2022 season featured returning names such as IndyCar veterans Helio Castroneves and Paul Tracy, and it also introduced NASCAR veterans such as Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth.

Castroneves won the season opener at Five Flags Speedway, Tracy continued to show his aggressive style of racing, Newman scored his first checkered flag since 2017, and Kenseth scored two podium finishes in three starts.

With a diverse field and different winners, such results highlighted the equalizer that is SRX. Returning driver Marco Andretti was able to win the series championship, beating out Newman in the point standings.

When it came time for the season-ending race, SRX showed shades of last year with a father-son race. Instead of Chase Elliott versus father Bill, it was Dave Blaney and son Ryan who competed on the elder Blaney’s track, Sharon Speedway.

The “Battle of the Blaneys” looked like a possibility when the schedule was announced, but the idea becoming a reality added to the excitement the series has brought in its first two years.

With confirmation that the series will go on through at least next year, here are five drivers who should race in SRX in 2023.

NASCAR drivers who should race in SRX in 2023: No. 1 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition after the 2017 season, but he has continued to run select Xfinity Series races since. When he isn’t piloting the #88 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series, he is busy serving as the owner of his team, JR Motorsports, and calling races as a color commentator for NBC.

Scheduling could be an issue for Earnhardt, as the network switch from FOX to NBC for NASCAR has aligned closely with SRX’s start. Still, if the series was able to grab Blaney, Elliott, and even Joey Logano for color commentary, the flexibility between both SRX and NASCAR is there.

While he may have retired from Cup Series racing, his short-track grassroots racing passion is still prevalent, with the two-time Daytona 500 winner running a late model race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Competing in SRX would give the NASCAR Hall of Famer a chance to continue this, but on a nationally televised series outside of the NASCAR world. If the time allows, a one-off on a short track could be in the cards for SRX and one of the most popular drivers in motorsports history.