Major schedule change announced due to weather

The 2023 SRX Series season got underway last Thursday night at Stafford Motor Speedway, where it is set to return later this week following a weather-related schedule change.

The third annual summer SRX Series season got underway last Thursday night at Stafford Motor Speedway, marking the return of “Thursday Night Thunder” amid the series’ switch from CBS to ESPN ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, one of the four non-full-time SRX drivers in Thursday night’s race at the four-turn, 0.5-mile (0.805-kilometer) oval in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, opened up the season with a win.

Full-time SRX driver Ryan Newman, a part-time Cup Series driver himself, is the official SRX points leader following a second place finish in the main event.

Stafford Motor Speedway is one of two tracks which were on the schedule in both the series’ first and second six-race seasons in 2021 and 2022, and it is the only one of those two which was on the schedule for a third time in 2023.

A fourth SRX race has recently been added to the track, with this one scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 20.

Due to extensive flood damage in the Barre, Vermont area, which is where Thunder Road International SpeedBowl resides, the event which had been scheduled to take place at the four-turn, 0.25-mile (0.402-kilometer) oval has been moved to Stafford Motor Speedway, which is now set to become the first track in series history to host back-to-back races.

As a result of the weather-related schedule change, which was formally announced just before last Thursday’s season opener, Thunder Road has been guaranteed a date on the 2024 schedule.

The other four races on this year’s schedule are set to take place at Pulaski County Motorsports Park in Fairlawn, Virginia; Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan; Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; and Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri.

Of those four venues, only Eldora Speedway has previously appeared on an SRX calendar, doing so back in the series’ inaugural 2021 season.

Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss any of the upcoming SRX action! It is all set to be shown live on ESPN beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET over the next five Thursday nights.