Six-race 2021 Superstar Racing Experience schedule revealed

When the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) kicks off its inaugural season this summer, it will visit four short tracks and hit the dirt twice. On Monday, the series revealed its 2021 schedule with races from mid-June to mid-July. SRX, a spec racing league formed by NASCAR Hall of Famers Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham last July, will contest night races on various short and dirt tracks, some of which have also hosted NASCAR races.

The season will open at Stafford Motor Speedway on 12 June; the track had previously confirmed its plans in mid-December. Located in Connecticut, Stafford is a half-mile track that hosts the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts All-American Series and has welcomed the Whelen Modified Tour since its first season in 1985; the Modifieds will race at Stafford three times in 2021.

The second and third races will take place on dirt tracks, both with NASCAR connections, beginning with Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. One of the most famous sprint car tracks in the world, Knoxville hosts the Knoxville Nationals, and will also be the site of one of two dirt races for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2021.

Eldora Speedway, owned by Stewart, hosts the third race on 26 June. The Ohio dirt circuit was the site of the first Truck Series dirt race in 2013, marking the sanctioning body’s first race on such a surface since 1970. While the Eldora Dirt Derby was popular among fans, it was dropped from the 2021 Truck calendar after its 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The second half of the season begins in July with a race at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Located a stone’s throw away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LOR (also affectionately known by its original name Indianapolis Raceway Park or IRP) was a mainstay on the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series schedules from their first seasons until 2011, with the former moving to the larger IMS. Despite the Brickyard’s legendary status, unimpressive stock car racing has led to calls from fans for NASCAR to consider returning to LOR, though it does not appear to be in the books anytime soon as the Cup and Xfinity Series instead switched to the IMS road course layout. Despite the lack of NASCAR action at the .68-mile oval, the ARCA Menards Series continues to race there.

Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin hosts the penultimate SRX race. Called the World’s Fastest Quarter Mile Oval, the track’s premier event is the Slinger Nationals, a 200-lap super late model event that is regarded as one of the biggest races in short track racing. While NASCAR’s national series have never raced at Slinger, among the Nationals’ winners are the likes of Cup champions Alan Kulwicki, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch.

The season finale will take place at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Open since 1904, the 5.96-mile track long hosted Cup racing until 1984, while the Xfinity and Trucks have also conducted races there. However, its NASCAR throne was usurped by the nearby Nashville Superspeedway, which will host NASCAR races in 2021 for the first time in a decade, and it instead became a mainstay for ARCA. Nevertheless, Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Bristol Motor Speedway have expressed interest in restoring the historic facility.

Nine drivers have committed to the new series: Stewart, IndyCar’s Hélio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Paul Tracy, NASCAR’s Bobby Labonte and Bill Elliott, Trans-Am’s Willy T. Ribbs and Ernie Francis Jr., and Formula One’s Mark Webber. While additional drivers have not been revealed, Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal reported the series intends to have “ringer” and “Balboa” entries for famous guest drivers and local stars, respectively.

“Who’s ready to see some of your favorite superstars from different eras and disciplines get together on track,” Tracy tweeted.

CBS holds the broadcasting rights to the series.

2021 Superstar Racing Experience schedule