Video games based on the biggest racing series in the world are far from a newfangled concept. But what about a game for a series that hasn’t even run its first race?
The Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) will kick off its inaugural season on 12 June, but fans will get to experience its virtual self a few weeks prior. On Friday, the series announced SRX: The Game will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam on 28 May.
“SRX: The Game allows you to compete against some of the greatest champions in Motorsports history. Tony Stewart, Helio Castroneves, Bill Elliott, Tony Kanaan, Michael Waltrip, and many more await you,” reads a statement from the game’s website. “It’s short track racing against the BEST to ever do it! You’ll compete on 6 licensed tracks including Eldora Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, Lucas Oil Raceway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Slinger Speedway, and Stafford Speedway.
“To get to SRX, you’ll have to become a Superstar yourself! Earn your way to the top in Career Mode featuring 305 Wingless Sprints, Stadium Trucks, and Dirt Late Models on more than 50 additional dirt tracks. Or, take on all your friends in Online Multiplayer or Local Split Screen.”
The game will be developed by Monster Games, a racing-savvy studio that previously worked on both iterations of the NASCAR Heat series. In 2020, Monster released a pair of dirt track racing games spearheaded by SRX founder Stewart—Tony Stewart’s Sprint Car Racing and Tony Stewart’s All American Racing. Dirt track games are fairly rare, with Infogrames’s World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002 being the last major title for the discipline prior to the Stewart installments.
“After our successful partnership with All-American Racing and the Sprint Car game, I was excited to sit down with Monster Games and get to work on this new project,” Stewart commented in a press release. “Between the unique style of racing that SRX is bringing to the table, the mix of dirt and asphalt, and the fact that it’s all old school short tracks, we knew a video game would be a ton of fun for our fans.”
The six mentioned tracks comprise the 2021 SRX schedule, while it was not immediately announced if the forty-five additional dirt courses are original or also licensed.
The career mode is split into four stages that players progress through before reaching SRX. 305-cubic-inch non-winged sprint cars, the mode’s opening discipline an d currently used by the United States Auto Club, is included in Stewart’s two dirt games. Stadium trucks make up the second level; while the name is synonymous with Robby Gordon‘s Stadium Super Trucks today, the game’s truck sports a rounder design and hood vents that are not on the SST. Stadium and trophy trucks are predominantly featured in off-road games like the MX vs. ATV series, while the Stadium Super Truck was officially included in Forza Horizon 2 and Project CARS 3. Dirt late models are the final step before SRX and are included in games like Stewart’s All-American Racing and iRacing.
Split-screen and online multiplayer are also available, as is a custom car maker.
“SRX is all about driver talent, and seeing who is the best. It’s that simple. We want to put these guys on some amazing tracks in equal cars, wave the green flag, and then enjoy the show,” series co-founder Ray Evernham added. “I can’t think of a better experience to put into video game form than what we’re trying to do with the real world series. I’m really excited about what we’re building, and can’t wait to show it off to the world.”
