Getty Hailie Deegan poses at NASCAR Media Day.
The Superstar Racing Experience, a new series co-created by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, is about to kick off its inaugural season. A Truck Series driver will take part in two of the races due to a scheduling conflict. Hailie Deegan will get behind the wheel of one of the race cars at Knoxville Speedway on June 19 and Slinger Speedway on July 10.
The driver of the No. 1 Ford F-150 will replace Tony Kanaan for the races due to the IndyCar drives prior engagements. Kanaan is splitting time with seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson in the IndyCar series, taking control on the oval tracks while Johnson runs the street and road courses. Kanaan will run the other four SRX races on the inaugural schedule: June 12 at Stafford Motor Speedway, June 26 at Eldora, July 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway, and July 17 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
“It’s an honor to be a part of SRX and I’m grateful for the chance,” Deegan said, per Racer. “I love racing. I started when I was eight in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series and, for the last five years, I’ve been on pavement working my way up the racing ladder. The challenge of SRX really appeals to me. Competing on different tracks – asphalt and dirt – with other drivers from all sorts of disciplines is a unique opportunity that doesn’t come around every day.”
Kanaan is One of Several Racing Icons Competing in SRX
Racing like we’ve never seen before. The wait is almost over. This is SRX.
@SRXracing | June 12th | CBS
When Deegan replaces Kanaan in the SRX car, she will compete against several big names. The Superstar Racing Experience has a stacked list of legends from a variety of series, including NASCAR, IndyCar, TransAm, and the CART Championship Series. There are 10 drivers total, and they will face off against each other at four asphalt tracks and two dirt tracks.
As the co-founder of SRX, Smoke highlights the list of talented drivers getting behind the wheel of the race cars. However, he is not the only Hall of Famer on the list. 16-time Most Popular Driver Bill Elliott is also on the roster. The list of NASCAR alums also includes Willy T. Ribbs, Michael Waltrip, and Bobby Labonte.
Marco Andretti, Paul Tracy, Helio Castroneves, and Kanaan make up a stacked group of IndyCar drivers, all of whom have experience taking the checkered flag at the end of tightly-contested events. They are more accustomed to racing in a different style of vehicle, but they all have the talent to fight for the win each week.
One of the youngest drivers on the roster, Ernie Francis Jr., is not a familiar face among NASCAR or IndyCar fans. However, he is a record-holder in TransAm Racing. Francis is the youngest driver to win seven consecutive championships in TransAm, and he is the winningest all-time driver in the series.
SRX Differentiates Itself From Other Series With Unique Changes
We’ve hit the road! Coming for you @StaffordSpeedwy 🏎 #CampingWorldSRX
With the drivers hailing from several different series, they will have to adjust to the factors that make SRX unique. For example, there will be no advantages based on the vehicle manufacturers. All of the race cars are identical in terms of design, drivetrain, and power. They only differ in color schemes.
To keep the events fair, the drivers will take part in a random draw at the start of the day to determine which car and crew chief will join them for each race. They will then have time to familiarize themselves during the two, 15-minute heats to determine the starting order.
Additionally, there will be no pit stops during the races. The 100-lap events — Slinger Speedway’s race will be 150 laps — will only have one intermission. The goal is to complete the races in a shorter amount of time while eliminating points systems or other methods of scoring.
The first race on the SRX schedule will take place on June 12, 2021. The drivers will head to Stafford Speedway to kick off the six-event slate of racing action. Kanaan will be behind the wheel of his vehicle for the Saturday night race, which will air on CBS Sports and Paramount+.