On Monday, Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, George Pyne, and The Montag Group announced the formation of the Superstar Racing Experience in a multi-year partnership. The new series will debut in the summer of 2021 for six events that will be televised on CBS and CBS All-Access Saturday nights. The series will also have no pit stops; however, it will have halftimes for crews to work on the cars.
In a joint press release by CBS and Superstar Racing Experience, Tony Stewart, “SRX is a series where the cars will be so evenly matched that talent instead of equipment will win the race.” Ray Evernham, the long-time crew chief for Jeff Gordon and former owner, added, “We’ve set this up to bring the focus back to the drivers and their ability to compete head to head as opposed to the car deciding who wins. That’s going to create a unique dynamic for fans at the track and everywhere else. Adding superstar-caliber drivers and our unique racing features, you’re going to see all kinds of emotions playing out live. It’s going to be quite exciting and rekindle why a lot of people love short-track racing.”
These statements by both Stewart and Evernham indicate that the new series will be a modern-day version of the IROC Series. The IROC Series was founded in 1974 by Mike Phelps, Roger Penske, and Les Richter with the same concept of racing identical cars and world-class drivers. In its first year in 1974, the series ran the Porsche 911 cars with Richard Petty, A.J Foyt, Bobby Unser, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Emerson Fittipaldi, and others driving them. Mark Donohue from the SCCA Can-Am, won the inaugural championship.
Over the years, the series grew in popularity and featured different manufacturers from the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Daytona, Dodge Avenger, and Pontiac Firebird. Dale Earnhardt, Al Unser, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and many other big-name drivers raced the series. The final for IROC was 2006 when Matt Kenseth won the last championship before the series folded.
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus on the new series said, “This innovative racing series will feature great drivers competing on short-tracks and will provide viewers with unique, behind-the-scenes access, bringing fans closer to the action. With the backing from legends in the racing industry, the quality of the drivers and competition, and the atmosphere that short-tracks will help to create, the Superstar Racing Experience is a great addition to our live summer sports programming that racing fans will embrace.”
With Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham running the show, this series could have the potential for success. If it’s anything close to what the IROC Series provided for 30 years, fans will be in for a treat.
