‘Thursday Night Thunder’ returns to ESPN this week. How to watch 2023 SRX season

Thursday Night Thunder returns this week.

Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), the Tony Stewart-founded motorsports series that is entering its third year, kicks off its 2023 season on Thursday night on ESPN.

The season promises to be replete with driving talent and general momentum — with series officials previously stating that 2023 could be its best season yet.

Here are five things you need to know ahead of Thursday.

Talking SRX schedule, star-studded lineup and more

1. What is Superstar Racing Experience? Without getting too much into the weeds: SRX is a six-race summer racing series that puts the best drivers across all motorsports disciplines — NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA and more — in the same equipment and lets that talent put on a show. The series travels to short tracks across the country, and its stated goal is to uplift those short tracks and help raise all motorsports in America.

SRX’s first season was in 2021, and the racing was on Saturdays. This will be the first year that the racing will take place on Thursdays.

2. Where does the “Thursday Night Thunder” brand come from? Thursday Night Thunder was a weekly summer series for many years on ESPN in the 1980s and early 90s that featured mainly short-track racing from Indianapolis Raceway Park and sometimes other short tracks. It was a series that introduced Stewart and Jeff Gordon to the racing world prior to their decorated careers in NASCAR.

3. There will be a ton of NASCAR Cup Series guys at SRX this year. One of the reasons series officials are so high on the 2023 season is because of the talent that will be making appearances in the series. Among them include full-time NASCAR Cup Series guys, IndyCar drivers and even an NHRA legend. Some of the names you’ve probably heard of: Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Marco Andretti, Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kenny Wallace.

4. How does SRX choose which places it goes to? Don Hawk, CEO of SRX, told reporters on Monday that 44 different venues across the country inquired about being a part of the SRX schedule this season. So the interest for tracks hosting these events is high. Selecting the SRX locations depends on a variety of factors — from fan investment in the sport, to facility conditions and more.

Here’s what Hawk told The Charlotte Observer earlier this year about track selection.

“I think SRX is here for one reason, and it’s to appeal to the short-track racing scene and to help the short tracks in America,” he said. “And in turn, in my opinion, we help IndyCar, NASCAR. It’s not that they need our help, but we’re promoting racing and short-track situations at a different track on a different day.”

On a Zoom video call Monday with reporters ahead of the dawn of SRX’s season, Hawk added: “A rising tide lifts all ships.”

5. What is the future of SRX? SRX saw its ratings dip slightly in Year 2 (2022) to just over 1 million viewers, per a report from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal. But meaningful increases in sponsorship, ticket and merchandise revenue helped the property break even after losing money in its inaugural season.

On Monday, SRX co-founder George Pyne explained his vision for the series.

“I think right now we’re happy with the six races,” Pyne said. “I think very clearly we could go beyond six races at some point. As I said, I think there’s a lot of international interest in the product. But I think we’re happy with where we’re at, and we’re going to grow prudently and methodically.”

Superstar Racing Experience 2023 schedule

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the origins of the “Thursday Night Thunder” brand. Thursday Night Thunder was its own racing series on ESPN in the 80s and early 90s; the International Race of Champions (IROC) was a separate entity that SRX often gets compared to. The Observer regrets the error.

This story was originally published July 11, 2023 at 6:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription