The SRX debut season has come and gone. A champion has been crowned and it is none other than Tony Stewart! The finale came to an end with the Smoke and race winner Chase Elliott celebrating on the front stretch! Now that the season is over, it’s time to decide if it lived up to the hype. Here is the SRX season breakdown!
The Drivers
SRX did an amazing job bringing drivers from all different elements to compete. From NASCAR to open-wheel, and more. It was awesome seeing all these different drivers using whatever knowledge and experience they had to win. The addition of local drivers from each track was phenomenal. It showed how important track knowledge is. Although only one local legend won, I loved seeing the differences between the drivers who have never raced at that track before and the ones who dominate them.
Next season, I would like to see some new superstars added to the series. Whether it’s in replacement of one of the ten full-timers from this year or as an 11th superstar. Having some new faces each season would keep views up while also maintaining high competition.
The Tracks
We want to know! Which track was your favorite this season? ? pic.twitter.com/Pzpbav0m21
— Camping World SRX Series (@SRXracing) July 22, 2021
With popular racing series going to bigger tracks and road courses, it was great to see the love for short tracks is still there. After all, short track racing, whether dirt or asphalt, is deeply rooted in motorsports history. Bringing high-level drivers to local tracks not only was entertaining to watch but has already shown benefits to the popularity of the tracks on a national level.
I’d love to see more local tracks added to the schedule next year. Although I do believe the short season was what piqued the interest of some drivers. Rotating through new tracks every season or so while still going back to some would keep the drivers on their toes. Which I feel was a strong component when it comes to the series’ success.
The Racing
A season to remember! pic.twitter.com/HWk96NOUbm
— Camping World SRX Series (@SRXracing) July 18, 2021
Ah, the racing. Ray Evernham did an incredible job designing and building these machines and it showed on the track. SRX’s philosophy of putting the racing back into the drivers’ hands made this series great. Seeing the drivers tired and out of breath. As well as showing the BPM (beats per minute) during the races made it clear that these cars did what they were supposed to.
The dirt races were interesting to watch. These cars were built to run on both asphalt as well as dirt. Partially due to maintenance requirements that would be needed to have two separate builds. Which is fine, I’m aware that Evernham and his team didn’t have insanely high funding. But it would be nice to see more “dirt style” cars that can slide as we head-on with this series.
The Broadcasts
A quick mid-race interview with @TonyStewart ? pic.twitter.com/mnS4uxr6Xf
— Camping World SRX Series (@SRXracing) June 27, 2021
When it comes to commentating races. There’s slim to none better than Allen Bestwick. Pair him with a top-tier driver in the booth, an all-star pit analyst, and crazy fast drone footage. You have yourself a damn good broadcast. SRX brought many new things to the table like updated in-car stats, mid-race interviews, and even radioing in on drivers during the race! This brought the fans closer to the drivers but made fans at home (myself included), glued in waiting for what could happen next. Not to mention the hilarious Michael Waltrip interviews we got every weekend. This series made me realize how boring many modern race broadcasts are. Good on you, SRX!
My Opinion
The SRX series may not have been perfect, but it was close to it. It’s the type of series that I’d show to people that are just getting into racing. Simply because it is so exciting to watch from start to finish. Yeah, there are a handful of things that could’ve been better. But this series is just beginning! Next year is already looking to be bigger and better and I can’t wait to see how far this goes!
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