In SRX Racing’s third year, many new fans found their way to ESPN for the season opener at Stafford Speedway. #CampingWorldSRX gained traction on Twitter throughout the 2-hour broadcast event. There were many things to love about this new (old?) way of racing. Let’s look at all the ways things went right in the return of Thursday Night Thunder.
Allen Bestwick and Joey Logano manned the booth for the return of Thursday Night Thunder. Their commentary had the perfect ebb and flow throughout the night. Matt Yocum and Nicole Briscoe added crowd, crew, and driver reactions to bring balance to the overall audio experience for viewers. Nothing felt forced in their interactions. We had discussion of what was taking place on the track, snippets of trivia about the drivers, and timely updates from pit road. We didn’t have unending goofiness or the need for volume adjustments.
Media personalities rated A+
Twelve superstars of motorsports racing climbed in their cars to provide our entertainment tonight. Marco Andretti, Paul Tracy, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Hailee Deegan, Bobby Labonte, Kenny Schrader, Tony Kanaan, and Clint Bowyer competed tonight and put on a great show for the crowds, both in person and on tv. Entertainment started with driver introductions when Tony Stewart plugged his LED-lit helmet in. UCONN men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley gave the start command and Heat One got underway.
The starting lineup for Heat One was determined by draw. During the 20 laps or 12 minutes (whichever comes first) for Heat One, fans were treated to some tough racing. Newman spun after coming down across Harvick’s nose early in the heat. With 12 to go, Keselowski spun out (possibly involved Stewart and Harvick in the beginning). His spun up the track caught a little of Harvick who then grabbed Bowyer and they went spinning too. At the end of Heat One, Hamlin came out on top.
Heat Two lineup was the inverse of Heat One’s winning order. Before they could get started, the field had to wait for Kanaan to get out of the pit. His crew was busy putting giant strips of bear bond repair tape across the hood to try to hold it on. During Nicole Briscoe’s interview of Kanaan, he shared his opinion of Hamlin as the cause of the damage that led to the hood not strapping down. Once he got on the track, Heat Two started with some bumping and banging. Hamlin and Tracy got a little too close for comfort, forcing Hamlin to the dirt on Lap 10. At the restart to green, Newman took the lead. Schrader spun on Lap 12 and fell to the back of the pack from 6th. More interestingly, Kanaan’s bear bond tape took that exact moment to let loose and Kanaan’s hood can be seen flying off the car and landing on the hood in replays of Schrader’s spin. Newman goes on to win Heat Two after the restart.
After averaging out lap times, Paul Tracy ends up with the Pole for the Main Event. The Starting Lineup for the Main is Paul Tracy, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Marco Andretti, Tony Stewart, Tony Kanaan, Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ken Schrader, and Hailee Deegan. Newman had issues with his car and went to a backup but drove through the field to remain a contender throughout the Main. It didn’t take long for the action to heat up on the track. In Turn 4 on Lap 5, the second half of the field all spun and wrecked. Somehow, Stewart squeezed through the carnage with no damage. His luck didn’t last though, as he coasted to pit road on Lap 16 with fuel pressure problems.
Bowyer and Andretti spend a few laps battling for 2nd as Hamlin leads the field. At Lap 25, Bowyer leaves Andretti behind and battles with Hamlin for the lead. A competition caution at Lap 41 brings the field back together and the fights continue on the track. Newman continues his drive through the field, passing Bowyer for 2nd. With Hamlin in his sights, it would only take a few more laps for Newman to overtake him and win the Stafford race for the second year in a row. Unfortunately for race fans and Newman, with 19 laps to go, lightning strikes very near the racetrack and the race finishes under caution, making Hamlin the winner. Final winner list is Hamlin, Newman, Bowyer, Tracy, Deegan, Andretti, Schrader, Labonte, Keselowski, Kanaan, Stewart, and Harvick.
Track Action rated A+
Driver Parity rated A+
Race Rules rated B+Â (Not a fan of the competition cautions, but everything else sounds great!)
Weather C-Â (Lightning shortened the race right as Newman was preparing to give Hamlin a fight for first. That would’ve been some good racing to see.)
Overall, the return of Thursday Night Thunder was everything I remembered it being before and everything I hoped it would be. The racing was entertaining and drivers were competitive. The media personalities brought value to the broadcast. Unfortunately there wasn’t a vortex to blow away the storm clouds so the race ended up lightning-shortened. If not for that, this would have been the perfect example of what SRX Racing can provide the fans. For NASCAR fans looking for racing that feels like “the good ol’ days,” look no further than SRX Racing every Thursday for 5 more weeks. Everything you’re looking for, SRX Racing provides.
