The SRX returned for its year three opener at Stafford Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, and along with it, ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder. Unfortunately, Mother Nature took the ‘Thunder’ aspect a little too seriously, ending the race prematurely due to storms moving in allowing Denny Hamlin to win in his series debut.
Keeping consistent with years past, two heat races preceded the main event, with Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman taking heats one and two, respectively.
Ryan Newman was the only driver to move to a backup between the heats and the main with an engine problem. This resulted in Newman moving to the rear for the main event (he would have started third).
The lineup, set by average finish in the heats, saw Paul Tracy score his first pole in an uncharacteristically clean run for PT, with Denny Hamlin in P2.
Marco Andretti, defending SRX champion, made a bold and somewhat questionable move on the initial start, taking Hamlin and Tracy three wide for the lead before they even made it to the start line, a move that is usually illegal in other motorsports.
A major pileup on the fifth lap eliminated 2014 NASCAR Cup champion Kevin Harvick while dealing damage to over half the field.
Denny Hamlin took the lead back from the IndyCar regular on the restart and never looked back.
Tony Stewart, the cofounder and inaugural champion of the series, suffered a fuel issue just a few laps after the restart, joining Harvick in the garage and out of the race.
With weather threatening, the SRX officials held off on the competition caution for a few laps longer than usual, yet threw one with less than 35 to go to bunch the field back up.
On the restart, Hamlin got the jump, but Ryan Newman, who had been involved in the Big One on lap 5, moved his way into the second spot and began slowly eating away at Denny’s lead.
Unfortunately, the storms were moving in, and they were moving in fast. The camera shot showing the backstretch also featured some ominous lightning in the background; and with 19 laps to go, the first weather caution in SRX history was thrown and the race subsequently ended.
Despite the lackluster ending, broadcasters and fans alike were anticipating the impending battle for the lead between Newman and Hamlin. The overall racing was incredible between all three races in all areas of the track between all different running positions.
The next race was scheduled for the Thunder Road Speedbowl in Vermont, but due to the unprecedented floods in the area, the SRX elected to move round two for a second bout in Stafford.
If tonight’s racing was any indicator for the rest of the season, we could be in store for some intense, aggressive, no-holds-barred action for the next five Thursday nights.
To put the cherry on top, new broadcast partner ESPN did a spectacular job in their debut event, with solid broadcasting from Allen Bestwick and Joey Logano, as well as clean graphics and not many commercial breaks during on-track action.
Overall, the third season of the SRX is shaping up to be the best of the three with eight drivers fighting for the top prize over the course of six weeks.
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The Slow Restart 