DARKE COUNTY — The Eldora Speedway will be under the national spotlight this weekend during the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX).
The SRX racing series was founded in part by famous NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, who owns the Eldora track and will be part of the event.
Saturday will only be the third race in the history of the newly formed series.
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For the drivers, there’s plenty of excitement, especially when looking at all of the big names racing.
“Really neat opportunity for somebody like me to get a chance to race against such a hall of fame cast of characters and great racers. Really looking forward to the opportunity and chance to do it,” driver Kody Swanson said.
Michael Waltrip, Helio Castroneves, and Bobby Labonte are all part of the group of all-stars and well known racers that will take to the dirt.
Driver Hailie Deegan said that she loves being able to talk to all of the different drivers in the series who have different backgrounds and experiences, including Stewart.
“Just have him actually help me set up the car, give me some tips and tricks here and there,” Deegan said. “That’s all super helpful and things I’m going to be able to take for the rest of my career.”
Some of the drivers come from NASCAR backgrounds, the IndyCar Series, and many other series, which creates a very different experience. Especially because there’s no season long points system and it’s all about each individual race.
“We are beating and banging on each other. I don’t think we’ve had an event where we came back and the cars have been very clean. It’s just something that’s been different for me being a road course racing driver, there’s not a lot of contact out here in Trans-Am. There’s not a lot of contact in the FR program that I race in with open wheel cars. I’ve had to get use to that different driving style where you have to be more aggressive and don’t be afraid to put the bumper on somebody,” Driver Ernie Francis Jr. said.
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Stewart will be the hunted man since he won last weekend, and it’s like a home game at a place he’s so familiar with.
“I’ve been to Eldora a few times and had some good runs and success and celebrated a championship or two there before, but never have pulled off that feature victory. If I could do it, to be Tony Stewart at his own place, that’d be really great,” Swanson said.
The SRX race at Eldora is scheduled to run Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on WHIO-TV
After this weekend, there will be three more races set in the series this summer.
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