Tony Stewart is back again. The 2021 SRX Racing Series champion will return for the third season of the Thursday night Summer racing series in 2023. Stewart’s return was announced by the series on Thursday night via a social media post.
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Tony Stewart is BACK racing Thursday Nights this summer, returning to SRX for the full six-race series in 2023.
Read More: https://t.co/jqiKxRf4LG pic.twitter.com/5TOm1jYQ1z
— Superstar Racing Experience (@SRXracing) February 24, 2023
Stewart, who became a household name by way of the ESPN Thursday Night Thunder series back in the 1990s, is excited to return to Thursday Night Thunder as SRX Racing moves to ESPN for the 2023 season.
RELATED: 2023 SRX Racing Series Schedule
“I’m excited to race full-time in SRX for a third straight season and compete for another championship,” said Tony Stewart in a series press release. “I’m really proud of what we’ve all built, and the quality of drivers we’ve assembled for 2023 is a testament to SRX’s success, and the passion and excitement we’ve earned from fans in the short-track community. We’re looking forward to another summer of sold-out racetracks and can’t wait to bring Thursday Night Thunder back to ESPN.”
While Stewart holds the racing product at SRX in high regard, the series considers Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, a crucial component to the long-term health of the series.
“To have Tony Stewart back for his third year in SRX is huge,” said Don Hawk, Chief Executive Officer of SRX. “Tony has an immeasurable impact on the SRX brand, racing product and the ESPN Broadcast. Tony is really involved during the season and off season. He makes me think deeply about the product on the track, the driver selections, racetracks, and race format. Tony is a fierce competitor first and foremost, and never lets his ownership position in SRX interfere with a good decision or the racing product. It’s not often you can say you have three-time NASCAR Champion driver, multiple series car owner, current NHRA driver, NASCAR Hall of Famer who’s not just your boss, but your friend.”
Stewart, who scored the championship in the inaugural season of the SRX Series finished fourth in the SRX Series championship standings this past season. Marco Andretti was the series champion in 2022.
Stewart joins Hailie Deegan, Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman as full-time announced drivers for the 2023 SRX Racing Series.
As far as part-time drivers for the 2023 season, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Helio Castroneves, Denny Hamlin, and Kenny Wallace have been announced so far.
In addition to a full-time schedule in the SRX Racing Series, Stewart also announced back on February 14th that he will compete full-time in the NHRA in the Top Alcohol Dragster division with McPhillips Racing.
