Four races are down, and two remain for the 2023 Camping World SRX Racing season. Kyle Busch became the first two-time winner of the 2023 season this past week at Berlin Raceway, but Busch is not in the field this week… Will we see a brand-new winner?
This week, the series heads to Eldora Speedway in New Weston, Ohio for the fifth race of the season on Thursday, August 10th.
The race, as is the case with every SRX race this season, will be part of the ESPN Thursday Night Thunder series. Television coverage on Thursday will kick off at 9:00 PM ET.
In all, 12 cars will compete on Thursday night. Here is the full Television Schedule for Thursday night’s event:
Here is the Full SRX TV Schedule for Thursday, August 10th
| Time | Series | Event | TV / Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 PM ET | Camping World SRX Series | Thursday Night Thunder Race 5: Eldora Speedway | ESPN ESPN App |
Which Drivers Will Compete Tonight?
As always, it’s a true “who’s who” list of drivers that will mix it up in the SRX Racing event. Here’s a breakdown of the drivers that will race on Thursday night at Berlin Raceway (listed in the randomly selected starting order of Heat Race 1)
- 28 – Ron Capps (three-time NHRA champion)
- 18 – Bobby Labonte (2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion)
- 14 – Tony Stewart (three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, 2021 SRX champion)
- 6 – Brad Keselowski (2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion)
- 52 – Ken Schrader (4-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner)
- 39 – Ryan Newman (18-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner)
- 5 – Hailie Deegan (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor)
- 1 – Marco Andretti (2022 SRX champion, NTT IndyCar Series Race winner)
- 8 – Matt Kenseth (2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion)
- 33 – Austin Dillon (4-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner)
- 66 – Tony Kanaan (2004 NTT IndyCar Series champion)
- 57 – Chase Briscoe (NASCAR Cup Series race winner)
Race Format
Thursday Night Thunder will consist of two Heat Races, which will determine the starting lineup for the Main Event.
The starting lineup for Heat Race 2 will be the inverse of the finishing order from Heat Race 1.
The field will line up in the Main Event by best average finish in the two Heat Races. Championship points will be scored in the two Heat Races as well as the Main Event.
Storylines
Ryan Newman Keeps the Pedal to the Metal
Ryan Newman has been an unstoppable force in the 2023 Camping World SRX Series season. The driver, who won the second race of the season at Stafford Speedway, now has a solid 33-point lead over Brad Keselowski with two races remaining.
Newman is the only full-time SRX racer with a victory so far this season.
2023 Camping World SRX Series Point Standings
Matt Kenseth Returns to SRX!
Matt Kenseth, who competed in the Camping World SRX Series part-time in 2022, is back for this week’s race at Eldora Speedway. Kenseth, who isn’t known as a dirt racer, has competed at Eldora before in Tony Stewart’s Prelude to the Dream events.
Marco Andretti Cautiously Optimistic Heading into Two Dirt Races
While Marco Andretti sits third in SRX points, 34 points behind Ryan Newman for the series lead, he is cautiously optimistic heading into two dirt races to close out the season.
“I’m not very sure to be honest with you,” Andretti said when asked why he excels on dirt. “I think, I really love trying to where the cars are going to end up because in IndyCar you don’t have a lot of that. You kind of set your corner, and there isn’t a lot you adjust with your entry and exit between the slightly different lines, but you have to search around for grip and it’s constantly changing.
“That’s been fun.”
Dirt racing is nowhere near where you’d expect the comfort zone to be for the longtime NTT IndyCar Series racer, but he excelled in dirt racing last year, which helped him on his path to securing the 2022 SRX Series championship.
