This is it, a six-week season all comes down to this. The Camping World SRX Series will contest its final race of the 2023 season on Thursday, August 17th at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri.
While he hasn’t locked up the title officially, yet, Ryan Newman holds a very healthy point lead heading into the final race, and it’s just about a mere formality to call the championship up for grabs.
RELATED: 2023 Camping World SRX Series Point Standings
Newman holds a 39-point lead over Tony Stewart heading into Thursday night’s final event. If Newman finishes dead last in both heats and the Main Event, and Stewart wins all three races, Stewart could gain a maximum of 45 points on Newman. So, it’s possible that Stewart wins the title. But improbable.
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 17th
| Time | Series | Event | TV / Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 PM ET | Camping World SRX Series | Race: Lucas Oil Speedway - Wheatland, MO | 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 Lucas Oil Speedway (listed in the randomly selected starting order of Heat Race 1)
- 49 – Jonathan Davenport (Three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion)
- 5 – Hailie Deegan (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor
- 52 – Ken Schrader (Four-time NASCAR Cup race winner)
- 6 – Brad Keselowski (2012 NASCAR Cup champion)
- 39 – Ryan Newman (18-time NASCAR Cup race winner)
- 06 – Helio Castroneves (Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner)
- 14 – Tony Stewart (Three-time NASCAR Cup champion, 2021 SRX champion)
- 1 – Marco Andretti (NTT IndyCar race winner, 2022 SRX champion)
- 18 – Bobby Labonte (2000 NASCAR Cup champion)
- 99 – Ernie Francis Jr. (Seven-time Trans-Am Series champion, SRX race winner)
- 07 – Clint Bowyer (10-time NASCAR Cup race winner, 2008 NASCAR Xfinity champion)
- 36 – Kenny Wallace (Nine-time NASCAR Xfinity 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 Ultra-Consistent on Path to Potential Championship
Ryan Newman only has one victory during the 2023 Camping World SRX Series season, but he has consistently churned out excellent results week-in and week-out, and now he finds himself on the cusp of a championship.
Tony Stewart joked on this week’s SRX Media Call that he could simply wreck Newman out, and take the championship, to which Newman responded with, “Well, you know, after he spins me out in the heat races, I can always take that 15 minute break and lock him into an outhouse and figure out some other way to handle the situation just due to my body size, you know.”
Hailie Deegan Looks to Follow Up Runner-Up Effort at Eldora
Hailie Deegan, known as the dirt princess, showed up well at Eldora Speedway. The NASCAR Truck Series competitor was one of many drivers caught up in incidents in the Heat Races last week, but she rallied with a backup car to finish runner-up to Tony Stewart in the Main Event.
Deegan will look to score her first SRX Series win on the dirt at Lucas Oil Speedway on Thursday night.
