The end of summer is upon us, and with it comes the end of a few motorsports seasons. Some are just getting into the second half of their seasons. There is plenty of racing left, but this time a month from now, it will start to be thinning out, and we will be at the end for a few other series. However, we will start one series that is already over.
SRX Review 3.0
We did this after the first two seasons of the Superstar Racing Experience, and keeping up with past behavior, let's look over the series once again.
Year three felt like a watershed year of sorts for SRX. The series changed its day of racing. It changed its track strategy. It invited more active drivers. It also put its foot down and kicked a driver out of the series.
Not much really changed in the nightly program, but the pacing felt better. I cannot explain it beyond it didn't feel like a massive lull in the order of events. There is always going to be a break between the heats and the main event, a down period where people could tune out, but it didn't feel like we had a long pause between the heats on top of the midway break.
The races were the same level we have seen in the previous seasons. Some good. Some ok. Some forgetable. The dirt races aren't particularly that good, but I think the series had its best one yet in this year's finale at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri.
What this series still has not figured out is balancing the championship with the guest drivers.
There is a championship, but every year it is an afterthought until the final two races. It doesn't help that the guest drivers won two-thirds of the races. The championship is devalued when the full-time drives rarely win the races.
Everyone keeps calling SRX an exhibition, but it isn't. These races mean something, points are awarded, but considering this is a six-race season, it should probably consider something other than an aggregate to decide the championship.
I think there is hybrid solution.
There will always be those star names who can only commit to one or two races, but SRX does need a full-time field of drivers. It needs at least six or seven or eight drivers it can count on being there every week.
SRX should take its six-race schedule and set the final race aside as the "Grand Final." Though I have my objections, dirt tracks are going to stay on the SRX schedule, but both should occur in the first five races with a paved track hosting the "Grand Final." Three other paved tracks fill the first five races.
Each winner in the first five races qualify for the "Grand Final." The final seven spots in the "Grand Final" are based on points, but only the best three of the first five events count for each driver.
1. Winning a main race would now matter.
2. It leaves the door open for a driver who only runs once or half the races an incentive to compete for something more.
3. It allows a full-time driver lineup to compete not be completely boxed out from the championship, but those drivers would not necessarily be guaranteed a spot in the final.
4. The points matter. You cannot just finish ninth and think that is good enough.
In turn, the points system must change. The points for the main race can stay the same, but heat races should be bonus points. I think too many drivers ride around in the heat races, especially the first one.
For heat races, it should be five points for a win, three points for second and one point for third, no points for anyone outside the top three while the driver that passes the most cars gets three points and the driver that leads the most laps also gets three points. Drivers in the back have incentive to go forward and there is incentive to try and lead as many laps as possible.
However, the invert for race two should be based on the starting order of race one, that way each driver gets a fair shot at the passing points and one driver isn't stuck starting third in each race and has no shot of getting those three bonus points.
The "Grand Final" should be different from the other SRX events. The first five SRX events can be the two heats and a main format. The "Grand Final" should be a 125-lap race. No heats. No inversion. No points. After the first 60 laps, a caution comes out and the bottom three drivers are eliminated. Then there is a 50-lap segment and after that segment the bottom three are eliminated again. This sets up a 15-lap, six driver sprint to determine the winner-take-all championship.
An SRX season is only six races, and this season Kyle Busch won two of them, Busch's only two starts. If a driver could commit to one or two regular season races and knows to keep a third date open in case they win, it could be a big shift for the series.
Plus, it would allow for a better race. We could have seen Kyle Busch take on Denny Hamlin along with Ryan Newman, Marco Andretti and Tony Stewart. Clint Bowyer likely would have qualified with his three top five finishes. It could encourage a driver to commit to a second or third race and go for the championship knowing a few good finishes could get them into the "Grand Final" even if they do not win. We would see the best in the series compete and clear out the weaker drivers.
With this being only a six-race series and most of the drivers competing only running a race or two, SRX can do something different and have a different way to decide a champion. There is no reason to be tied a six-race aggregate and have the champion be one of seven full-time drivers, especially when most of the winners are guests. Embrace that but also make the most of it and turn it into the identity.
We know SRX will be back. It has already announced its dates for 2024, three in July and three in August like 2023. Thunder Road International SpeedBowl in Vermont is the only known track. We will learn more as summer turns into autumn and winter. I doubt much will change with the championship format, but it is worth trying.
September Preview
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin this weekend with the Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway. Sixteen drivers are competing for that championship. Where do we stand?
William Byron and Martin Truex, Jr. begin tied on 2,036 points, each 11 points clear of Denny Hamlin. Byron led the regular season with five victories while Truex won three times. After winning three of the final five regular season races, Chris Buescher leaped up to the fourth spot on 2,021 points and he is two points ahead of Kyle Busch. Kyle Larson is sixth on 2,017 points.
Christopher Bell has one top five finish in the last 18 races, but he is still seventh on 2,014 points, three points ahead of Ross Chastain, who has one top ten finish in the last nine races. Brad Keselowski is tenth with 2,010 points, one point ahead of Tyler Reddick. Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are tied on 2,008 points.
Starting the playoffs below the cutline for round one are Michael McDowell on 2,007 points, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. on 2,005 points, Kevin Harvick on 2,004 points and Bubba Wallace with 2,000 points.
Round one will be the Southern 500 from Darlington, Kansas and Bristol. Texas, Talladega and the Charlotte roval comprise round two. The semifinal round has Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville with Phoenix hosting the finale for the fourth consecutive season.
Other events of note in September:
IndyCar's final two races, Portland and Laguna Seca.
After Monza, Formula One visits Singapore and Japan.
After Barcelona and Misano, MotoGP makes its first trip to India.
IMSA makes its Indianapolis return.
World Superbike goes on a tour from Magny-Cours to Aragón to Portimão.
