SRX raced at Pulaski County Speedway last Thursday. Kyle Busch dominated, Clint Bowyer finished second, and Paul Tracy caused the big one. Here is the SRX Round 3 race review.
Last Thursday, the Superstar Racing Experience went to Pulaski County Speedway or the ‘Motor Mile’. The 0.416-mile track has 15 degrees of banking through the turns and seven on the straightaways and marked the third stop on the SRX schedule.
The superstars were joined by Indianapolis 500 winners Josef Newgarden and Helio Castroneves, and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. IndyCar star Conor Daly joined Alan Bestwick in the ESPN both as a driver analyst.
SRX Heat 1
IndyCar drivers Newgarden and Marco Andretti started on the front row. The 25-lap or 20-minute heat race started with Andretti pulling away to a huge lead, almost half a second by lap four.
Bobby Labonte would battle with Kyle Busch and Newgarden, making the higher line work for passing. Newgarden would drop further back, passed by Busch and Brad Keselowski. Andretti’s pace was untouchable and drove to his first heat race victory.
The finishing results were:
- Andretti
- Busch
- Keselowski
- Labonte
- Stewart
- Tracy
- Newgarden
- Castroneves
- Deegan
- Schrader
- Newman
- Bowyer
SRX Heat 2
Suffering mechanical issues in the first heat and being unable to restart would award Clint Bowyer the pole for the second heat race. He started alongside the last SRX race winner Ryan Newman.
The two would pull away to a second and a half lead on third place, Ken Schrader.
On lap eleven, a caution was called, with Bestwick calling it a ‘fun caution’ on the ESPN broadcast. Newman and Bowyer would continue to battle, with Bowyer utilizing the asphalt below the white line to hold pace with Newman.
Newman got loose and chased it up the track, practically giving up the win to Bowyer.
The results of heat two were:
- Bowyer
- Newman
- Schrader
- Castroneves
- Stewart
- Deegan
- Tracy
- Keselowski
- Labonte
- Andretti
- Busch
- Newgarden
SRX Main Feature Race
Tony Stewart started the 100-lap main event on pole, alongside Andretti. Stewart would get out in front of Andretti, who would later be passed by Keselowski, moving from third to second. The field battled until lap 14 when the first caution came out.
The field would be led to the restart by Stewart and Keselowski. Andretti later passed Castroneves for third, while Busch passed Castroneves for fourth on lap 23. On lap 40, the caution would fly for debris on the track, coming from Andretti’s machine.
The restart would again be led by Stewart and Keselowski, with Kyle Busch in third. On the back straightaway, the cars of Castroneves, Newman, and Andretti collected each other, pushing Andretti up the track, nearly spinning him.
Keselowski got around Stewart on lap 48. Bowyer, using the apron of the race track, would duel with Castroneves for fifth, gaining massive amounts of grip on that patch of asphalt.
Stewart would lose position to Busch on lap 53, using the right side of his racecar to push Stewart up the race track. Four laps later Busch would drive into turn one too deep, and spin Keselowski who was leading the race.
ROWDY GOES FULL SEND FOR THE LEAD AND TURNS KESELOWSKI 🤯#CampingWorldSRX
— Superstar Racing Experience (@SRXracing) July 28, 2023
Bowyer steals the show
Keselowski would save the car from hitting the wall but would find himself in last place. Busch would restart the field, again dueling with Stewart, starting the race again on lap 60.
One of the highlights of the broadcast would come with 35 laps to go. Driver/analyst Conor Daly dialed up Clint Bowyer over the radio, while he was racing Ryan Newman. Clint answered Daly with a loud “I’m Busy.”
Bowyer was asked how he planned on passing Newman for third, and Bowyer responded with “Right Here. Watch This.” Daly would spot for Bowyer, who did not realize their conversation was being broadcast on live television.
“WAIT ARE WE ON THE AIR?!”
Conor Daly interviewed @ClintBowyer mid-race.
It goes as expected 😂#CampingWorldSRX pic.twitter.com/7NtIDOE41F
— Superstar Racing Experience (@SRXracing) July 29, 2023
Clint Bowyer would continue his charge on the apron, passing Stewart for second place. The next caution would wave with 24 laps remaining. Bowyer chose the inside lane for the restart, giving Stewart the front row.
At the drop of the green flag, Busch would hold the lead, while Stewart and Bowyer battled for second position. Bowyer dove low to the inside and got to Stewart’s bumper, almost spinning him out.
The caution would fly with 19 laps remaining as Andretti, Castroneves, and Labonte spun in turn three.
Major Wreck on a Restart
The phrase ‘cautions breed cautions’ was proved true at the ‘Motor Mile’ last Thursday. Racing resumed on lap 87 but the caution would quickly fly after two laps.
Paul Tracy, coming off turn four would run Josef Newgarden into the wall, spinning in front of the field and into the front straight wall. The wreck would also collect Ken Schrader and Hailie Deegan as Andretti would also get damage from the collision.
SRX stops counting caution laps at 10 laps to go, so the race was effectively red-flagged. Schrader was angry with Tracy, telling pit reporter Matt Yocum “I’m not running another race with him, I’m done.”
The lineup for the 10-to-go restart would be Busch, Stewart, Bowyer, and Newman.
Busch was untouchable, driving out to a six-car-length lead on the field. Bowyer and Stewart battled for second, with Clint getting the pass done with four laps to go.
Andretti spun on lap 97, bringing out the final caution. He had been trying to salvage a finish after being a victim of the Paul Tracy crash, as he had to pit to remove the damaged parts.
The race restarted and Kyle Busch pulled away like he had been doing all night. Bowyer and Stewart continued their duel, with Bowyer getting the second position and holding it for the finish, Stewart would finish third.
Results are:
- Kyle Busch
- Clint Bowyer
- Tony Stewart
- Brad Keselowski
- Ryan Newman
- Helio Castroneves
- Bobby Labonte
- Hailie Deegan
- Marco Andretti
- Paul Tracy: DNF
- Josef Newgarden: DNF
- Ken Schrader: DNF
KFB. SRX DUB.
Hear straight from tonight’s winner from Pulaski County Motorsports Park.#CampingWorldSRX | @FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/1MpDRj2cca
— Superstar Racing Experience (@SRXracing) July 28, 2023
Reflections
SRX Suspends Paul Tracy
Following the race, Superstar Racing Experience announced that Paul Tracy was suspended from competition indefinitely. Johnny Benson Jr. will be taking his place for the next race at Berlin Speedway.
Benson, a champion of both the Xfinity (then Busch) Series in 1995 and the 2008 Truck Series champion, is a native Michigander which is where Berlin is located.
— Superstar Racing Experience (@SRXracing) July 28, 2023
Suspending Paul Tracy is the correct call for SRX to make. It was frustrating to see Newgarden, IndyCar’s best oval racer, raced like that and wrecked.
Schrader, who was making up positions, deserved to finish the race. This was Tracy’s third incident in the three races SRX races that have been run.
Alongside the tight turnaround for repairing race cars and CEO Don Hawk’s and Tony Stewart’s calls for calmer racing, it was a necessary call to make.
Clint Bowyer Stole the Show
Clint Bowyer’s drive was the best thing about this race. His ability to put his racecar on the apron and make passes was impressive to watch. I was rooting for him to win the race, but Kyle Busch was unbeatable.
He and Conor Daly’s interview over the radio during the race was hilarious and impressive. Clint’s combination of a fun personality and racing skills is something I’d like to see all season.
