Yahoo Autos NASCAR Star Denny Hamlin Kicks off SRX Season With Win at Stafford Springs
NASCAR star Denny Hamlin was crowned the winner of the shortened season-opening event, dominating the event, leading more than 50 of the 56 laps.
Had it not been for the approaching bad weather, hard-charging Ryan Newman may have been able to overtake Hamlin in the 19 laps that were never contested.
Thursday night’s season debut saw a sold-out crowd at Stafford Motor Speedway.
The third season of the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) kicked off with a new network and new broadcast night, and ended up with a weather-shortened main event.
ESPN takes over for the 2023 season after the first two seasons of SRX racing being televised on CBS. And after first two years of races being held in primetime on Saturday nights, ESPN brought back its former popular “Thursday Night Thunder” moniker from the 1990s and into the 2000s.
Thursday night’s season debut saw a sold-out crowd at Stafford Motor Speedway’s semi-banked, paved half-mile in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. But spectators were sent scurrying for their cars with just under 20 laps to go in the scheduled 75-lap main event when lightning quickly approached, followed by a torrential downpour.
NASCAR star Denny Hamlin was crowned the winner of the shortened event, dominating the event, leading more than 50 of the 56 laps before the race was called. Hamlin also won the first of the evening’s two of two 20-lap heat races (Ryan Newman won the second heat race).
Hamlin becomes the third driver to win an SRX event in his series debut.
“Obviously, it was a lot of fun and there was some pressure on us,” Hamlin said, referring to Newman, who was charging hard to try and take the lead before the weather made his effort fall short. “I saw Newman coming, but we held on.”
Of note, Newman’s car developed a water leak after winning the second heat, causing him to be moved to a substitute car for the main event, yet he just barely missed winning.
Had it not been for the approaching bad weather, he may have been able to overtake Hamlin in the 19 laps that were never contested.
As for the first heat, here’s the finishing order: Hamlin (winner), Tracy, Andretti, Labonte, Kanaan, Stewart, Schrader, Bowyer, Newman, Deegan, Harvick and Keselowski.
As for the second heat finishing order: Newman (winner), Bowyer, Keselowski, Harvick, Tracy, Stewart, Hamlin, Kanaan, Andretti, Labonte, Schrader and Deegan.
Main Event Final Results
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Newman
Clint Bowyer
Paul Tracy
Hailie Deegan
Marco Andretti
Ken Schrader
Bobby Labonte
Brad Keselowski
Tony Kanaan
Tony Stewart
Kevin Harvick
Championship Contenders
In somewhat of a twist from the first two seasons, eight drivers will compete full-time in the six-race series for the season championship: Newman, Bowyer, Tracy, Andretti, Labonte, Stewart, Deegan and Kanaan.
Other drivers who are expected to make select starts include NASCAR’s Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Austin Dillon, Ernie Francis Jr., Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez, Kenny Wallace, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and fellow IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden, and three-time NHRA Funny Car champion Ron Capps.
