NASCAR drivers dominate as Denny Hamlin wins rain-shortened SRX Thursday Night Thunder at Stafford
The 2023 Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) kicked off where the series began in 2021 as Denny Hamlin led a contingent of NASCAR drivers to top three finishes at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top three in a race shortened from 75 laps to 58 by rain.
With NASCAR just around the corner this week gearing up for the Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it was a great opportunity to invite a number of their stars into the lineup. Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick were joined by active Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan, who also finished among the top five in the 12-car field.
Advancing from sixth, Hamlin now owns the driver to come from the furthest back and win Heat 1. SRX inverts the field, so Hamlin was forced to come from the back of Heat 2. He finished seventh, but that was enough to line him up on the front row with the two heat race results combined.
"I'm just excited to win Round 1 of the SRX season," Hamlin said after the race. "I tell you, it was getting closer at the end."
Newman was rapidly closing when rain shortened the race.
Hamlin took the lead from Marco Andretti on Lap 12 with Bowyer in tow. The two separated from the field as Newman and Deegan worked their way through the pack.
Stafford is the only track to host a race in each of the series' three seasons and it has generated a first-time winner every time. Visiting driver Doug Coby won the inaugural race in 2021. Newman took his first victory in his third start there in 2022.
After winning at Stafford last year, Newman finished second in championship by a slim margin of two points to Andretti. He put himself in position to improve on that performance in 2023 with his second-place finish to the visiting Hamlin. Newman won Heat 2 after drawing the first caution of the night in the first race when he was turned by Harvick. Newman started the feature in fourth.
Driving a backup car in the main, Newman got together with Brad Keselowski early in the feature. In the stack up that followed, Harvick's luck finally ran out and he was the first driver to retire in 12th.
It was also a long night for Bowyer after Harvick bumped Tony Kanaan into an incident with Keselowski. As Bowyer slowed to miss the incident, he was turned by Harvick. He started the featured in third.
Pole sitter Paul Tracy finished fourth.
After trouble in Heat 2, Deegan started shotgun in the feature before advancing to fifth. As she worked her way through the field, Deegan posted the fastest lap (21.118 seconds) on Lap 16.
The winningest driver in the field and 2021 champion, Tony Stewart was eliminated on Lap 17 with a mechanical issue and finished 11th.
With massive flooding in Vermont, next week's race has been transferred from Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre to Stafford.
Results
1. Denny Hamlin (58 laps), 2. Ryan Newman (58), 3. Clint Bowyer (58), 4. Paul Tracy (58), 5. Hailie Deegan (58), 6. Marco Andretti (58), 7. Ken Schrader (58), 8. Bobby Labonte (58), 9. Brad Keselowski (58), 10. Tony Kanaan (58), 11. Tony Stewart (17) mechanical, 12. Kevin Harvick (7) accident
