“I Guess They Haven’t Gotten the Message Yet” – Tony Stewart Touches on Deficiencies of Racecars and Discipline in SRX Series

By most accounts, the SRX Series, a venture headed by NASCAR icon Tony Stewart, has been a hit so far. It seems at this point that with every passing race in the series, the popularity of it grows further and further. This is evident in the fact that big names from the American racecar driving scene, past and present, are taking part in the races, the most recent of which was won by 2x Cup champion Kyle Busch.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that need improving in SRX. There are plenty. And a couple of them were what Stewart himself recently touched on in a post-race interview.

Tony Stewart admits SRX Series needs more work and better discipline

Speaking to journalist Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut after the race at Pulaski County Motorsports Park, Stewart admitted that the incident between two NASCAR stars, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, came because of a lack of spotters and an aspect of the racecar itself.

“We need to work on our window nets a little bit to make our mirrors a little more effective. When you’re aiming for your mark, looking out your windshield, it’s easy with these cars to not see someone under you and we can probably make that better,” Stewart said. When Weaver asked him about his thoughts on the carnage that ensued on the track that left a lot of cars in pretty bad shape, the Hall of Famer joked, “You wonder if they get the message.” 

He then added, “Most do, a majority do, and there is a very small minority, that I guess they haven’t gotten the message yet. We’ll get through this year.”

 

Tony Stewart on needing a good run after what happened at Stafford, excitement for Berlin and the dirt races to close out the season, and the ‘small minority’ of drivers that aren’t listening to the messages about stop tearing up the race cars. pic.twitter.com/qvl60MZe5Y

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) July 28, 2023

SRX aims to reward the drivers and the viewers as per Ray Evernham

Despite the flaws, the minor ones that get pressed out and resolved with time, SRX Series has a big selling point to both the drivers who take part in the races and the fans who take part in the event. Ray Evernham, the NASCAR icon, who also happens to be the co-founder of SRX, claimed in an interview in 2021 how the very format of the series is aimed to reward the two most important parties, the drivers and the fans.

“It was very important to come up with a format that would provide the best entertainment to our fans while rewarding the drivers for their performance. This format will do that,” Evernham said as per ESPN. “Every driver has the same opportunity. They’re in a car that’s very different because it’s so universal.”

Evernham claimed that the racecars in SRX are road course cars first, then pretty good dirt car, and then just an OK paved oval car.