There is no denying that Tony Stewart is a multi-faceted talent in the world of motorsports. Be it taking home Cup Series championships both as a driver as well as an owner, or dominating the tracks of IndyCar, dirt racing, and now drag racing, Tony Stewart is surely a Jack of all trades. However, the 2023 Cup Series has been vexing for him and his team, Stewart-Haas Racing.

Not only is the team set to bid farewell to the veteran Kevin Harvick at the culmination of the ongoing season, but the team as a whole has suffered exceptionally and none of the drivers could advance to the group of 12 in the playoffs. However, these miseries are just the tip of the iceberg, as the team owner sides with Jeff Gordon to expose NASCAR’s vulnerability.

Is NASCAR on the verge of losing its crown?

The 2023 season marked the third year of one of the most ambitious projects of Tony Stewart, in collaboration with Ray Evernham, George Payne, and Sandy Montag. Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience was the revival of the IROC Series, that ran between 1974 and 2006. Nevertheless, following in the same footsteps, the SRX Series received applause for its unadorned structure, a points system that many believe is not convoluted like that of the Cup Series.

As a result, the series seems to challenge the longstanding autonomy of NASCAR in conducting the races across formats as well as the revenue structure of the sport. A video released by NASCAR Culture noted that “Tracks approximately retain 65% of the  income, while team owners received 25% and NASCAR itself takes 10%.” In accordance with this, many sports insiders have advocated that it would suffice the team owners. However, the reality paints a different picture. 

The video also noted how NASCAR failed to acknowledge the interests of the team and their owners, even after the Race Team Alliance, an organization comprising team owners with Cup Series Charters, had vocalized its dissatisfaction. Moreover, Jeff Gordon, the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports had exclaimed his displeasure “regarding the pace of discussion between the RTA and NASCAR, and made the issue public.” This led to a widening of the split between the two organizations.

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This glaring rupture between the two bodies has given rise to the speculation that the RTA might be considering a racing model within the NASCAR racing series that would serve as the backup option if NASCAR fails to honor their demands. This is where Tony Stewart’s SRX Series comes into play.  

Will the ambitious Tony Stewart be the next big thing in stock car racing?

The 2023 SRX Series witnessed drivers from the other formats of motorsport racing coming under one roof to exhibit their racing skills and their dexterity on the short tracks of NASCAR.

Nevertheless, the video by NASCAR Culture also expressed that Tony Stewart has instilled a “glimmer of hope into the RTA suggesting that NASCAR is not infallible and can be vulnerable to disruption if the team owners so choose.”

Moreover, Stewart’s locking of heads with NASCAR’s authority on a regular basis seems to assert that these personalities can pose a serious threat to NASCAR if the authority fails to acknowledge the concerns laid forth by the teams.

With the television rights expiring at the end of the 2024 season and the humongous rise in the charters, it will be interesting to see how the authority tweaks its system to suit the taste of the teams and maintain the distinctive taste of the sport.

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