SRX all-星／主役にする racing series returns on 再発進するd 'Thursday Night 雷鳴' on ESPN
Tony Stewart was busy ripping around Indiana short 跡をつけるs some three １０年間s ago, and winning just about every midget and Silver 栄冠を与える race on his way to IndyCar and NASCAR stardom, with no idea who was watching on television.
Turns out a lot of people. Dale Earnhardt was one of them.
You see, Don 強硬派 was the 大統領，／社長 of Dale Earnhardt Inc. 支援する in those days, and he remembers wrapping up Thursdays at the 跡をつける with the Hall of Fame driver and 長，率いるing out for an 早期に dinner. The 推論する／理由 was simple: They 手配中の，お尋ね者 to get 支援する to a hotel in time to watch "Thursday Night 雷鳴," the 開拓するing program on ESPN that made Stewart and other drivers famous.
"'Thursday Night 雷鳴' is where I met Jeff Gordon and met Tony Stewart, and I met them through a TV 審査する," 強硬派 解任するd this week. "The last 勝利者 of `Thursday Night 雷鳴,´ I believe in the year 2002 when they 調印するd off the 空気／公表する, was Tony Stewart, and he will be the first one to race when they return to the 空気／公表する."
That happens this Thursday, when ESPN 再提出するs the program with the return of SRX, a series that Stewart co-設立するd with Sandy Montag and George Pyne a few years ago to bring together 最高の，を越す drivers from さまざまな series in spec race cars.
強硬派 serves as the CEO after many years working for NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports Inc.
"The 重要な for us moving to Thursday night was the 力／強力にする of ESPN's brand and everything that goes with that," said Montag, whose series the past two years 空気／公表するd on CBS and streaming on 最高位の. "With Wimbledon now on ESPN and ABC, and the ESPYs coming up and baseball, it just made sense for us to 転換 away from Saturday night to Thursday night.
"'Thursday Night 雷鳴' may have been 30 years ago when it starte d," Montag said, "but I think the brand really resonated with Tony. We just thought it made a トン of sense and we're excited to get going."
Stewart retired from his 十分な-time NASCAR career in 2016 but remains 深く，強烈に 伴う／関わるd in racing. He still 運動s from time to time and owns a part of Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series, the All-星／主役にする 回路・連盟 of 支持する／優勝者s sprint car series, sprint car and drag race teams, and several 施設s, 含むing the famed Eldora Speedway 近づく Rossburg, Ohio.
Stewart won the 初期の SRX 肩書を与える two years ago - IndyCar driver Marco Andretti is the defending 支持する／優勝者 - and will be 支援する as a 十分な-time driver this year along NASCAR 星／主役にする Brad Keselowski, IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay and many others.
The series opens at Stafford モーター Speedway in Connecticut, where tickets sold out weeks ago for Thursday night's race. That kicks off six 連続した weeks of racing with stops at 雷鳴 Road Speedbowl in Vermont, モーター Mile Speedway in Virginia, Berlin Raceway in Michigan, Eldora and Lucas Oil Speedway in Missouri.
"Racing with these unique drivers, that's the best part of it," Stewart said, "but the other thing I'm 最高の excited about is 存在 支援する on ESPN on Thursday nights. That's how I got 認めるd by car owners 支援する in the day."
The 転換 from Saturday night also 供給するd a chance to compete for several drivers who would have been unavailable.
"The 量 of 利益／興味 in drivers wanting to join the series was 天文学の this year," said Stewart, 追加するing that his wish 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） for the 未来 含むs two drivers that remain unavailable: Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"That's two guys that are superstars and that's what this series is about: superstars," Stewart said. "Those are two guys that belong in this series and have earned their 権利 to 運動 in t his series."
Other drivers 推定する／予想するd to compete this season 含む 統治するing Indy 500 勝利者 Josef Newgarden, four-time Indy 500 支持する／優勝者 Helio Castroneves, three-time Daytona 500 勝利者 Denny Hamlin and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Kyle Busch.
"It's been an incredible 旅行 for us. I think when you take a step 支援する, you said three years ago you'd be going to sold-out race 跡をつけるs, would you take that? You'd be very happy with that," Pyne said. "I think Stafford has been sold out for more than a month. The 質 of the drivers is off the charts, but the racing has been fantastic - the lead changes, the finishes we've had.
"Like any new 商売／仕事 we have challenges. When you start something from scratch you have to pivot. But on balance, I would say we're very pleased with the results in all the 部類s," Pyne 追加するd. "The whole thing just feels really good."
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