Being a first-timer has been a good category to be in with the SRX Series in 2023.
In the first event of the season at Stafford Speedway on July 13, Denny Hamlin scored victory in his first series event.
Thursday Kyle Busch became the second driver in three events this year to get a series debut victory.
Busch held off the challenges of Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer over the final 10 laps to win the third SRX Series event of the season Thursday at Pulaski County Motorsports Park in Radford, Va.
“It’s fun,” Busch said. “It’s just a great atmosphere and environment and everything to be able to just be around some really cool and and really great race car drivers, some great personalities as well too. I love being able to race. I’d race more if I could, but there’s only so much you can get in and so you can do.”
Bowyer, in his second event of the season, was second. Bowyer was third in the first event of the season at Stafford on July 13. Stewart was third.
Busch is the sixth different winner in the last six SRX Series events dating back to the 2022 season. Ryan Newman won this year’s second event, which was at Stafford on July 20.
The Pulaski County Motorsports Park saw one of the most violent crashes yet seen in SRX Series action with about 10 laps left. Paul Tracy got into the side of Josef Newgarden putting Newgarden hard into the outside wall. As the cars came down the track, Ken Schrader and Hallie Deegan were collected with Schrader piling hard into the inside wall.
Schrader is in his first year running full-time with the series. Tracy, who is in his third year competing full-time with the series, has been lightning rod since the first year. It was the third time in three events this year that Schrader and Tracy have had issues on track.
“I’m not running another race with [Paul Tracy],” Schrader said. “I’m done.”
Said Tracy: “Newgarden and I were bouncing off of each other for a couple laps. I got a nose ahead of him, half a car length ahead of him and I just got hooked and turned sideways down the straightaway. It was just hard racing at the end there. Ten laps to go and everybody is just going for it hard. It’s a tough track to get off the corners. It’s a bad deal for everybody.”
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