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In the wake of the antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR, which was ultimately settled during trial proceedings, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister and business partner, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, offered their perspectives on their podcast, the "Dale Jr. Download." Among the revelations discussed was NASCAR’s documented apprehension regarding the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), an emotion that manifested in the sanctioning body’s strategic efforts to "lock down" tracks through comprehensive sanctioning agreements. Internal communications and trial testimony indicated significant frustration among NASCAR’s senior leadership concerning the SRX series.
Earnhardt Jr., speaking on the podcast, conveyed his profound surprise at the extent of NASCAR’s perceived threat from SRX. "I gotta be honest, this shocked me," Earnhardt Jr. stated. He elaborated on his initial understanding of SRX, conceived by Ray Evernham, as a series intended to emulate the International Race of Champions (IROC). The SRX’s foundational concept, as Earnhardt Jr. understood it, involved touring local markets with retired racing luminaries and unique personalities, showcasing diverse racing formats, and offering opportunities to local racing talent. While Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged the conceptual merit of SRX, he admitted to a lack of personal engagement with the series, citing bandwidth limitations and a general lack of viewership. "No offense to anybody out there that was SRX fans or anybody that worked in the series… but I wasn’t into it," he remarked.
The former NASCAR Cup Series driver found it particularly perplexing that an entity as dominant as NASCAR would feel threatened by SRX, which he characterized as a "little thing" operating with a limited number of cars and facing significant financial hurdles. Earnhardt Jr. pointed to the high operational costs and the series’ eventual financial unsustainability, citing a mismatch between viewership and television contract value as the primary reasons for SRX’s discontinuation. "SRX went away because it’s expensive to operate and the viewership numbers didn’t justify the TV contract and the TV contract couldn’t afford the series, so it just financially didn’t really work," he explained.
Further complicating the narrative, trial testimonies revealed that NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell had instructed the sanctioning body’s legal department to examine potential actions against SRX. O’Donnell noted an increasing resemblance between SRX events and NASCAR’s Cup Series, particularly as Cup Series drivers and their sponsors began participating in the mid-week summer short-track and dirt-track series. Despite these concerns, O’Donnell also testified that legal counsel advised that no actionable offense had been committed. The pressure on NASCAR to address SRX was further amplified by NBC Sports executive Sam Flood, who reportedly questioned the value of NASCAR’s broadcast rights if a comparable product could be accessed more affordably through SRX.
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Earnhardt Jr. reiterated his bewilderment at NASCAR’s reaction, stating, "I am surprised by the some of the comments I read from O’Donnell and a couple people of, ‘Man we gotta put an end to this or we gotta go take a look at this.’ Why are we worried? I don’t care [about the ratings], people were gonna be curious… I’m not alarmed by that… I was really surprised by that." He maintained that he "never would’ve worried or considered SRX a problem," suggesting instead that NASCAR should have analyzed the series’ appeal and explored collaborative opportunities. Earnhardt Jr. highlighted how SRX attracted prominent Cup Series drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney, who participated in the series for enjoyment and modest financial compensation, sometimes racing alongside their fathers.
The internal NASCAR discussions, as revealed through text messages from June 2022, indicate a direct concern about SRX’s potential to race at historic venues like North Wilkesboro Speedway and Bowman Gray Stadium before NASCAR could secure them. In an exchange involving O’Donnell, SVP of Strategy Scott Prime, and presumably NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France, the urgency to preempt SRX’s involvement at these tracks was evident.
One message from O’Donnell read: "Wait until (Dale) Jr. says he is running an event. Matter of time. They will go to North Wilkesboro with Jr. if we are not careful. We need to be the first back." Prime concurred, suggesting: "Agreed – North Wilkesboro and Bowman Gray next year with Jr and friends if we don’t make moves." O’Donnell then proposed a strategy for the All-Star Race, suggesting a combined event at Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Prime responded enthusiastically, stating, "Sick! And flip it for 2024. We’ve got moves to make. Just need to sell them through. Should be a good working session Thursday."
Ultimately, both North Wilkesboro Speedway and Bowman Gray Stadium were incorporated into the Cup Series schedule, with North Wilkesboro hosting the All-Star Race in 2023 and a regular season event in 2023, and Bowman Gray slated for a 2025 appearance. However, Earnhardt Jr. attributed the revival of North Wilkesboro primarily to the efforts of Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith and financial contributions from North Carolina’s Build Back Better fund.
"Listen, there is a lot of stuff about NASCAR in all of this that I don’t know," Earnhardt Jr. admitted. "I don’t know everything about how they run things, and I certainly didn’t know how they felt about some things, and how these text messages have unveiled some things. But I’ll tell you what I do know, is that North Wilkesboro came back because of Marcus Smith… NASCAR, you know, they didn’t play any role." He clarified that while NASCAR had to approve the track’s return to the schedule when presented with the opportunity, the initiative did not originate from within the sanctioning body.
Earnhardt Jr. emphasized the grassroots efforts and community involvement that were instrumental in rehabilitating North Wilkesboro. "But, look, NASCAR never was going, ‘Guys, we gotta get Wilkesboro going.’ This isn’t a knock to them, you know, this isn’t a knock to them, they shouldn’t take this as an insult, but Wilkesboro is back because of everybody else. The government, our local government, and the town, a lot of volunteers. Fucking, 20 years of volunteers, people just like even keeping the grass mowed for 20 years. All of those reasons, the fact that they kept the track in somewhat reasonable shape, to even be considered to be brought back. Those people should be commended," he stated.
Earnhardt-Miller also highlighted her brother’s role in galvanizing support for the CARS Tour and his participation in a "Race Track Revival" event that drew 20,000 fans to North Wilkesboro prior to its official scheduling by NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports. While Earnhardt Jr. deflected personal credit, his involvement as a prominent figure in the sport undeniably contributed to the renewed interest and eventual return of the historic venue to national racing calendars.
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