Due to unprecedented flooding in central Vermont, SRX will return to Stafford Speedway for its second race of the season, rather than traveling to Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont. (Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
STAFFORD, Conn. – Sometimes, the best-laid plans are disrupted by Mother Nature. Such is the case for the second race of the SRX season. Due to unprecedented flooding in central Vermont, the series had to pivot away from its scheduled date at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont, but they found a soft place to land with a return to Stafford Motor Speedway on Thursday, July 20.
“We took it really serious,” said SRX CEO Donald Hawk. “For us, it was almost a fiduciary responsibility. Yeah, we could go there and maybe make some people happy, but we could also go there and be taking the water out of the stores or the food out of the stores and using up electricity someone might need. I have been working really closely with Cris Michaud, the track owner, talking with Governor Phil Scott, and we decided this was the best option.”
Thunder Road tweeted out a response in the aftermath of the decision that stated, “While we feel the immense pain of losing this major event for our business, it pales in comparison to those around our beloved state that have lost everything.”
Tony Stewart announced the change during the fan meet and greet prior to last week’s race at Stafford.
“I’ve got a question for you guys,” he told the assembled crowd. “How many of you guys would be interested in coming back if we came back here and raced next week?”
After a roaring response from the crowd, Stewart announced that it was “a done deal,” and the series would return this Thursday.
Tony Stewart announced at last week’s SRX question and answer session that SRX would return to Stafford Speedway this week due to extensive flooding in Central Vermont. (Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
While the decision didn’t come easily, Hawk said he felt it was the best choice, and he stated that Thunder Road will be guaranteed a race in 2024 to make up for the loss of this race.
“At the end of the day, it wasn’t just move it, but move it until Thunder Road [can safely host],” Hawk said. “We love your place, we love the track and the people. We want to race there, so you have the first official date of 2024. We’re coming there. We just have to decide what day it is and what race it is.”
Stafford Speedway COO, Paul Arute, shared a statement of support for the Vermont community, while also sharing his excitement about bringing SRX back for a second week.
“We are thinking about our friends in Vermont right now,” the statement read. “We hate it for Cris and the entire team at Thunder Road. We know the challenge it is to pull off an event like this. SRX will be returning to Stafford next Thursday night, July 20, and we’ll be ready for it.”
Hawk said he fielded several calls from tracks offering to host the series, but ultimately, it made the most sense to return to Stafford.
“I’ve been living on the phone for about 28-30 hours,” he said. “I’ve gotten text messages, phone calls from tracks saying they’d take us. My head was – ‘I’m not leaving New England. How do I figure this out?’ At the end of the day, staying in New England was a reward for the race fans who are so loyal to this sport.”
In the wake of disappointment, an opportunity was created for NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece to join the series on Thursday night. He will be added to the roster as a 13th car, along with full-time competitors Tony Stewart, Marco Andretti, Paul Tracy, Hailie Deegan, Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader and Ryan Newman, and part-time competitors Tony Kanaan, Greg Biffle, Daniel Suarez and Kenny Wallace.
“Obviously, it’s devastating what’s going on [in Vermont],” Preece said. “You see the posts with all the water and mudslides. I think everybody’s thoughts and prayers are with everyone up there. It’s terrible and we’re all thinking of them.”
He said, however, that he is also grateful for the opportunity to compete against the stars of the SRX series on the track where he cut his teeth.
“I’m excited about it. Hometown crowd. I think it’s going to be a big deal,” Preece said. “The unfortunate events with everything at Thunder Road created an opportunity, where they were staying here, to bring a local racer like they did years ago with Doug (Coby). As much as I am on the Cup Series, I’m still a local racer at heart.”
If last Thursday night is any indication, the fans at Stafford approve of Preece’s inclusion. After pre-race introductions on Thursday night, it was announced that Preece was in attendance, which brought the biggest cheer of the night — until they announced between the two heat races that Preece would be joining next week’s race, which brought the crowd to a roar.
“I think a lot of the fans here, a lot of the racers know I come here and I work just like them,” Preece said of the reception. “I put my shoes on and my jeans on just like them. I think we all appreciate and respect each other. I’m just another Stafford racer.”
