Yesterday, the Superstar Racing Experience revealed an extensive portion of its driver lineup from the ranks of open-wheel racing, with stars like Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden joining the six-race series this summer. Now, the portion of SRX's lineup hailing from stock car racing has also been revealed, with two new full-time drivers joining the ranks of former NASCAR stars competing in SRX.
According to a report by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, SRX CEO Don Hawk confirmed that at least four drivers with NASCAR ties will run the full season in 2022, with Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle joining Bobby Labonte and Michael Waltrip in running full-time. Biffle steps up to full-time SRX competition after running a partial schedule in 2021, while Newman joins SRX after losing his ride in NASCAR at the end of last season.
According to The Athletic, Hawk stated that additional NASCAR drivers would be involved in the series, but did not confirm any names.
The addition of Newman and Biffle to the full-time SRX lineup brings a pair of drivers who starred in NASCAR during the 2000s and remained competitive into the 2010s. Newman raced full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2002 to 2021, winning Rookie of the Year honors over Jimmie Johnson his first season before earning 18 career wins including the 2008 Daytona 500 and 2013 Brickyard 400. Biffle, who raced full-time from 2003 to 2016, has 19 Cup Series wins and also won championships in what are now the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series.
News of the NASCAR contingent on this year's SRX roster follows news that half a dozen IndyCar drivers will race in SRX this season, with Ryan Hunter-Reay, Paul Tracy, and Marco Andretti all committing to run the full season. Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves will both run expansive schedules, while Josef Newgarden will join the series for his hometown race at the Nashville Fairgrounds according to Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press.
While Wednesday and Thursday's news combined means that at least seven drivers have committed to run for the SRX championship, it is currently unclear whether or not one of those full-time drivers will be series co-founder and 2021 champion Tony Stewart. While Hawk did not tell The Athletic whether or not Stewart was planning to race in SRX, he shared that Stewart has been heavily involved in the driver selection process.