Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham will have a boss in the second season of the Superstar Racing Experience, a made-for-CBS all-star summer series coming off a surprisingly strong debut.
SRX on Thursday named Don Hawk its first chief executive, a day-to-day role with a job description that covers just about everything. The six-race series was designed to fill otherwise-empty Saturday night CBS programming, but it was an instant hit and almost immediately too big for co-creators Stewart and Evernham.
SRX said the CEO is responsible for “all series strategy, operations, and business development, including media, sales and marketing, personnel, track relationships, local events, competition, driver and crew chief relations, rules, safety, and international expansion.”
“SRX is coming off a great first year with a lot of momentum, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Hawk take on this new role for us,” said Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion. “He’s incredibly well-respected in every corner of racing and someone I’ve worked with and admired for years.”
SRX succeeded in spotlighting drivers from lesser known racing series: Doug Coby, a local racer who won the inaugural race, earned a Truck Series start at Bristol and finished 12th in his first NASCAR national series race.
Additionally, nationally unknown Ernie Francis Jr. of the Trans Am Series had his story told by CBS to a bored summer audience and is now set to drive in Indy Lights, one series below IndyCar. It’s part of the Race for Equality and Change in IndyCar and Francis seems on a tract set by Roger Penske to become the series’ only Black driver.
“Like so many others, I was a big fan of the concept and execution led by Ray, Tony, Sandy, and George,” Hawk said. “I’m beyond excited to join the SRX team and help SRX as it continues to find its niche as a non-traditional form of motorsports entertainment.”
