Notes Package for Camping World SRX Series Season Opener at Stafford
Camping World SRX Series Season Opener
Round 1 of 6 – Stafford Motor Speedway – June 12 LIVE on CBS
WHAT: Camping World SRX Series season-opener (Round 1 of 6)
WHERE: Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut
WHEN: 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 12
DISTANCE: Feature consists of 100 laps (preceded by two 15-minute heat races, which sets starting lineup)
CARS: Purpose-built SRX racecars
TV: LIVE on the CBS Television Network with streaming on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 12
● Host: Lindsay Czarniak
● Booth: Allen Bestwick (play-by-play) and Danica Patrick (driver analyst)
● Pit Reporter: Matt Yocum
● Roaming Analyst: Brad Daugherty
● Director: Pam Miller
THE TRACK: Stafford Motor Speedway (half-mile, paved oval)
● Banking: 9 degrees in turns 1-2; 7.5 degrees in turns 3-4; 8 degrees on the straightaways
● Width: 42 feet on straightaways; 51 feet in corners
● Frontstretch Length: 550 feet
● Backstretch Length: 500 feet
SPOTTER GUIDE: Car color (with chassis number), Car number and Driver
● Black (chassis No. 005): No. 98 of Marco Andretti (INDYCAR)
● Teal (chassis No. 006): No. 18 of Bobby Labonte (NASCAR)
● Yellow (chassis No. 007): No. 2 of Ernie Francis Jr. (TRANS-AM)
● Red (chassis No. 008): No. 3 of Helio Castroneves (INDYCAR and IMSA)
● Lime Green (chassis No. 009): No. 13 of Paul Tracy (INDYCAR)
● Purple (chassis No. 010): No. 9 of Bill Elliott (NASCAR)
● Magenta (chassis No. 011): No. 48 of Tony Kanaan (INDYCAR)
● Gold (chassis No. 012): No. 69 of Greg Biffle (NASCAR)
● Indigo (chassis No. 013): No. 17 of Willy T. Ribbs (TRANS-AM and IMSA)
● Patriotic (chassis No. 014): No. 10 of Doug Coby (STAFFORD ALL-STAR)
● Orange (chassis No. 015): No. 20 of Tony Stewart (NASCAR, INDYCAR and USAC)
● Blue (chassis No. 016): No. 15 of Michael Waltrip (NASCAR)
THE LOCAL ALL-STAR: DOUG COBY
Hometown: Milford, Connecticut, United States
Social: IG: @dougcoby / Twitter: @doug_coby
● Winner of 29 career feature races at Stafford – 12 on the Whelen Modified Tour, eight in Pro Stock, five in SK Modifieds, and four in Late Models.
● Only driver ever to win four consecutive Modified Tour championships (2014-2017), with his other two series titles coming in 2012 and 2019.
● Has amassed 29 career victories and 32 pole positions on the Modified Tour.
THE RINGER: GREG BIFFLE
Hometown: Vancouver, Washington, United States
Social: IG: @gbiffle / Twitter: @gbiffle / Facebook: @gregbiffle
● Won the 2000 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and the 2002 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
● First of only three drivers to win championships in both the Xfinity Series and Truck Series, and one of 36 drivers to win races in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series.
● Winner of 19 NASCAR Cup Series races and finished second in points in 2005.
● While retired from full-time racing, occasionally competes in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races and Stadium Super Trucks races.
● Competes in the six-race Sand Outlaw Series and builds many of the side-by-sides and off-road cars that compete in the series.
● Owns a fully operational mine and rock quarry in Virginia, operates heavy equipment there, and is also a real estate investor, oftentimes doing his own repair work on properties.
● Helped build Lake Norman Humane, a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located in Mooresville, North Carolina.
THE REGULARS of the Camping World SRX Series:
MARCO ANDRETTI
Hometown: Nazareth, Pennsylvania, United States
Social: IG: @marcoandretti / Twitter: @marcoandretti
● Third-generation racer, son of INDYCAR champion Michael Andretti and grandson of the legendary Mario Andretti.
● Racing select NTT INDYCAR Series races in 2021 (which included the Indianapolis 500).
● Winner of the 2006 INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year.
● Tested for Honda Racing’s Formula One program in 2006 and 2007.
● Purchased childhood home in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and runs a successful real-estate business.
● Prepared to run the 2020 New York Marathon before the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the event.
HELIO CASTRONEVES
Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil
Social: IG: @heliocastroneves / Twitter: @h3lio / Facebook: @h3lio
● Four-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner (2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021).
● Winner of the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona with co-drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi.
● Credited with beginning the tradition of climbing the fence after a race win, which he did after scoring his first career INDYCAR victory at the 2000 Detroit Grand Prix.
● Mirror Ball Trophy winner on Season 5 of Dancing With The Stars in 2007, alongside partner Julianne Hough.
BILL ELLIOTT
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia, United States
Social: Twitter: @billelliott9 / Facebook: @billelliott
● Affectionately known as “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville”.
● Won the 1988 NASCAR Cup Series championship and is a two-time Daytona 500 winner (1985 and 1987).
● Still holds the track qualifying records at Daytona International Speedway (210.364 mph) and Talladega Superspeedway (212.809 mph), both set in 1987.
● Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.
● Voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver by fans a record 16 times.
● Father of reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott. They are the third father-son duo to win NASCAR championships, joining Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and Dale Jarrett.
ERNIE FRANCIS JR.
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Social: IG: @erniefrancisjr / Twitter: @erniefrancisjr
● Winningest driver in the 55-year history of the SCCA Trans Am Series, all while being just 23 years old.
● At 16, became the youngest champion in Trans Am history and is the youngest professional driver to win seven consecutive championships.
● One of his most impressive performances came in the 2018 Trans Am race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He had to miss qualifying because of a NASCAR commitment, but still won the race from the back of the grid.
● Has made select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR K&N Series.
● Grandfather immigrated to New York City from Haiti five decades ago.
● Counts Willy T. Ribbs as a mentor and, like Ribbs, making a name for himself in Trans Am.
TONY KANAAN
Hometown: Salvador, Brazil
Social: IG: @tkanaan / Twitter: @tonykanaan / Facebook: @tonykanaan
● Won the 2004 INDYCAR championship.
● Winner of the 2013 Indianapolis 500.
● Splitting 2021 NTT INDYCAR Series season with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 48 entry, competing in all of the series’ oval races.
● Lebanese ancestry but grew up in Brazil; member of racing “Brat Pack” with Dario Franchitti, Max Papis and the late Greg Moore.
● Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English.
● Avid triathlete and has completed Ironman event in Hawaii.
BOBBY LABONTE
Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Social: IG: @bobby_labonte44 / Twitter: @bobby_labonte
● Won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship and 1991 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
● Won 2001 International Race of Champions (IROC) title, which was the precursor to SRX.
● Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.
● Is a television analyst for FOX, specifically FS1’s RaceDay.
● Competes in the Southern Modified Auto Racing Tour (SMART).
● Founded Longhorn Chassis in 2010 with his brother, Terry, building dirt late model racecars. (Terry is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, earning titles in 1984 and 1996.)
● Owns a Red Mango yogurt shop on the campus of Duke University.
WILLY T. RIBBS
Hometown: San Jose, California, United States
Social: Twitter: @willyribbs
● First African-American to compete in the Indianapolis 500 (1991 and 1993) and the first African-American to test a Formula One car (1986 with Brabham in Estoril, Portugal).
● Winner of the 1977 Dunlop/Autosport Star of Tomorrow Formula Ford 1600 championship.
● A 17-race winner in the SCCA Trans Am Series. Was the 1983 Trans Am Rookie of the Year on the strength of five wins and finished second in the series championship to teammate David Hobbs.
● Won 10 IMSA GTO races driving for the legendary Dan Gurney.
● Showed versatility by competing in Trans Am, IMSA, INDYCAR and various NASCAR divisions, including the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series.
● After retiring from racing, became a professional shooter in the National Sporting Clays Association. Ribbs’ son, Theodore, is also a professional shooter.
● In the Disney Channel cartoon The Proud Family, character Penny proud and her friends attend Willy T. Ribbs Middle School, where the mascot is “Racer.”
● Ribbs was the subject of the 2020 Netflix documentary, Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story.
TONY STEWART
Hometown: Columbus, Indiana, United States
Social: IG: @tsrsmoke / Twitter: @tonystewart / Facebook: @tonystewart / YouTube: @tonystewart14
● Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2002, 2005 and 2011), 1997 INDYCAR Series champion and four-time USAC champion.
● Stewart is the first and only driver to win championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown cars.
● Co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, winner of two NASCAR Cup Series championships (2011 and 2014).
● Owner of Tony Stewart Racing, winner of 26 championships – 14 in USAC, nine in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and three in the All Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets.
● Inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2020), the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame (2020), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2019), the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame (2019), the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame (2019), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame (2018), the USAC Hall of Fame (2016) and the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame (2001).
● Formed the Tony Stewart Foundation in 2003.The 501(c)(3) organization’s goal is to raise funds primarily distributed to serving three specific groups – chronically ill and physically disabled children, animals that are endangered or at-risk, and drivers injured in the sport of motor racing. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly $7 million to assist charitable initiatives for more than 150 well-qualified organizations throughout the United States.
PAUL TRACY
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Social: IG: @paultracyofficial
● Current NBC TV commentator for its INDYCAR broadcasts.
● Won the 2003 INDYCAR championship.
● Finished second to Helio Castroneves in the 2002 Indianapolis 500.
● Has competed in NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, and dabbled in professional downhill mountain bike racing.
MICHAEL WALTRIP
Hometown: Owensboro, Kentucky, United States
Social: IG: @mwr55 / Twitter: @mw55 / Facebook: @michaelcwaltrip
● Two-time Daytona 500 winner (2001 and 2003).
● Younger brother of three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip.
● Color commentator for FOX’s broadcasts of NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, as well as pre-race commentator for FOX’s broadcast of NASCAR Cup Series races.
● Author of a New York Times best-seller in 2011, In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything. A documentary film adaptation was released in 2019.
● An avid runner, competed in the 2000 Boston Marathon.
● Participated in season 19 of Dancing With The Stars in 2014.
About Camping World SRX Series:
The Camping World SRX Series was created by a team consisting of Sandy Montag and The Montag Group, George Pyne, NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and team owner Ray Evernham, and legendary driver Tony Stewart. The Montag Group leads business operations and Evernham oversees all racing operations. Pyne is a member of the Board and serves as an advisor. For more information, please visit us online at www.SRXracing.com, on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram.
Sources: Laz Denes/True Speed Communication