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Denny Hamlin Backs NASCAR Fans’ Plea to Tony Stewart for an ‘All-Female’ Face-Off in His $40 Million Venture

Published 04/05/2024, 1:30 AM EDT

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NASCAR is notoriously known for its lack of female power. One thing stands out when you enter a racing event: male dominance behind the wheel, in the pits, and in the team trailers. Out of a whopping 3000 drivers throughout NASCAR’s existence, there have only been 20 women. But modern-day racing fans are demanding enhanced opportunities for female drivers.

The Tony Stewart-owned SRX team has fielded Truck star Hailie Deegan before. However, the 21-year-old famously drove among veteran drivers. Now, with $40 million in revamped funding, SRX has a chance to bring more women into its field. Even Cup driver Denny Hamlin is all in for this venture.

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Danica Patrick was the last female driver to compete full-time in the Cup Series. She often had beef with Denny Hamlin, especially during the 2015 Duel qualifier race, and on the contrary, Hamlin has also snatched her hopes of scoring a top-ten finish. Yet Hamlin had admitted he was her biggest supporter, in line with his recent viewpoint.

Couch Racer recently posted on X: “What if SRX had done one race ….. All female drivers. Would have been epic. Who can make this happen?” Denny Hamlin was quick to reply: “Actually a great idea”.

 

Other like-minded NASCAR fans tweeted a hoard of positivity about this idea. 

“I like this idea, I support this, im so here for this, That be an amazing idea I support this 100% this has to happen!”

Some fans suggested possible ways to amplify the idea. “I would definitely turn in. Plus maybe we could get @DirtyMoMedia to do a Full Speed type series about it. Main question(s) is “what type of car, and what type of track?”” Another fan said: “Would it be current or past drivers, or both? I think in any case it’s a good race”.

The SRX team, or Superstar Racing Experience, is bouncing back to racing with renewed funding. Agency giant Endeavor and hedge fund manager Jamie Dinan invested in the team at a $40 million valuation. This opens up a multitude of avenues for the team, including an all-pink race, as Denny Hamlin and fans are asking for.

“We have new investors, new drivers, new tracks, and a new network,” SRX co-founder George Pyne said in a video interview. “We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the third year, with an enhanced product. We’ve got money now to invest in the business outside of the racetrack. For a [young] sports property, that’s uncommon.”

Hopefully, the SRX higher-ups will pay heed to the suggestions of Couch Racing and Denny Hamlin. Given Hailie Deegan’s stellar performance in 2022, SRX may soon be cooking up an all-woman venture.

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The SRX co-founder marveled at Deegan’s prowess

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At the young age of 19 in 2021, Hailie Deegan competed for SRX in the Craftsman Truck Series. She was the only female driver in a field dominated by some veterans: Tony Stewart, Bill and Chase Elliott, Marco Andretti, Bobby Labonte, and so on. And as a cherry on top, she scripted history in her debut race at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. 

Deegan finished second to Tony Stewart, making jaws drop. NASCAR Hall of Famer and SRX co-founder Ray Evernham was all praise for her. “We all saw at Knoxville how quickly Hailie adapted to these SRX cars and it was pretty obvious that she has no reservations about mixing it up with these guys. She gained positions in each heat and in the feature and then finished second to one of the best racecar drivers in the world.”

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Hopefully, SRX officials will give a chance to more women to achieve brilliant victories under their banner.

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee

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Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta