One of the primary reasons behind Stewart Haas Racing’s exit from NASCAR was unsustainability and financial troubles. Although Smoke had somewhat recouped some of his investment by selling three charters to the Cup Series teams, there’s no clear indication of what will happen to the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). Tony Stewart and veteran crew chief Ray Evernham started this venture in 2020. However, in 2024, Evernham jumped ships and played a vital role in the revival of the International Race for Champions (IROC). Sharing the reason behind his exit from SRX, he said, “I don’t believe that that path that you’re going will be successful, so I stepped aside. Unfortunately, it’s not been successful, right, and the loser is the fan.” Well, in 2024, SRX paused their racing operations without any clarity about its return.

Although the Series hasn’t announced any plans for 2025, it looks like they’ve lost out on another important member of the leadership group.

Tony Stewart’s SRX loses out on their CEO, Don Hawk

Don Hawk is one of the most experienced personalities in motorsports management. His 33-year stint spreads across multiple racing series. He was trying to work his magic with Stewart’s SRX in the role of CEO, but this partnership has now come to an end with him moving to USAC. “I am honored to join USAC Racing as the Series Director for the Silver Crown Division,” Hawk said in an official announcement shared by USAC.

“This series has a rich heritage, incredible talent, and dedicated fans. I look forward to working alongside the teams, officials, Technical Director Tommie Estes, and everyone in the USAC family to enhance the competition and continue to build the excitement that makes Silver Crown racing so special,” he added. Well, USAC certainly has got hold of a man with multiple talents and this is evident from his stint that stretches before his time at SRX.

Don Hawk’s previous stint includes his role as a President of Dale Earnhardt Inc., Director of Regional Racing development for NASCAR, Chief Racing Development Officer and Executive Vice President at Speedway Motorsports. So, this is indeed a big blow for SRX to lose out on his service and a steal by USAC, who will rely on his expertise to further fuel the growth of their series.

SRX was in part following the blueprint that was laid out by IROC, which was to attract drivers from other series such as NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, and others to compete at short tracks. But, with Ray Evernham’s exit and growing financial woes, they were forced to hit a pause on their operations. This in turn has provided an opportunity for IROC to script a comeback run, and with a successful 2024 event, they have more exciting updates in store for their fans.

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IROC has planned a reunion at Laguna Seca for the 2025 season

IROC began in 1973 as a made-for-television series that featured international race car drivers. But since 2006, this historic series hasn’t been able to attract drivers, resulting in the abrupt halt of the racing events. Evernham and former NASCAR crew chief Rob Kauffman have explored ideas to get the series back to its former glory. However, they are yet to finalize that plan and put it in motion.

However, they did start their initiative with a reunion at Lime Rock in 2024, and they have planned something similar for this year as well. They have scheduled a three-day event with the popular Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion from August 13-16. This event will feature a mix of vintage IROC cars and IROC vehicles owned by the collectors.

Although a lot has changed since 2006, Evernham hopes to see the current generation of superstar drivers someday competing in the IROC events. “Superstars and legends go head-to-head again. Have it be about who truly is the best of the best, taking the cars and rules out of it. It’s been a long time since guys like Kyle Larson and Lewis Hamilton went head-to-head.” He said this while speaking to Autoweek.

It will be interesting to see if Tony Stewart’s SRX or Ray Evernham’s IROC gets back into the business with a full racing schedule.