Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Harvick to make SRX debuts
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick will all make their debuts this season in Tony Stewart’s summer all-star series, while four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves confirmed Wednesday he’ll return for a third season.
Busch, who left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last season and will drive for Richard Childress in NASCAR this year, will run the middle two Superstar Racing Experience events of the season. Busch will race at Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia in July, and again the following Thursday night at Berlin Raceway in Michigan.
SRX this summer will move from racing on Saturday nights at local short tracks to Thursday nights in a new television package with ESPN. The date change for the six consecutive weeks of racing is more conducive for several current stars who want to be part of the summer short track events but didn’t have the time during regular race weekends.
“I’ve been working with everyone at SRX trying to get one of their races on my schedule the last couple seasons and things didn’t work out, so when they announced they were having weeknight races in close proximity to a couple races on the Cup schedule, SRX and I immediately got together to plan something for this year,” Busch said. “I’ve won at Berlin in the Super Late Model and I really enjoy racing at these local short tracks across the country, so it’ll be fun to go back and support those tracks and the great fan bases that they have.”
Bowyer, a current NASCAR analyst for Fox, will be out of the broadcast booth by the time SRX begins its season and has picked three races for this summer. Bowyer will race in the opener at Stafford Speedway in Connecticut, at Motor Mile alongside Busch and then in the SRX finale at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri.
“Clint is a blast to watch wheel a racecar, microphone or simply watching him hold court in the garage,” said second-year SRX CEO Don Hawk. “He was on our short list [of drivers] and I’m thankful he said, ‘Yes.'”
Harvick, who is retiring from NASCAR competition at the end of the season, was announced Tuesday to compete at Stafford and Berlin. Castroneves, who won last year’s SRX opener, will compete at Motor Mile, Berlin Speedway and Lucas Oil.
Wisconsin will start true freshman quarterback Carter Smith at No. 2 Indiana on Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, replacing Danny O’Neil after the sophomore was carted off the field with a right leg injury last week.
O’Neil was injured on a 21-yard keeper during the first quarter of last Saturday’s 13-10 win over then-No. 23 Washington. He had a towel over his head as he was carted to the locker room.
Smith made his season debut following O’Neil’s injury, completing 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards while rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Also available to the Badgers at quarterback is senior Hunter Simmons, who is 48-for-95 for 485 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
For Indiana, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt is doubtful to play, sources said. Sarratt, who is tied for the Big Ten lead with 10 touchdown receptions, injured his hamstring against Maryland on Nov. 1 and missed the Penn State game last week.
With Indiana having a bye next week, Sarratt is on track to return against Purdue on Nov. 28.
Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin all season and throughout coach Luke Fickell’s three-year tenure.
Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s first-team quarterback at the start of the season, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ opener and has played only one full series since.
Tanner Mordecai missed 3½ games with a broken hand in 2023. Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL in the third game of the 2024 season.
Wisconsin’s intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the 34 games the Badgers have played since the beginning of the 2023 season. The last time Fickell had his season-opening starting quarterback healthy for a full game was in a 27-13 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 7, 2024.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will not play Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State because of a concussion, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Iamaleava was injured during last week’s loss to Nebraska. He began experiencing concussion symptoms after the game, according to On3, which first reported that Iamaleava would not play.
With Iamaleava out, redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan will make his first career start. Duncan has not attempted a pass in college as he tries to take down the top-ranked Buckeyes.
Iamaleava has thrown for 1,659 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his first year with the Bruins after transferring from Tennessee.
He led UCLA to three straight wins in October, including a victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, but the Bruins (3-6) have lost two straight and need to win out to become bowl eligible.
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