Matt Buckler: Stafford recovering from SRX invasion

Jun. 14—It might take a few days for the town of Stafford to get back to normal after the town was invaded by the CBS Network, the SRX Racing Series, and 10,000 fans, the largest crowd at a Stafford racing event since the '80s.

They were there for a reason — national television.

Saturday's race was the first in the new series and Stafford was the launching pad.

Before Saturday, the only Stafford people knew about was the Stafford that was Richard Kimble's hometown in "The Fugitive."

The real Stafford was in the spotlight Saturday because of the large enthusiastic crowd and the 12 drivers — many of them legends such as Tony Stewart, Helio Castroneves, and Bill Elliott.

CBS was all-in when it came to coverage. It had drone cameras, in-car cameras, and comprehensive graphics.

The telecast was so slick, that it was hard to believe it was the first SRX race.

While a local hero, Doug Coby won the race, CBS also saluted another local personality. Photos by Howie Hodge of Manchester, who died in 2017, were used in the telecast. They had a lot from which to choose — Hodge shot races at Stafford for 50 years. It was nice to see him get mentioned on the first SRX telecast.

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