A new five-part documentary series looking behind the scenes of the 2023 NASCAR season is coming to Netflix. The streaming platform has announced the release of NASCAR: Full Speed following the increasing success of its Formula 1 documentary series Drive to Survive.
The series follows the action of the NASCAR Cup Series, which has been described as one of the most challenging and dangerous championships in motorsport. NASCAR: Full Speed is produced by Connor Schell (30 for 30), Aaron Cohen (The Lionheart), Ben Kennedy, Tim Clark, Matt Summers, Tally Hair and multiple Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer Tim Clark said: “This is the most competitive form of motorsport on the planet. People are going to see it up close and see the beating and the banging and the aggressiveness of the drivers, but also the skill of the drivers - and what they’re able to do with a race car [driving at] 200 miles an hour, around 38 other race cars, hitting the same spot for 400 miles.”
What is the release date for NASCAR: Full Speed?
NASCAR: Full Speed is set to release on Tuesday 30 January 2024, at 8am (GMT). The five-part series premieres five days ahead of the NASCAR pre-season exhibition race at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Sunday 4 February.
How to watch NASCAR: Full Speed
NASCAR: Full Speed will be available to watch on Netflix. Prices for the streaming service start at £4.99 a month and can be watched online, as well as on smart TVs and phones and tablets via the Netflix app.
NASCAR: Full Speed Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bncE5eSHmrE&t=57s
Which drivers are featured on NASCAR: Full Speed?
The cast of NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix includes:
Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 650
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 51
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0
Denny Hamlin has been competing in the NASCAR Cup series for 18 years. In that time, he won a total of 51 races, including the Daytona 500 in 2016, 2019 and 2020 and became the fourth driver, alongside Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Sterling Marlin to win the event back-to-back.
The Floridian driver has the most wins in the NASCAR Cup Series without winning a championship, however he came close in 2010 when he finished second, just 39 points behind Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin has competed in every season since 2005, only missing four races in the early part of the 2013 season, after a collision with Joey Lagano damaged his back, and one race in 2014 due to a sinus infection.
Although he drives the #11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin also co-owns and operates NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI racing with former basketball player Michael Jordan.
Joey Logano
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 536
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 32
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 2 (2018 & 2022)
JoeyLogano has spent 16 seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, and currently drives for Team Penske in his #22 Ford Mustang. The Connecticut-born driver also competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and has previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
He became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the age of 18 years and 21 days old when he won the Meijer 300 at the Kentucky Speedway, taking the record from Casey Atwood who had set the record in 1999 at 18 years and 313 days old. Logano is also the youngest winner of the NASCAR Cup Series after his victory at the 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire when he was 19 years and 35 days old, taking the victory from Kyle Busch who set the record at 20 years and 125 days old in 2005.
Logano previously competed in the #20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing and the #96 Toyota Camry for Hall of Fame Racing. He then moved to Team Penske in 2013 before winning two championships in 2018 and 2022.
Kyle Larson
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 331
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 23
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 1 (2021)
Kyle Larson is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and competes in the #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. The Californian driver had previously had a successful time in dirt track racing, winning events such as Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals and the Chili Bowl Nationals.
Larson also won the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race in 2015, winning the event with Chip Ganassi Racing and his team-mates, IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan and former NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray.
In 2024 he will compete in the Indianapolis 500 for Arrow McLaren and attempt the Double Duty, which is competing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series races on the same day.
Ryan Blaney
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 306
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 10
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 1 (2023)
Ryan Blaney is the latest NASCAR Cup Series champion after taking the title at the end of the 2023 season. The Ohio-born driver competes in the #12 Team Penske Ford.
Blaney is a third-generation racer and is the son of former NASCAR driver Dave Blaney and the grandson of modified dirt track racer Lou Blaney. He has also competed in the Daytona 500 since 2015 and came 2nd in both 2017 and 2020.
Bubba Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 218
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 2
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0
William Darrell (Bubba) Wallace Jr. has spent seven years competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the #23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing, as well as competing part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Wallace had previously featured in a six-episode Netflix documentary, titled Race: Bubba Wallace which followed the life of the only black driver currently in NASCAR’s Cup Series as he uses his voice to fight for change in the series. He is the only African American driver to have competed in the three NASCAR series – Cup, Xfinity and Truck – in each year he has competed.
Ross Chastain
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 187
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 4
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0
Ross Chastain drives the #1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing. The Floridian driver is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver Chad Chastain.
He has competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for seven years, the NASCAR Xfinity series for 10 years and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for 12 years. Chastain’s highest championship place was second in 2022, where he finished just six points behind winner Joey Logano.
William Byron
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 216
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 10
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0
William Byron is the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion but has not yet secured a championship win in the NASCAR Cup Series, where his highest finish has been 3rd. The North Carolinian drives the #24 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, as well as competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
He has also previously won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship, as well as being awarded the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Byron also won the Daytona 500 in 2019 with Hendrick Motorsports.
Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 146
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 5
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0
Tyler Reddick has been competed in five seasons of the NASCAR Cup Series driving the #45 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. The Californian also competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he won consecutive championship titles in 2018 and 2019.
Reddick holds the record for the closest finish in NASCAR’s top three series when he won the 2018 Xfinity Series, beating Elliot Sadler at Daytona International Speedway, by 0.0004 seconds.
Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series starts: 121
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 6
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0
Christopher Bell drives the #20 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing and has been competing in the NASCAR Cup Series for the last four seasons. The Oklahoma-born driver is also the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.
When does the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series begin?
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series is set to start on 4 February 2024, with a pre-season exhibition race at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. This is the third year the event will be held to mark the start of the season.
The first official race for the NASCAR Cup Series is the Daytona 500 on 18 February at the Daytona International Speedway. There are 37 races set to take place over the year including visits to the Circuit of the Americas and the Kansas Speedway, before the season comes to an end at Phoenix Raceway on 10 November.
