Netflix's Drive to Survive put Formula 1 on the map for millions of Americans, and now a very similar series about NASCAR will be released on the popular streaming platform. Called NASCAR: Full Speed, A Netflix Sports Series, the new show follows 16 drivers as they fight for the Cup Series championship. Like its F1 counterpart, the camera crews had "exclusive access" to drivers both on and off the track. The five episodes will be 45 minutes each.
The trailer is more of a teaser and doesn't say a ton about the structure of the show, however the release date is coming up fast. The series is set to drop on January 30th, a little less than three weeks from now.
The program appears to have been filmed during the 2023 season, which featured many big crashes including Ryan Preece's wild airborne wreck which he thankfully escaped with only minor injuries. It's featured prominently in the trailer.
Another similar series covering IndyCar was announced in late 2022, but there has been little news about it since. That series was also not going to be hosted by any popular streaming platform. This NASCAR show is obviously different.
The short run of only five episodes makes the series dissimilar to Drive to Survive, which is typically closer to 10. Whether or not the NASCAR action will be as heavily dramatized as what goes on in F1 is yet to be seen. It can only be a good thing to grow NASCAR's audience, though, which has fluctuated heavily since the mid-aughts.
