Getty Kyle Larson completed his qualifying laps at Watkins Glen International.
NASCAR has just set the stage for some appointment viewing. The sanctioning body and NBC Universal/USA Network have released the trailer for a new documentary series that will focus on the playoffs and the drivers fighting for the Cup Series championship trophy.
NASCAR dropped the trailer on Twitter ahead of the packed weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The series will be called “Race for the Championship” and it will debut on September 1. Judging by the trailer, there will be plenty of in-race moments over the 10-episode run featuring the biggest wrecks, rivalries, and upset wins from the 2022 season.
“When you’re in the car, you don’t think about, ‘ooh, I can get hurt,'” Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie said in the trailer. “I’ve got life insurance policy for that, and it’s up to date.” This comment preceded a montage of crashes, including Chris Buescher rolling multiple times during the Coca-Cola 600.
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NASCAR ‘Revived’ the Series for the 2022 Season
GettyAustin Cindric (front) races at Sonoma in June 2022.
A NASCAR-centric documentary series that could go toe-to-toe with Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” has been in the works for a while. There were plans for one focused on the 2021 playoffs, starting with the regular-season race at Michigan International Speedway, but NASCAR ultimately scrapped the project due to COVID-19.
Prior to the 2022 season, however, NASCAR revived the project. Filming began in Los Angeles during the inaugural Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum, and it continued throughout the regular season. The cameras followed the biggest names around at the track and in their personal lives while gathering content for the new series.
When news surfaced early in 2022 that the documentary series was going to see the light of day, there were some questions. Specifically, many wanted to know when the first episode would air and if it would be in the middle of the season. Now NASCAR has provided that answer by revealing that it will debut prior to the Cook Out Southern 500.
There Will Be a Mix of Serious & Humorous Moments
GettyThe documentary series will feature NASCAR drivers golfing.
The overarching story of the documentary series is the battle for the Bill France Cup, the ultimate prize in NASCAR. The series will address the intense moments, both on the track and in the homes of the drivers as they face the possibility that they could miss out on the playoffs.
The series won’t focus entirely on serious, racing storylines. The trailer showed that there will also be some glimpses of the drivers and how they spend their “free” time. Kyle and Samantha Busch welcomed a new daughter, Joey Logano drove around on a John Deere with one of his children, and Chase Elliott even took to the sky while getting away from the hustle and bustle.
One particular example showed is the time that some of the Cup Series drivers spent on the golf course. The trailer showed a montage of swings, which included Bubba Wallace missing one while Ryan Blaney laughed and pointed to the cameras.
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