Netflix’s NASCAR: Full Speed

A new five-part documentary series looking behind the scenes of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs 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 NASCAR Cup Series, America’s most popular motorsport series and one of the most competitive in the world. NASCAR: Full Speed is produced by Connor Schell (30 for 30), Aaron Cohen (The Lionheart), Ben Kennedy, Tim Clark, Matt Summers, Tally Hair and NASCAR Hall of Famer 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 $6.99 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

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Josh Berry, Hendrick Motorsports, Hooters Chevrolet Camaro, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger/Irish Spring Chevrolet Camaro

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

Hamlin has been competing in the NASCAR Cup series for 18 years. In that time, he’s won a total of 51 races, including the Daytona 500 in 2016, 2019 and 2020, is just one of four drivers to win the event back-to-back.

Born in Florida, he grew up in Virginia, and has the most wins in the NASCAR Cup Series without winning a championship. He’s come close numerous times, and was the 2010 runner-up, ending the year just 39 points behind Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin has competed in every season since 2005, and has finished inside the top-five in points every year for the past five years.

Although he drives the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin also co-owns and operates NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI racing with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Joey Logano

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 536
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 32
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 2 (2018 & 2022)

Logano has spent 16 seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, and currently drives for Team Penske in his No. 22 Ford Mustang. The Connecticut-born driver won the 2015 Daytona 500 and is a frequent contender in NASCAR’s crown jewel event.

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 No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing before moving to Team Penske in 2013, winning Cup titles in both 2018 and 2022.

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

Martin Truex Jr, Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta Chevrolet Camaro, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Busch Light Harvick Ford Mustang, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro

Kyle Larson

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 331
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 23
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 1 (2021)

Larson is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and competes in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. The Californian driver has enjoyed tremendous success 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 with Chip Ganassi Racing. His co-drivers were IndyCar legends Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, as well former former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray.

He was the championship runner-up in 2023. In 2024, he will compete in the Indianapolis 500 for Arrow McLaren and attempt ‘the Double’, which is competing in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day.

Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 306
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 10
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 1 (2023)

Blaney is the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, earning Team Penske its second consecutive Cup Series title last year when he passes Larson in the closing laps of the finale. The Ohio-born driver drive the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang.

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. Although still winless in NASCAR’s biggest race, Blaney has finished twice in the Daytona 500 (2017 & 2020).

Bubba Wallace

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 218
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 2
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0

Bubba Wallace has spent seven years competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.

Wallace was 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.

In 2021, he won at Talladega Superspeedway and became the first Black driver to win a Cup race since Wendell Scott in 1963.

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro, burnout

Ross Chastain

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 187
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 4
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0

Chastain drives the No. 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 Logano. He famously used a since-banned wall-ride maneuver to secure himself a shot at the title in 2022, riding against the wall full-throttle in the elimination race at Martinsville Speedway.

Although he failed to advance so far into the playoffs last year, he did make history again, becoming the first non-title contender to win the season finale in the Championship 4 era.

William Byron

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 216
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 10
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0

Byron is the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion but has not yet secured a championship in the NASCAR Cup Series, where his highest finish has been third. The North Carolinian drives the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, as well as competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He won a series-leading six races during the 2023 NASCAR Cup season.

Byron also won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship, and was awarded the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR Truck Series the following year.

Tyler Reddick

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 146
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 5
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0

Reddick has been competed in five seasons of the NASCAR Cup Series driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. The Californian is a two-time champion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning the title with JR Motorsports in 2018 and Richard Childress Racing in 2019.

Reddick holds the record for the closest finish in NASCAR’s top three series when he beat Elliot Sadler in a NXS photo finish at Daytona International Speedway in 2018, by 0.0004 seconds.

Christopher Bell

NASCAR Cup Series starts: 121
NASCAR Cup Series wins: 6
NASCAR Cup Series championships: 0

Bell drives the No. 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.

He is the only driver to make the Championship 4 in both years of the Next Gen era, ending the 2022 season third in points and fourth in 2023 after a mechanical failure ended his title shot.

When does the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series begin?

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series is starts 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 36 points-paying races set to take place over the year, which includes a ten-race playoffs and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on 10 November.