In some ways, it’s a shame that Netflix has already used the Drive to Survive title for a series about F1, because it would apply even more accurately to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, which it is currently filming for a documentary series that will debut in 2024.
The series will be made up of five 45-minute episodes tracking the final events of the 2023 NASCAR season. Known as the playoffs, they start on September 3 at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The series features 16 drivers, four of whom are eliminated every four events, until just four remain for a one-race battle to decide who the champion will be at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.
What will undoubtedly make for great on-track drama will also be turned into human drama, thanks to Netflix’s documentary crew, which has already started filming. It adds that the cameras will get behind the helmet to show the toll that this competition takes on the drivers.
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“The series will feature exclusive access to drivers and teams, bringing fans behind the scenes at and away from the track while exploring the physical and mental challenges of competing for a championship at the world’s highest level of stock car racing,” Netflix writes.
Set to premiere in early 2024, the series is being produced by Words + Pictures, which was also behind Super League: The War for Football, and Countdown: Inspiration 4 Mission to Space, as well as NASCAR Studios.
The series joins Netflix’s collection of sport documentary series, and it is just the latest outlet to follow NASCAR, as Motorsport points out. The USA Network tried the format for the 2022 playoff series with Race for the Championship, which offered viewers weekly episodes tracking the championship battle that was eventually won by Joey Logano, though it failed to capture wide appeal like Drive to Survive did for Formula One.
