A sequel season to NASCAR Full Speed has yet to receive a green light, but the expectation around the industry is that one is expected, so then the conversation focuses on how the show will evolve after its debut story was generally well received.
For one, such a season might not include the most popular driver in the sport, as Chase Elliott remains adamant that such obligations ultimately don’t do much for him and the things that matter the most to him.
“I don’t know,” Elliott said last month during an appearance on the Dale Jr Download podcast. “Obviously, I didn’t do it last year. I haven’t watched it at all, so I think my first step to answering that question would be to watch a little bit of it and just see how bad they would piss me off being around all the time.
“It might not be the most entertaining thing or the most popular answer or whatever, but, dude, I really just want to go fast, and I want to do my job at a high level. And if I feel like there’s anything that’s going to take away from that, I’m probably going to say no to it.”
On the other hand, Elliott also missed seven races last year, did not qualify for the Cup Series playoffs and was generally a non-factor into the narratives to the sport. Maybe an Elliott, who is more competitive come the summer months, would be more willing to open all his doors if he feels like he is in a better place.
There are parallels to be drawn to the first two seasons of Formula 1 Drive to Survive, which famously did not have participation from Ferrari and Mercedes initially but changed after the success of the first season.
NASCAR says it has data that shows that 88 percent of viewers as of last month were those who did not watch the championship race in November. Ratings were also up week-to-week over the first month of last season.
Drivers praised the show for not taking creative liberties with the truth and actually portraying the sport accurately and dramatically at the same time. The first season focused on the final 11 races, the race to make the playoffs, and some of the most dramatic moments of the race to the championship.
That story, barring a dramatic 2024 playoff, might feel redundant so what else could the show feature? For one, Kyle Busch wasn’t a focal point in Full Speed last year, ether but expressed an openness when asked about the topic on Saturday at Richmond Raceway.
“I’d consider it, sure,” Busch said. “I don’t know what’s happening on that front. They asked last year but I had done it the year before, and I was already there and let everyone in already the year prior, but that was the (USA Network) show and there was a lot of good reception from the Netflix show so I do think it’s worth considering.”
A lot has happened since Busch let cameras in to do the ‘Race to the Championship’ and ‘Rowdy’ documentaries in that he has left Joe Gibbs Racing, joined Richard Childress Racing and has started to earnestly spearhead the development of son Brexton into a legitimate prospect.
These are all stories that would parlay well to the Netflix crew.
No one contributed more to the first season of NASCAR Full Speed than Denny Hamlin. He opened his doors at home as a family man, at Joe Gibbs Racing as a championship contending driver and to 23XI Racing that he co-owns with Michael Jordan.
So what you will about Hamlin, as polarizing as a figure as they come in the modern day NASCAR, but he bought into the concept and ensured that the show was successful and honest.
“We had those discussions early and when Netflix asked, how much access would be given to 23XI, I considered it very much the same of what I gave them – to bring all of the personnel around and say hey, this is what I expect you to do, as far as giving access, and they did that,” Hamlin said. “It was a good for the narrative of the show.”
Hamlin doesn’t want to overexpose anything but would be open to returning for a second season too, especially since he’s already won two points races and the pre-season Clash, but already has an idea in mind for how to make the second season different.
“I think just really getting into the technical side of it – what you saw was the drivers and their personalities and whatnot, but you didn’t see is what makes those cars go around in circles and what makes this driver better than the other and what makes this car better than the other,” Hamlin said.
The show did focus on 23XI Racing crew chief Bootie Barker and his relationship with driver Bubba Wallace but it didn’t dig into the car and what separates the good from bad in a spec car generation era.
“I think those are important stories to tell,” said Hamlin, “because at a basic level, I think they hit all of the marks really well, but it is getting maybe more technical into why this team or why this driver might be better than others. I would like to see that.”
Brad Keselowski, who co-owns RFK Racing with veteran team boss Jack Roush and the Fenway Sports Group (of Red Sox fame) would be open to opening his doors the same way Hamlin did.
“If the call came, I would definitely be open to having that conversation,” he said.
What would he like to see?
“Just more personalities in our sport,” Keselowski said. “We have a lot of characters and we haven’t scratched the surface on all of them yet.”
He also liked what Hamlin said about a focus on technology and competition.
“There is a lot going on in our sport,” Keselowski said. “If you have an open mind, and your eyes are wide open, there is a lot of things that are compelling to talk about and that an audience would find engaging.
“The sky is the limit, and I would hate to say the show should focus on one thing and not the other, because I like it all. I hope our sport is able to have that opportunity to spotlight all of those things over time.”
To his point, and something that Keselowski is well aware of, the show could also try to focus on the ongoing charter and revenue sharing negotiations between NASCAR and the race teams. The sanctioning body would be loathe to open their doors to any of that, but that’s also as raw as it gets.
It also has the potential to shape the direction of the sport for years to come.
There is also the state of Stewart-Haas Racing, co-owned by NASCAR legend Tony Stewart, and a focus on that team and its co-owner could make for an engaging episode as well.
Like Keselowski said, there are no shortage of stories this season, and it’s just a matter of time before some of them come into focus should that coincide with a second season of the Netflix show.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.