Why NASCAR drivers think Netflix series ‘Full Speed’ could have ‘Days of Thunder’ effect

BJ McLeod remembers a “crazy time” for NASCAR during the 1990s.

With stars like Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon in the heyday of their careers, races were consistently packed. Social media had yet to exist, and high-definition TV was in its infancy.

“Days of Thunder,” an action drama movie released in 1990, depicts a rivalry between a hot-shot rookie and a veteran driver. When he initially watched it, McLeod, now 40 and the owner of an Xfinity Series team, felt he was one of those young fans the sport was hoping to gain.

With its new documentary series, “NASCAR: Full Speed,” out on Netflix for the past two weeks, McLeod said the sport has its best opportunity since Days of Thunder to capture a new generation of fans. Featuring nine of the Cup Series’ most prominent drivers, the five-episode series gives both casual observers and die-hards a look at their personalities, and the intricacies of the sport.

“I think we need more of it,” McLeod said. “You don’t want to do too much — because you don’t want to dilute it down or lose storylines — but I really hope there’s something like that every chase, every year. Because fans need it. They need to see the other side of these drivers.

“These drivers, they all have independent, different lives, and we all do different things to stay sane in this crazy world. It’s something that people should see, and I think that it was an unbelievable opportunity for NASCAR to have that on Netflix.”

McLeod particularly enjoyed the the popular scene with William Byron building with Legos in his house, and the two happened to be hanging out at Buffalo Wild Wings together shortly after watching that episode. He joked with him that his RC cars are the only thing that can calm him down — as McLeod races for a living, while Byron was chasing a championship.

Denny Hamlin, who has taken on the role of the sport’s villain, is essentially the main character in Full Speed. He said Netflix did a “really good job” showing who he is as a person and — knowing most of his fellow drivers much better than the casual race fan — felt his Cup Series counterparts’ personalities were portrayed just as well.

“You always worry about that stuff, when you don’t have any editing rights and you don’t know how it’s gonna get produced,” Hamlin said. “But I thought it was a very good introduction for new fans. Because they also were kind of teaching you some 101 stuff, like, here’s how this works.

“That’s the toughest part for our casual fan to latch on. They see the cars going around in circles, they just have no idea what gets them to that point. There’s an even bigger element that can be told about what makes this car, maybe a little bit faster than the next. This driver a little bit more talented than the other. There’s still lots of stories to be told, among a bunch of drivers, and hopefully you get to see them in the future.”