Netflix today revealed plans for a Bubba Wallace docuseries, following NASCAR’s only Black driver as he competes throughout the 2021 season, his first with 23XI Racing and new team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.
***START YOUR ENGINES 😝***
So excited to announce that Netflix is teaming up with NASCAR driver @BubbaWallace for a documentary series that takes us behind the scenes of the 2021 NASCAR season through the eyes of the ONLY Black driver at the top level of the sport.🏎🏁 pic.twitter.com/Wy3dpx7wIi
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) April 22, 2021
Wallace himself tweeted after the news was released, saying he’s looking forward to both making it and sharing it:
You know me…I like to keep things real and raw. Pumped to have @netflix capture these moments to share with you guys. 🤘🏾
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) April 22, 2021
Deadline has more details on the series, which remains untitled and without a release date:
The untitled series, from 300 Studios and Boardwalk Pictures and directed and produced by Erik Parker, will take viewers behind the 2021 NASCAR season through Wallace’s eyes. The Netflix series will explore Wallace, Jordan and Hamlin’s newly-formed 23XI Racing squad, and NASCAR’s efforts to advocate for inclusion and equality in racing and beyond.
Executive producers for the docuseries are Kevin Liles, Nolan Baynes, and Kelly G. Griffin for 300 Studios; Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, and Sarina Roma for Boardwalk Pictures; Matt Summers, Tim Clark, and Tally Hair for NASCAR. Rob Ford serves as co-executive producer.
Netflix is also home to F1: Drive to Survive, which is not only an excellent racing docuseries but one of the best behind-the-scenes sports documentaries in general. The Bubba Wallace series will obviously have a focus on just one driver, but Wallace is a compelling figure and his role in the sport makes him very well-suited as the center for a show like this.
Presumably it will be out sometime this winter; the NASCAR season wraps up on November 7th, so a release ahead of the February start of the 2022 season seems likely.
[Deadline]
