NASCAR’s gamble on Netflix paid off.
Its docuseries, Full Speed, became a hit, and while the exact effect on viewership is still unknown, the series undeniably boosted the sport’s profile. However, the sport’s biggest star, Chase Elliott, is hesitant to join a potential second season.
Ironically, Elliott hasn’t even seen the first season yet. He seems uninterested in participating and granting the same unprecedented access that drivers like Denny Hamlin and the 23XI Racing team — Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace — did in Season 1.
During a chat with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, Elliott discussed the possibility of being involved in a second season. And his answer left a lot to be desired.
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“I don’t know. Obviously, I didn’t do it last year,” Elliott said. “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. I just, you know, it might not be the most entertaining thing or the most popular answer, but dude, I just want to go fast, and I want to do my job at a high level, and if I feel there’s anything that’s going to take away from that, I’m probably going to say no to it.”
While Elliott’s hesitation might not be ideal for Netflix and NASCAR’s marketing plans for a potential Season 2 of Full Speed, especially considering their belief in the show’s indirect impact on ratings, there’s a silver lining.
According to The Athletic, excluding rain delays, NASCAR has seen four consecutive races with rising TV ratings. The past two weeks are even more impressive, with double-digit year-over-year increases (19% for Phoenix and 11% for Bristol).
NASCAR’s popularity could be experiencing a resurgence, even without its biggest star on board for the streaming giant’s docuseries.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.