Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that the Netflix series “NASCAR: Full Speed” will “elevate the sport,” but it “needs to continue for several seasons to impact the fan base,” according to Deb Williams of AUTOWEEK. Earnhardt, one of the show’s executive producers, said, "Netflix is gonna have a lot of people see this documentary that have never seen a NASCAR race. ... If we can lock in and get several seasons on Netflix, we have that potential to grow our audience (in person as well as on TV) ... improve our position in society and improve people’s opinion of our sport." Williams noted the five-part docuseries, produced by Word + Pictures and NASCAR Studios, follows the 16 drivers competing for the 2023 championship through the 10-race playoffs. NASCAR “asked Earnhardt to be involved in the project" and asked him to "suggest storylines and drivers to interview.” Driver Denny Hamlin “immediately recognized the series potential and was heavily involved and featured in it.” However, there were drivers who were “apprehensive,” and Earnhardt “understands that uneasiness.” He said that the drivers’ apprehension "comes from not having full control over what the public will see.” Williams noted there have been complaints that the Netflix F1 series “Drive to Survive” had “manufactured drama between the drivers.” But Earnhardt said that “none of ‘NASCAR: Full Speed’ was scripted.” If the Netflix series does go into a second season, Earnhardt “admits that manufactured drama is a valid concern because drivers don’t want to be pushed in directions they don’t want to go or don’t feel is realistic” (AUTOWEEK, 3/12).
DOUBLE FAULT: SI’s Jon Wertheim wrote there is “plenty of blame to go around” and “plenty of dumb luck” for the cancellation of Netflix's "Break Point." It would have "helped if certain stars had been more accessible.” If there is a tennis show for a wider audience, “that’s great,” but if those who follow the sport closely “take offense at the errors and inaccuracies, it sets the tone.” When "Break Point" features "deuce points played in the ad court; or devotes an episode to a player twice accused of domestic violence and not only neglects to mention it but paints this player as a misunderstood hero, well, you’ve lost the room -- and with it, your credibility.” It is “hard to create a mainstream success with true fans poking holes in the canvas” (SI, 3/12).
