Arguably NASCAR’s best-known voice, Dale Earnhardt Jr, is both an executive producer and jumps into the Will Buxton role of narrator. Pleasingly, his explanations for what’s going on are less basic than DtS but also more plausible – as well as giving the impression of having genuine insider knowledge.
However more explanation is needed at the start, where a barrage of specialist language which comes in quickly might be a bit much for some. What is the Cup series? What are late models? Or sprint cars? The viewer is largely none the wiser.
There are amusing moments – title hopeful Denny Hamlin’s mum starts digging into the ‘data’ shown via TV graphics after a slow qualifying lap, claiming he’s only at half-throttle through one of the fastest corners. Hamlin has to point out to his mum that it also shows him in first gear.
Basketball legend – and now 23XI team co-owner – Michael Jordan also makes a special bet with Hamlin’s father should one of NASCAR’s most ‘winningest’ (sorry) drivers finally take the Cup title, but these kind of moments are a bit few and far between. Just a lot of talk about wanting to win and loving cars – not particularly insightful.
For any medium-sized petrol head, the cinematic shots of forty snarling stockcar beasts roaring by – or crashing – will never not be satisfying, and behind-the-scenes shots of factory work on the stock cars back at the ‘shop’ are interesting too.
However, what is a brilliant racing championship, with so much to get your teeth into, is hoisted by its own petard due to only focusing on the Playoffs and a select number of drivers involved in it.
DtS has shown with episodes focused around the travails of Haas boss Guenther Steiner, Daniel Ricciardo agonising over changing teams or Ferrari’s general implosion, that very often it’s not winning that makes a great story. But Full Speed totally ignores this learning.