NBCUniversal has given the green flag for a new docuseries focusing on this year’s NASCAR Cup series Playoffs.
According to Deadline, the series with working title of Race for the Championship the eight-part episode series will show teams and drivers on and off the track as the Playoffs work their way to the conclusion of the season and the crowning of this year’s Cup champion. The series will air on the USA Network in 2022.
NASCAR’s Playoffs start at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 5.
The article on Deadline mentions that the program will be similar to USA’s WWE Raw franchise which had the hit docu-reality series Miz & Mrs. It follows the lives of Mike “The Miz” Mizanin and Maryse Mizanin in and out of the wrestling ring. Unscripted shows have become a key growth area for ad-supported cable networks like USA, taking over from scripted originals.
The Race for the Championship series will be produced by NASCAR Productions with NASCAR’s Tim Clark, Matt Summers and Amy Anderson serving as executive producers. NASCAR and NBCUniversal have a TV deal until 2025 and with NBC shutting down its sports network NBCSN all NASCAR programming is expected to move to the USA Network.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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