NASCAR’s latest television project, Thunder Road, being developed in collaboration with AMC, continues to gain momentum ahead of its anticipated summer 2027 release. The production has now added another major name to its cast. 

The film has now added Matt Barr to its star-studded cast that includes Dennis Quaid and Chase Stokes. The Hatfields & McCoys fame will play Duane Whitlock’s oldest son, Calvin Whitlock. Dune Whitlock is played by Dennis Quaid. 

The show is a nod to NASCAR’s moonshine runners roots, who basically started the series. As reported by Deadline, the fans will get a peek into what the early days of the sport looked like. 

Barr’s character is "Calvin Whitlock, an attractive and ambitious man who’s been driven out of the business of auto racing for good and doesn’t like to be reminded of it. He now owns the Victory Lane Tap Room and is your basic businessman struggling to keep from drowning in debt while making plans to expand his ever-threatened empire," as reported by Deadline.

Thunder Road is described as “a multi-generational saga of the Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family’s ties to the southern hill country roots that shaped them.” 

The behind-the-scenes crew for the show includes John Fusco as the executive producer alongside Cliff Roberts, who also produced Netflix’s Untamed, Mark L. Smith from The Revenant, and Twisters. Fusco is also teaming up with NASCAR insiders like Tim Clark and John Dahl. 

However, this is not the first time that NASCAR has set foot in the entertainment industry. 

NASCAR’s docuseries is all set to come back for a season 2

Back in 2025, NASCAR debuted a Mini TV series called 'RISING' on their YouTube channel. The docuseries gives an insight into NASCAR’s rising stars Carson Hocevar, Jesse Love, and Rajah Caruth. It mainly revolves around the campaigns of the young rising stars. 

The sanctioning body announced on June 23, 2026, that the docuseries has been renewed for a second season, which will be released later this year in August. The series will be exclusively available on Xumo Play. 

The season will also feature Carson Hocevar's maiden win at Talladega earlier in the season. 

The show will also follow this season’s rookie NASCAR Cup Series driver, Connor Zilisch, who has been hailed as 'Jeff Gordon 2.0'. It will also feature his spectacular 2025 O’Reilly season.

Last but not least, the docuseries will also showcase Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, who competes in the Truck Series with Kaulig Racing. 

The first season of the docuseries was a major hit as it got nearly 11 million views over the five episodes it released on YouTube. The series is produced by  Tim Clark and John Dahl from NASCAR Studios, along with Connor Schell, Libby Geist, Aaron Cohen and Tally Hair from Words + Pictures. It’s directed and produced by Matthew Chase from Words + Pictures. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason