Menu
What’s happening, Daily Downforce readers and NASCAR fans? One of my favorite things to do, particularly in the offseason, is to watch NASCAR documentaries. So, I thought it would be fun to make a list of some of the very best NASCAR-dedicated documentaries out there. What do you say? Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Here are the 5 best NASCAR documentaries out there!
To start things off, let’s talk about the short-lived TV show Lost Speedways. The show premiered in July 2020 and is available exclusively for streaming on Peacock. It was hosted by NASCAR Hall of Famer and historian Dale Earnhardt Jr. The show was presented almost in an anthology-style format, with each episode about a different forgotten racetrack.
The show covers a plethora of different tracks, from high-profile fan favorites to long-forgotten obscure ones. Some of the tracks included in this show include the Daytona Beach Road Course, Texas World Speedway, Myrtle Beach Speedway, and Occoneechee Speedway. The latter is really interesting. While most of the tracks mentioned in the show are now long gone (likely turned into shopping malls or parking lots), you can still visit Occoneechee Speedway. It exists as part of the Eno River State Park, and though it’s overgrown with trees, you can still see the vague outline of the track that once stood there.
Lost Speedways ran for a total of 2 seasons and 16 episodes. It’s a great show if you’re interested in the roots of NASCAR and little fun facts about these ancient gargoyles of motorsports.
One of the best independent NASCAR documentary filmmakers out there is our friend and YouTuber S1apsh0es. S1ap has produced many fine NASCAR documentaries, but none of them reach the height of his six-part YouTube series, The Mark Martin Apologetics Tour. S1ap, being a huge Mark Martin fan, put his heart and soul into this little trip down memory lane, and it shows.
In The Mark Martin Apologetics Tour, S1ap goes through all five of Mark Martin’s runner-up details with a fine-tooth comb to see if he can decipher each year from 1990-2009 that cost Martin his chance at hoisting the Cup at the season’s finish. It’s definitely worth a watch for fans of other drivers who never got to win a Cup Series title and for those interested in the history of the sport.
You can tune into The Mark Martin Apologetics Tour by heading over to S1apsh0es’ YouTube channel. There, you can watch this great documentary and many others.
For the #3 spot on this list, it’s only appropriate that we talk about The Day. This show only consists of 2 episodes and was produced by NASCAR Race Hub and aired on the SPEED Channel. Remember that channel? Those were the days! The Day was a documentary series devoted to breaking down and reliving some of the most notorious days in NASCAR’s history. The first episode, Remembering Dale Earnhardt, has always been a favorite of mine. Obviously, that episode was about the day Dale Earnhardt tragically lost his life in the 2001 Daytona 500, but it dives a little bit deeper than that. For example, a decent chunk of the episode is dedicated to Dale Earnhardt’s chase and eventual triumph in the Daytona 500. It also briefly mentions his winless 1997 season and his late-career resurgence in 2000.
The Day is an emotional documentary series that I feel is very important in remembering one of, if not the greatest. Both episodes of The Day can be viewed on YouTube. The second episode is about the 1984 Firecracker 400, aka Richard Petty’s last win.
Another fantastic independent NASCAR documentary filmmaker is Brock Beard on YouTube. Like S1apSh0es, he also has many NASCAR and racing documentaries uploaded to his channel, and they’re all worth a watch. But the one I want to focus on today is his hour-and-a-half-long documentary titled Three Before February. TBF is a tough watch at times. The movie chronicles 3 separate deaths in NASCAR in the year 2000. All three of these deaths came from young drivers behind the wheel, and all three had the same injury that eventually stole Dale Earnhardt’s life the following February in the Daytona 500.
The film is meant to attempt to make sense of the nonsensical. There was a very real problem with the safety of racecars, and sport officials and fans started to take it for granted. In the year 2000, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Tony Roper all lost their lives behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car. However, NASCAR was very hesitant to make changes. That was until the catastrophic end to the 2001 Daytona 500.
This is a difficult and touching film. Viewer discretion is advised. But it’s also a great film, and I highly recommend it. You can watch Three Before February in its entirety, uncut, on Brock Beard’s YouTube channel.
I only heard about Blink of an Eye a year or two ago, which is a real shame. This is undoubtedly the best NASCAR-focused documentary film to ever be produced. The film was produced by none other than former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, and the story is largely told through his eyes. It chronicles Waltrip’s career, including commentary from his older brother Darrell as well as his friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. The story builds to the climax, which is the 2001 Daytona 500. It was the day Michael Waltrip claimed his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory…but also the day that we lost one of the G. O. A. T.s, Dale Earnhardt.
The movie is mostly a therapeutic piece. It’s Michael trying to work through his feelings and trauma from that day that cloaked his life for a long time after. He talks about his marriage and divorce with Buffy and how that was affected by the tragedy in February of 2001. It’s a solid story and one of, if not the, best made NASCAR documentary out there.
That does it for us on this end, loyal Daily Downforce reader. We hope you enjoyed our list! What’s your favorite NASCAR documentary? Did it make this list? If not, please shout it out by commenting on all of our socials. Who knows? It might make a Part 2 to this list. Thanks for your continued readership and support. Be sure to keep tuning back in here at DailyDownforce.com for all the latest NASCAR news and rumors.
