Emmy Award-Winning ‘Beyond the Wheel’ Short Film Series Returns for Fifth Season

By admin June 24, 2019 NASCAR Cup Series

Critically Acclaimed Short-Form Documentaries from FOX Sports FILMS, NASCAR Productions Premiere on ‘NASCAR Race Hub’

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 24, 2019) – Beginning Tuesday on “NASCAR Race Hub”, “Beyond the Wheel,” the three-time Sports Emmy Award-winning, short-form documentary series from FOX Sports and NASCAR Productions, will return for a fifth season.

The three-part short-film series, recognized the past consecutive three years for Outstanding Post-Produced Audio/Sound at the Sports Emmy Awards, takes viewers inside the sport’s most compelling stories and pivotal moments through the eyes of influential NASCAR legends and characters – both past and present.

The first short film, titled “The Winner – A Neil Bonnett Story,” premieres Tuesday, June 25, during “NASCAR Race Hub” on FS1 at 6 p.m. ET.

The following documentaries comprise the fifth season of “Beyond the Wheel:”

  • “The Winner – A Neil Bonnett Story” – He was a race car driver. A broadcaster. A father and a husband. But, above all, Neil Bonnett was a winner. Twenty-five years after his tragic death, “The Winner” explores Bonnett’s life, shaped by racing’s triumphs and tragedies, and the passion it takes to be great. When an injury sidelined his racing career, he found a new lane as a broadcaster and as the host of “Winners,” Bonnett revealed the deep bonds that form within the racing fraternity. But the will to compete never left him, and after a three-year absence, Bonnett made a comeback, a decision that ultimately led to his death. Using behind the scenes footage from his TV career, “The Winner” tells Bonnett’s life and legacy in his own words.
  • “This Racing Life” – A film that profiles two young racers and their families in the unique world of grassroots racing in America. By following the lives of these two families, the film explores how racing binds communities together and what drives the quest of young racers to make it into NASCAR. “This Racing Life” is a story about the tenacity of youth, overcoming individual obstacles, giving back and pursuit of a dream.
  • “NASCAR Goes Country” – In 1975, a group of NASCAR’s top drivers set out to do the impossible: cut a hit country music album. This film highlights a brief yet magical period in NASCAR’s history when six of the sport’s biggest personalities came together at the world-famous Bradley’s Barn near Nashville, Tennessee and the eclectic characters behind the music. Interviews with the drivers who made the album – Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, and Bobby Allison – drive the story, while stylized reenactments and archival footage provide visceral backup to their tales. 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Bradley and musicians who played on the album are also featured in the film.

“This Racing Life” premieres on Wednesday, July 10, followed by “NASCAR Goes Country” on Wednesday, July 17. Both will air at 6 p.m. ET on FS1’s “NASCAR Race Hub,” simultaneously live streaming on the FOX Sports App.

“Feeling Speed,” an installment in the 2018 Beyond the Wheel series, was the short-film series’ most recent Sports Emmy Awards win for Outstanding Post-Produced Audio/Sound. The documentary followed 40 members of the Deaf NASCAR Fans (DNF) group during the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, exploring the science of sound and how the event is perceived through the other four senses.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

Sources: Sammy Eanes, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications