The media landscape has certainly changed in recent years as NASCAR has forged major partnerships focused on docuseries and dramas alike. This marks a major change from 2021 when fans really had only one show on Netflix as an option — The Crew.
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Created by Jeff Lowell (Spin City, The Ranch), The Crew follows a fictional NASCAR Cup Series team as it undergoes an ownership change. Bobby Spencer (Bruce McGill) leaves and turns ownership over to daughter Catherine Spencer (Jillian Mueller), who begins making sweeping changes behind the scenes.
The team brings in female driver Jessie De La Cruz (Paris Berelc) to compete with struggling full-timer Jake Martin (Freddie Stroma). It welcomes a non-NASCAR sponsor in Fake Steak.
Meanwhile, crew chief Kevin Gibson (Kevin James) tries to keep the crew together while pushing against the changes behind the scenes. He also has to come to terms with his feelings for coworker Beth Paige (Sarah Stiles), something that the show leaves unresolved with a cliffhanger.
Filmed prior to the 2021 release, The Crew relied on NASCAR to make this project come to life. The sitcom needed real race footage, which it filmed during actual events in the COVID-affected 2020 season.
Spire Motorsports, a backmarker team at the time, provided support by fielding the No. 74 Fake Steak Chevrolet during the doubleheader at Michigan International Speedway. Veteran Reed Sorenson drove the entry as crews captured footage for the sitcom.
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The series, which only lasted 10 episodes before an unceremonious cancellation, featured some other NASCAR figures in cameo roles.
Fox Sports' pit reporter Jamie Little conducted interviews with the fake team in multiple episodes. Drivers Austin Dillon, Cole Custer, and Ryan Blaney all had scenes in the show, providing the opportunity to make fat jokes about James's character and subtly flip him off.
"He strolled on set and he pissed me off," James joked to this writer about Blaney back in February 2021. "He was funny. I didn't want him to be that funny. I wanted him to be funny for the show, but I didn't want it to come that easy."
The Crew never received a second season, so viewers did not see how the fictional racing team adapted to the Gen 7 era. They also failed to receive answers to some lingering questions.
The James-led show still remains available to stream on Netflix.
