NASCAR Might Have Found Its 'Formula 1: Drive To Survive' Challenger

Since the rapid rise of Formula 1 racing in America thanks to the success of Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, motorsport series around the world have been trying to replicate the format to draw more eyes to their own competition. So far, most of those knock-offs have been pretty lackluster — but NASCAR just announced a new series that actually looks good.

Called Race for the Championship, this 10-part docuseries will air on the USA Network and intends to highlight the Playoffs, or the elimination-style NASCAR championship format that sees a certain number of drivers compete for the overall championship based on an accumulation of race wins and points, both throughout the so-called "regular season" and during the Playoffs themselves.

Now, I'm normally pretty skeptical of these DTS-style shows, but after watching the Race for the Championship trailer, I'm going to allow myself a little hesitant excitement:

Yes, it definitely looks like it took its cues from DTS, but I'll forgive them, since the production quality is high, and it looks to be embracing all the NASCAR-specific drama.

According to NASCAR, the series will focus largely on the Playoffs while also weaving in the story of the season, starting with the very first exhibition race at the Los Angeles Coliseum. You'll get DTS-style storylines about how to weave a professional career with a personal life, and you'll take a peek at drivers like Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and the Bush brothers.

This NASCAR season has had some real gems already, in large part thanks to the introduction of the Next-Gen car, so it'll be fascinating to see how it plays out in a docuseries format.

If you're interested, mark your calendars, because the first episode will debut on will premiere on the USA Network on Thursday, September 1, 2022 at 10 p.m. ET.