Denny Hamlin Addresses NASCAR’s Casual Fans Influx After Netflix Docuseries

There’s no denying that NASCAR made a great step forward towards international recognition with the Netflix docuseries Full Speed. It’s been a little over a month since the show premiered and the effects it has had in attracting the younger target audience has been tremendous. The star of the show Denny Hamlin has acknowledged the same ahead of his race at Las Vegas.

He said in response to a question from the press about the impact, “I mean certainly on social media. You see that, right? You’re seeing a lot of different casual fans. You would think casual fans. People commenting on NASCAR that you hadn’t seen in the past.’

“So certainly it looks like the engagements are up quite a bit.”

Within just 48 hours of its release, Full Speed cracked the top five list on Netflix in the US and Canada. Soon after it also made it into the trending titles in countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, and Portugal. A month later, the numbers that it has generated represent a massive overhaul.

Hamlin’s part in the show’s success was crucial considering that it was he who addressed the worries of his fellow drivers and convinced them to be a part of it. According to 23XI Racing star Tyler Reddick, he’d posed a sensible question that altered outlooks about Netflix’s authoritative editing rights.

It went, “They are doing these theories, right? They are going to do it with or without your involvement. Why not be part of the story?”

Social Media survey shows the positive results of NASCAR Full Speed

Talking about the aftermath of the show, reigning champion Ryan Blaney noted the influx of new fans for NASCAR. He told the media, “I met a lot of people in LA who were like this is our first race because we watched the documentary and we were intrigued and we wanted to check it out. And that’s what you hope to do.”

In alignment with his experience, a recent survey carried out by Kickin The Tires showcases an increase in social media followers for NASCAR and many drivers over the last month. On Instagram, the promotion has seen its follower count increase by 258,030. On X, the increase has been 17,844, and on Facebook, it has been 40,872.

Among drivers, Denny Hamlin has seen one of the largest increases seeing 20,940 more followers on Instagram. His count on X and Facebook has increased by 3,397 and 715, respectively. Ryan Blaney has also made considerable gains with 12,090 more followers on Instagram.