When F1’s Drive to Survive was released on Netflix in 2019, it became a smash hit, as it increased the motorsport’s popularity globally even more. It humanized the drivers and opened doors to its new US fanbase. But NASCAR hasn’t been behind either. In recent years, NASCAR has also released a couple of docu-style series like the Race for the Championship and NASCAR: Full Speed, boosting its own growth. And now, with the announcement of the latest series ‘RISING’, premiering November 17-21, it’s ready to take things a notch higher.

Though RISING won’t be the first, it’s certainly NASCAR’s newest attempt that targets the young drivers specifically and a streaming-friendly audience. “RISING explores the ups and downs of trying to make it at the highest levels of our sport. We’re providing an inside look at the vulnerability and hunger of these young drivers to prove themselves,” said John Dahl, NASCAR SVP of Content. NASCAR’s latest champ, Jesse Love, an important part of the upcoming series, challenges Formula 1’s Drive to Survive with RISING’s authenticity, which faced criticism for staging certain scenes.

Jesse Love on RISING’s unfiltered edge

On Eric Estepp’s YouTube podcast, fresh Xfinity champion Jesse Love opened up about the cameras invading his world for recording the RISING series. “I’d say so, especially for my crew chief, Danny… we have some pretty candid honest conversations,” Love shared, recalling a tense Martinsville moment where Danny Stockman punched away a boom mic mid-talk.

This wasn’t a scripted reaction; it was a real-time and unpolished reaction from Love’s crew chief, Danny Stockman. The candid, honest conversation they had on camera was not something new for them, as they do that on the track, too. Love’s 2025 season tested that unfiltered bond with his crew chief. After Love notched his first win of the season in the first race at Daytona, it was a winless slump till the last race at Phoenix. Though he showed consistency, an empty win column demanded those blunt chats to lock in for his title run.

Love didn’t hold back on RISING’s vibe. “It’s not just like Drive to Survive where it’s cycle super sexy. There’s some parts that were like, probably too candid for TV sometimes, and also some instances that, just like we’re random, like, again, going to my hotel would be before the race, just to like get something, something new out of it,” he noted, highlighting random hotel room visits before his championship race.

Unlike Drive to Survive’s series, which faced various criticisms for including fake commentary, staging certain scenes, placing undue importance on test and practice sessions, and over-dramatizing certain events, NASCAR’s RISING, on the other hand, captures unscripted and unpolished chaos, like crew chiefs venting or showing real human sides of the drivers where they get afraid and sweat.

Love compares the two because F1’s series had a substantial rise in the U.S. post-launch, and NASCAR wants that fire for its youth. At 20, Love sees RISING challenging F1’s Drive to Survive head-on with a genuine heart over staged hype.

That’s the series’ core, as Aaron Cohen, Chief Creative Officer at Words + Pictures, put it: “We wanted to strip away the helmets and let viewers meet these young men as people first. They’re competitors, but also sons, friends, and dreamers. RISING gives a raw, unfiltered look at how much heart it takes to make it in NASCAR.”

Cohen’s vision can be seen in Love’s own life story, where a California kid racing quarter midgets at 5 became RCR‘s youngest champ since 1992. The show, premiering free on NASCAR’s YouTube, targets Gen Z viewers like Love, who grew up on social media, blending track battles with off-day vulnerabilities and showing more of the human side of the racer to build deeper fan ties.

Apart from Jesse Love, the series will also feature Rajah Caruth (Trucks Series) and Carson Hocevar (Cup Series).

Love’s candor hints at how this generation flips the script on fan loyalty, turning critics into allies one honest chat at a time.

Jesse Love bridging Gen Z grit to NASCAR’s die-hard roots

Love knows NASCAR’s heartland fans crave real talk, not filters, and he’s all in on making that bridge. “Well, I really don’t give a s— what people think. I get a big old trophy. I get a nice check… I’m not somebody that devalues what fans say,” he said after Charlotte fans labeled him an “illegitimate” champ due to playoff luck.

This bold shrug-off stemmed from his May 2024 BetMGM 300 run, where he finished strong amid boos, then hit the fan zone with rival Connor Zilisch for laughs and autographs. At 20, Love’s approach is posting witty tweets and Victory Lane banter, which mirrors Gen Z’s online edge, pulling in younger crowds while respecting old-school loyalty. His Fan Zone program, through which Jesse offers autographed Hero cards to the fans, has spiked notable fan engagement post his 2025 title.

That fan-first mindset runs deep for these drivers. “Again, we all put a lot of, like, emphasis into just I guess being connected with the fans. Again, like we’re only here because of them,” Love added, nodding to social scrolls and trackside meetups as the real fuel. RISING shows Gen Z drivers like Love taking criticism head-on, just as openly as Hocevar posting those Walmart selfies.