MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 6, 2016) – There is no account of NASCAR’s rise to prominence that would not include the Earnhardt family, and CMT’s NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed is no exception. The three-part special event, which will first air Sunday, May 8, at 9 p.m. EDT/8 p.m. CDT on Country Music Television, is brought to you by the Emmy-winning producers of The Men Who Built America and The World Wars.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., was heavily involved in the new six-hour series, serving as executive producer on the production. With the first part airing on Sunday, the second installment is set for Sunday, May 15, and the third and final segment will air on Sunday, May 22.
The special event offers archival footage, re-enactments and interviews with NASCAR’s personalities and experts, including Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, part-time JRM driver Kevin Harvick, Richard Petty, Tony Stewart and more. It takes a long look into the beginnings of the sport and its early pioneers, who brought their brand of racing from the backwoods to the national scene.
Earnhardt Jr., a huge fan of the history of the sport, is featured in the show’s promos. Being part of it was exciting for the 41-year-old star.
“The first part I watched like a kid at Christmas,” he told NASCAR.com earlier this week. “This is cool; I love what I'm seeing. I didn't know it was like this; this is awesome.”
Finding out some of the inside scoop on drivers who first made NASCAR history was something Earnhardt Jr. found interesting. It filled in gaps in his knowledge of his life’s work.
“You know about Red Byron (NASCAR's first premier series champion) and guys like that and what they've done but you've never actually had a window into what they might have been like,” he said. “So that was really, really neat.
“Watching that first episode, it's completely different from watching the other two. The other two I was there, or I remember it as a kid. You immediately go to sort of picking it apart and (asking) does it live up to the standard?”
NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. officials, including Chairman and CEO Brian France and CEO Lesa France Kennedy provide first-hand looks at their family influence on the sport, and that in turn piqued Earnhardt’s interest.
“Because I wasn't there and didn't know much about that time,” he said. “You know people's names and you match that name with an accomplishment. But you never really knew their personalities much. I believe in this kind of film you're able to see maybe what this guy's attitude or personality was like. You see when Big Bill is trying to form NASCAR, some of the drivers are kind of grinding against the gears and pushing back a little bit.
“We really don't know a lot about that and there aren't a lot of stories telling that part of it, that side of it. So that was real interesting.”
Tune into CMT on Sunday, May 8, at 9 p.m. EDT/8 p.m. CDT and hear the rest of what Earnhardt Jr. and others have to say about the rise of NASCAR.