Steve Park, driver of the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, sits in the garage during the Aaron’s 499 race. … [+]
The hit Emmy Award-winning NASCAR series “Beyond the Wheel” returns to Fox Sports 1 starting Wednesday nights.
The series is known for offering a behind-the-scenes look at historic NASCAR moments, and three documentaries are set to premiere as Fox’s portion of the NASCAR schedule nears the end.
Among the documentaries produced by Nascar Studios and Fox Sports are films about Steve Park, Hendrick Motorsports and die-cast cars. “One Team, One Dream: 40 Years of Hendrick Motorsports” airs tonight, followed by “Die-Cast Mania” on June 5 and “Steve Park: Destined” on June 6. Each documentary will air at 6 pm ET on FS1’s “Nascar Race Hub.”
The documentary about Hendrick Motorsports marks the 40th anniversary of the organization, which debuted in 1984 with Geoff Bodine as its first driver. Since then, the team has won 307 Cup Series races. Bodine recently released an autobiography, co-written with author Dominic Aragon, highlighting his career accomplishments.
“While the wins and championships are well known, the film digs deeper to understand how Rick Hendrick’s leadership and the dedication of his team members have built an unparalleled culture of excellence and perseverance,” NASCAR’s press release stated. “Structured around the team’s 40th anniversary at the race at Martinsville Speedway in April 2024, the film focuses on Hendrick’s leadership philosophy of empowering talented people to be their best.”
The story of diecasting will focus on the world of collectors that blossomed in NASCAR, thanks in large part to the investments of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Rusty Wallace. The two met Fred Wagenhals in the early 1990s, who persuaded them to start turning toy cars into actual collector items. Today, Lionel Racing is the main producer of diecasts in NASCAR, and the documentary will focus on how the diecasts are made.
The documentary about Park will explore his journey from being a Modified racer out of New York to being handpicked by Earnhardt himself to drive a Cup Series car. Park won two races with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and also competed in the Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing. Park became infamous for a number of horrific accidents during his career that sidelined him with injuries and concussions.