NASCAR Racers

Did You Know?

• A video game called NASCAR Racers was published in 2000 for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color by Hasbro; a PlayStation version was cancelled.
• NASCAR Racers books were authored by Gene Hult under the name J. E. Bright and published by HarperEntertainment.

Premise

Unlike real NASCAR tracks, which are mainly ovals, the series features courses such as road courses, off-road, mountain, and the Motorsphere—a track that leads into a sphere with racing on its inner surface. The NASCAR Unlimited Division uses advanced technologies: each car has an inner Rescue Racer that ejects during crashes. Season 2 introduced XPT racers using atomic fuel with forced-combustion systems, while Nitro Racers have high-flux fusion units. XPT racers were sleeker than the boxy Nitro Racers, a design change similar to the NASCAR Cup Series' Car of Tomorrow.

Characters

Mark 'Charger' McCutchen (Ian James Corlett) drives car #204 and has 4 wins. He is the grandson of Mack McCutchen and son of Mack McCutchen Jr., both former NASCAR stars, and wants to live up to his family's legacy. He wins the championship for Team Fastex in Season 1 after a race against Kent Steel, and has a crush on Megan Fassler. Megan 'Spitfire' Fassler (Kathleen Barr) drives car #101 and has 3 wins. She is the adoptive daughter of Team Fastex owner Jack Fassler and the only female team member. Her father initially objects to her racing but changes his mind. In season 2, Garner Rexton hires a woman to pose as her real mother; Megan later forms the Spitfire Racers with Eve 'Wild Card' Kilder, 'Chrome', and Zorina before rejoining Fastex. Carlos 'Stunts' Rey (Rino Romano) drives car #404 and has 4 wins. A former champion motorcycle racer, he joins NASCAR to fund his ill father's medical treatments, takes on side projects, and remains loyal to Team Fastex despite losing savings to a con man. Steve 'Flyer' Sharp (Roger R. Cross) drives car #808 and has 2 wins. A former U.S. Air Force pilot, he retired after exposure to a nerve agent that causes sudden attacks of nervousness; he joins NASCAR to prove he can handle pressure.

Production

Twenty-six half-hour episodes were produced by Saban Entertainment with voice work from Vancouver-based Ocean Productions, which had worked on Spider-Man Unlimited and Dragon Ball Z. The theme song was composed and performed by Jeremy Sweet. The series aimed to introduce NASCAR to a younger audience while acknowledging NASCAR history for older fans, with the main character resembling famous drivers and real driver names mentioned in the premiere. Brothers Mark and Michael Edens co-wrote the series; Mark wrote episode outlines and Michael edited them into scripts. Hasbro was a production partner, but unlike typical Saturday morning cartoons, the main characters were allowed to lose occasionally due to the lower stakes of racing. The futuristic setting was chosen to differentiate the show from actual NASCAR races.

Release

NASCAR Racers premiered as a three-part TV movie on November 11, 1999, before its regular run in 2000. The series ended in 2001, with reruns airing on Disney's Jetix after Disney acquired the Saban Entertainment library. Fox Kids and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released two VHS volumes in 2000, each with three episodes. The only major English-language DVD release is by Czech distributor North Video, which released all 26 episodes on eight volumes from March 9 to June 1, 2010, featuring both Czech and English audio.