'Nascar': Full Speed' stars name the 'villain' of the Netflix show and which driver should join the cast

“NASCAR: Full Speed” is giving longtime fans and newcomers a behind-the-scenes look at the popular racing sport.

The five-episode docuseries debuted on Jan. 30, showing a few of the intense moments from the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and the championship race that crowned Ryan Blaney the winner.

Following nine drivers, the show gives an intimate look at their home lives and road to the playoff races. The show premiered ahead of the 2024 NASCAR season, which kicked off Feb. 4 with the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum.

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano tells TODAY.com that the series does a “really great job” at showcasing their sport and reaching a new audience.

“That’s really what the goal is, to really reach out to people who haven’t been exposed to NASCAR racing yet, show them what it’s like and show them some personalities that go along with that,” Logano says, adding he hopes people find a driver “they like, to give them a reason to tune in.”

The reality spotlights the drama, intensity and frustrations of the race to first place. In this tale, there's a hero (or winner) ... but there’s also a villain.

“Denny (Hamlin) has been playing that role pretty well here in the last year or so,” Kyle Larson tells TODAY.com about who he considers the “villain” of “Full Speed.” Ross Chastain is a villain to "competitors on the race track," but "the fans really enjoy him."

"Those two guys are good for the sport,” Larson adds.

Looking ahead, Logano says Netflix will “want to have the drivers that are winning” in a potential second season. “If that cast of characters is different this year, then that person could probably be expected to be in the doc next year.”

Larson, on his end, would be interested in learning more about Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, whom he calls “our most popular driver.”

“I think he’d be a good one to showcase if he could really let his guard down and really open up his life. I think everybody’s curious to know who Chase Elliott really is and what he’s really into,” Larson says, saying it would be “really cool” to get a glimpse into his life in Georgia, “meet his core group of friends and family and what grounds him because he is such a humble person.”

In the meantime, and as the 2024 NASCAR season is in full swing, meet the drivers featured in “NASCAR: Full Speed.”

Kyle Larson

Team: Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Instagram: @kylelarsonracin

2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, 31, tells TODAY.com that he “wasn’t supposed to be in (the documentary) a whole lot” originally. After he won a race that locked him into the championship race, he says "they kind of started to utilize me more."

Larson, who came in second place in the Cup Series last year, was seen towards the end of the show with his family — wife Katelyn Sweet and three children, son Owen, 9, daughter Audrey, 5, and son Cooper, 1.

After watching the docuseries, Larson says it was interesting to learn more about his fellow drivers, including his own teammate William Byron. “I knew that he was into Legos,” he says, “but I didn’t know that he had them like art pieces around this house, so I actually thought that was really cool.”

Joey Logano

Team: Team Penske Ford

Instagram: @joeylogano

Joey Logano, 33, says he gave the cameras “enough” of his home life but maintained a boundary.

“We felt pretty comfortable with what we were doing,” he says of showing wife Brittany Baca and their three children, sons, Hunter and Jameson, and daughter Emilia. “But I didn’t want someone there filming me brushing my teeth and all that. Just because I feel like there’s got to be a line somewhere.”

The driver says that the biggest misconception about NASCAR is that they “just turn left” and only just drive in circles all day long.

“The show does a good job of showing a little bit more of the training that goes into it, the preparation,” he says, “as well as the team aspect.”

He watched the final product “because I wanted to see how other people do it. I know my way of how I prepare for what I do, but I also wanted to see what other drivers do.”

Ryan Blaney

Team: Team Penske Ford

Instagram: @ryanblaney10

For Blaney, 30, having his 2023 Cup Series Championship win filmed was “really great.”

While on TODAY on Jan. 31, he told the co-anchors, “It obviously worked out great for me. I was saying, 'Netflix should’ve done this five years ago, maybe I would’ve won more championships.' It’s gonna be really great to look back on.”

Blaney added that “Full Speed” shows fans and new viewers how grueling the playoffs are and how much blood, sweat and tears go into it. “Obviously, it ends really great,” he quips.

The athlete, who was also filmed at home alongside his fiancée Gianna Tulio, says it was neat to see “what your significant other goes through” when they race.

“Gianna has been fantastic,” he says. “I think all the wives and girlfriends of drivers ... understand the risks of it, and it’s how they all really deal with it. So it was fun to go back and watch that. The support is unreal and it was neat to see their perspective as well.”

Bubba Wallace

Team: 23XI Racing

Instagram: @bubbawallace

While also on the Jan. 31 episode of TODAY, Wallace, 30, spoke about the importance of being open with their struggles on camera.

“We’re all human beings, we all have feelings. We all have bills to pay and the color of our blood is the same,” he said. “We go through real stuff, no matter what kind of spotlight you’re in.”

He said that he has “no problem telling you what my feelings are,” adding, “I usually get in trouble for that.”

Fans of the Alabama native also get to meet his wife of one year, Amanda Carter. “Amanda has been a huge rock,” he said, adding that it has been great showing her the ins and outs of his sport.

Denny Hamlin

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Instagram: @dennyhamlin

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin gives the cameras the most access. As a driver for Joe Gibbs, as well as co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside Michael Jordan, Hamlin gives viewers a look at his life on and off the track.

The 43-year-old driver has over 50 wins but has yet to be crowned a Cup Series champion. In the show, viewers see him trying to make it to the 2023 championship as a driver, while at the same time supporting the team that he owns without being biased.

Hamlin shares two daughters — Taylor, 11, and Molly, 6 — with fiancée Jordan Fish. Their family, as well as Hamlin’s parents Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin, are also featured in “Full Speed.”

Ross Chastain

Team: Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Instagram: @rosschastain

The Florida native was a watermelon farmer on his family's farm before making it big in NASCAR. "Full Speed" shows the driver's humble beginnings and continued interest in farming.

In the show, Chastain makes it a point to note that he’s not “buddy buddy” with his competitors. Instead, he focuses on the job ahead, trying to win races, as well as smashing watermelons when he wins.

Tyler Reddick

Team: 23XI Racing

Instagram: @tyler_reddick

Tyler Reddick, 28, came in sixth place in the 2023 Cup Series. The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion began his racing career as a kid and loves to show his 4-year-old son, Beau, the ropes.

“Full Speed” shines a light on Reddick as a father to his son, whom he shares with fiancée Alexa DeLeon. The couple shares that, when they were pregnant with Beau, they made a bet that if Reddick won the Xfinity Series championship in 2019, he would be able to name his son. He won, which is how Beau got his name.

William Byron

Team: Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Instagram: @williambyron

William Byron, 26, placed third in the 2023 Cup Series Championship — and has already started the 2024 NASCAR season strong. He won the 2024 Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, making him one to watch.

Byron loves spending his downtime off the racetrack building Legos. The North Carolina native was even featured in an episode of “Lego Masters.”

He credited his longtime girlfriend, Erin Blaney, who appears on the show for his love of building things with the plastic toys.

“Full Speed” also gives an inside look at Byron and Erin Blaney’s relationship. Erin Blaney is the sister of fellow racer Ryan Blaney, also featured on the show.

Christopher Bell

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Instagram: @cbellracing

Christopher Bell, 29, is the quiet and reserved driver of the bunch. The Oklahoma native made it into the final four in the Cup Series Championship, coming in fourth place last year. In his sit-down interview, Bell notes that he wasn't an original member of "Full Speed." However, his performance bumped him up to the series, proving that he was no underdog.

His journey on the show also shows him and wife Morgan Bell. The couple celebrated their 4-year wedding anniversary on Feb. 2.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com