NASCAR Racers

NASCAR Racers

The opening title screen for NASCAR Racers
Genre Animated Series
Action
Created by NASCAR
Developed by News Corporation
The Walt Disney Company
Directed by Dennis Woodyard
Voices of Ian James Corlett
Rino Romano
Kathleen Barr
Roger R. Cross
Andrew Francis
Paul Dobson
Dale Wilson
Ron Halder
Scott McNeil
Kirby Morrow
Composer(s) Jeremy Sweet
Country of origin USA
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Eric S. Rollman
Producer(s) Saban Entertainment
Running time approx. 20 min.
Production company(s) Saban Entertainment
Distributor 20th Television (1999–2001)
Buena Vista Television (2005–2007)
Disney–ABC Domestic Television (2007–2008)
Broadcast
Original channel Fox (1999–2001)
Toon Disney/Jetix (2005–2008)
Original run November 20, 1999 – March 24, 2001

NASCAR Racers is an animated television series about two rival NASCAR racing teams, Team Fastex and Team Rexcor, competing against each other in the futuristic NASCAR Unlimited Division.

26 half-hour episodes were produced by Saban, and shown on the Fox network between 1999–2001.

Several NASCAR Racers books, one Game Boy, and one PC video game were adapted from the show. NASCAR Racers books were authored by Gene Hult under the name J. E. Bright, and published by HarperEntertainment. The show was produced before Fox showed NASCAR races, and the show's broadcast history only overlapped with the network's coverage of the real series for one month.

NASCAR races

While real life NASCAR tracks are mainly ovals, NASCAR Racers is anything but. The racers compete on a wide variety of courses, including road course, off-road, mountain, and Motorsphere. The Motorsphere track starts with a typical race track leading into a sphere, then tracks are wrapped around the inner surface of the sphere, which look like the AcceleDrome track from AcceleRacers.

NASCAR technology

The NASCAR Unlimited Division features cutting edge, over the top technologies (from the show's point of view). To protect drivers from crashes, each race car has an inner Rescue Racer that ejects from the outer body if an accident happens. XPT racers, introduced in season 2, are the new race cars for Team Fastex. XPT racers use atomic fuel run by forced-combustion systems. Nitro Racers contain high-flux fusion units that can get maximum power out of atomic fuel.

The change in body design from the XPT racers to the Nitro Racers was similar to the Sprint Cup transition to the "car of tomorrow". XPT racers were sleeker than the boxy Nitro Racers.

The characters often race on simulators to hone their skills before actual races; this is also done by real NASCAR drivers. (Often using off-the-shelf games)

Cast and characters

Team Fastex

Mark "Charger" McCutchen (Ian James Corlett)
Mark is the son of Mack McCutchen, Jr., and an excellent driver. Mark wanted to follow his father in his racing career and so he won the cup in season 1 for Team Fastex. He's Lyle Owens's main rival even before the Unlimited NASCAR started and the team's number one driver chosen by the computer to race against Kent "Demolisher" Steele. He has a crush on Megan Fassler. In season 2, Rexton hired old racer Farrel Longstreet to make Mark feel guilty about the accident that took place when his engine started to explode.
Megan "Spitfire" Fassler (Kathleen Barr)
Megan is the daughter of Jack Fassler, manager of Team Fastex, and the only female member of the team. First, her father disapproves about letting Megan race in the Unlimited Series for the team but changes his mind during the series while observing Megan driving the new hi-tech experimental cars. In season 2, Garner Rexton hires a woman to confuse Megan about her past telling her that she is her true mother. After that, she is starting to make a team with Eve "Wild Card" Kilder and with "Chrome", later Zorina being a part of the team. In the end, she finds out about her true past and re-joins Fastex.
Carlos "Stunts" Rey (Rino Romano)
Carlos tries every time to win the money from NASCAR Unlimited races for his ill father. His money was stolen by a guy called Dwindling, hired by Garner Rexton. After what happened Carlos was persuaded by Rexton to win the last race of the season by betraying Fastex, but in the end he chooses his side along his team and helps Flyer win the championship. Carlos won the first race in season 2, but due to an investor running off with the sponsorship money, he did not win any cash.
Steve "Flyer" Sharp (Roger R. Cross)
Steve joined the U.S. Air Force years ago, but retired when a barrel exploded in his face during a mission but survived with serious brain damage. Many years after that, that explosion started to haunt him and made him vulnerable in a real race. He won the championship in season 2.
Jack Fassler (Paul Dobson)
Owner of Team Fastex and adoptive father of Megan Fassler. When he chose the team for the championship in the first season, Jack disapproved only two things: letting Lyle Owens become a member of Team Fastex and letting Megan racing for the team. Later he changed his mind about letting Megan become a member of the team as he needed a four-man team like any other team of the championship. In the episode "Hostage", Jack is kidnapped by some gang members (the gang which Junker made part of) from Garner Rexton's orders. He was then saved and also convinced Megan about her past telling the truth as she re-joined Fastex.
Douglas "Duck" Dunaka (Dale Wilson)
He is the crew chief of the team though he competed for Team Fastex as "Rubber Ducky" only in episode "Duck Unlimited" of season 2.
Lugnut
Team Fastex mechanic, hired by the team at the start of the second season.

Team Rexcor

Lyle "The Collector" Owens (Philip Maurice Hayes)
"The Collector" is Rexcor's nr. 1 driver followed by Zorina and Tanker (Tanker joined team Rexcor in season 2). He is ruthless, cruel, and very arrogant with everyone, and is considered a threat by every NASCAR team. With his deadly driving skills, he "collects" almost every driver from other teams by taking a part of the car as a trophy. Lyle is "Charger" McCutchen's number one rival even when they were both in team Fastex (before joining Rexcor). He was later fired at the end of season 1 when Kent Steele was created and hired. Lyle's life dramatically changed in season 2 when he suffered great mutations making him stronger than any human being.
Hondo "Specter" Hines
"Specter" is one of the spookiest drivers in NASCAR. He can be quite sneaky and tries to cheat every time while his team is around. He is also very naive and makes a good team with Zorina at cheating and destroying other cars.
Zorina
She is a punk rock-like driver, very ignorant and aggressive. She uses her driving skills to destroy every car around her making team with "Specter" Hines at cheating and destroying. In season 2, Garner Rexton decided to hire Tanker in the team which meant someone had to go. Unfortunately for her, Zorina was the one and made a decision by joining the Spitfire Racers, a team led by Megan Fassler.
Diesel "Junker" Spitz
Years ago, Diesel was a gang member at the Grand Prix, trying to sabotage enemy cars. He was still a driver then and used his stealth experience in many ways. After what happened, Diesel was found by Garner Rexton and quickly became a member of Team Rexcor. He is clumsy and very slow, but still he is a noticeable member of the team, by trashing other cars.
Garner Rexton (Ron Halder)
Owner of Team Rexcor and "master puppeter" of anything suspicious in the NASCAR championship. He is a very ignorant and greedy man, using his manipulation skills to control the others around him although he was disqualified and arrested after the last race, after Carlos "Stunts" Rey told the officials everything he did.
Spex (Richard Newman)
Team Rexcor crew chief and Garner Rexton's right-hand man. Spex is a cyborg using his special body tools to repair any damage to other cars.
Kent "Demolisher" Steel
Kent is an android designed for the destruction of Team Fastex. He first appears at the end of the first season, as a very powerful and destructive driver (with the same qualities as Collector). He later appears in episodes "Chain Reaction" as he tries to sabotage the fuel for Team Fastex and the other teams, and "Rumble" as one of the drivers used for racing for the prize money.

Other characters

"Redline" O'Rourke
This unknown driver is still a mystery to many managers in the NASCAR championship. Using his extraordinary driving experience, "Redline" can get past every car he wants to, making him a strong adversary and the number-two rival to "Charger" McCutchen. He has a crush on Megan Fassler.
Phil "Octane" Knox
This challenging driver is very well known because of his car speed and power, but what the other drivers and people don't know of him is that he works for Rexcor as pretending to be Steve "Flyer's" friend by poisoning his mind with the same liquid that exploded in his face years ago when he was in the aviation forces. Steve once saved Octane while he was falling from the Motorsphere, but in the end he poisoned his mind by mistake in the last race, even before it started.
Tanker
His true name is still unknown although years ago he was in the army and a very good driver and pilot (like Flyer). As Steve "Flyer's" car is modeled like a battle-jetplane, Tanker uses his tank modeled-like car to destroy all the other cars in his way. That is also the reason why Tanker has been chosen for Team Rexcor in season 2. Tanker is Flyer's #1 rival.
Grim Repo
This is the spookiest and most unknown racers of all (so unknown that not even his face is shown). He first appears at the beginning of season 2 together with the other 4 racers (Redline, Tanker, Chrome and Octane). He was once a member of Team Rexcor in episode "Rumble" at the middle of the second season.
Chrome
She is the only female member of the new drivers from season 2. She can be very intimidating although she has never been chosen for Team Rexcor. In season 2 she is a member of Spitfire Racers.
Eve "Wild Card" Kildere
She was a stuntmaker like Carlos "Stunts" Rey, but later she accepted Megan's offer by joining Spitfire Racers. She was arrested for trying to kill Team Fastex with some fireworks during a stunt. She was then hired by Rexcor, but in the end she competed for Megan Fassler's team. She is in love with Carlos "Stunts" Rey.
Libby Fassler
Wife of Jack Fassler and adoptive mother of Megan Fassler. She was once kidnapped by some bounty hunters secretly hired by Garner Rexton, when he sent his team to investigate trying to save Libby so he can win her by his side, but then Fastex did the same thing by saving her as the bounty hunters have escaped.
Miles McCutchen
Younger brother of Mark McCutchen who aspires to race like his older sibling.
Farrell Longstreet
A former racing colleague of Mark McCutchen's father who comes out of retirement to race in the Unlimited Series in season 2.
Mike Hauger
A television presenter for Sports Network Interglobal Television (SNIT), alongside Pat Anther, who covers and commentates the NASCAR Unlimited Series races.
Pat Anther
A television presenter for Sports Network Interglobal Television (SNIT), alongside Mike Hauger, who covers and commentates the NASCAR Unlimited Series races.

Notes

Episodes

Video game

A video game was published in 2001 for PC and Game Boy Color by Electronic Arts and developed by Hon2 Games Inc. A PlayStation version was planned but cancelled before release.

External links