Car racing isn’t our favorite sport, so we’ve been eyeing Thunder Road with skepticism since it was announced. But as the show takes shape… we love it and are totally hooked! If you want to know why, here’s everything we know about the series.
The Cast:
Thunder Road stars Dennis Quaid. The series also features our favorite Pogue Chase Stokes, Michael Rooker, Matt Barr, Maggie Grace, West Duchovny, Shane McRae, and Devon Allman.
Update: Deadline announced that Jake Manley (My Life With The Walter Boys, Midway) rounds out the series regular cast. (8/12)
Update: Deadline reported more casting – Josh Macqueen (Motorheads), Aspen Kennedy (Queen Sugar), Haley Dillon (Blue Ridge) and Mackenzie Porter (9-1-1: Nashville). (9/19)
Who is Who
Quaid will be racing legend Duane Whitlock, “The Wrecking Ball,” and is described as “a towering figure who built a racing empire from a legacy of moonshine runs and dirt tracks and refuses to let it die. With ruthless competitors who will stop at nothing to dethrone and destroy them, the Whitlocks are a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction – and the old king is fighting to hold onto the crown.”
McRae will be a series regular as Scooter Jakes. Scooter is described as “whip-lean, weathered, and predator-calm. Scooter Jakes is a veteran of the NASCAR circuit. He’s a cornerstone of Whitlock Racing Team as crew chief to Trey in the legendary #28 car. He also is one of the only people Duane (Quaid) wants alongside him at crunch time.”
In a recurring role, Allman will play Jimmy Fuchs. And he’s “a silver-tongued Southern operator whose easy charm and ‘sportsman’s club’ credentials barely conceal the danger underneath.” Duchovny will play Cassie Whitlock, the most fearless of the Whitlock siblings. She is described as “the youngest and most aggressive of the Whitlock siblings who is convinced that she belongs on the Daytona Speedway.”
Grace was cast as Laney Whitlock, the oldest and smartest of Duane’s children, and the CEO of Whitlock Racing. Barr will play Calvin, Duane’s son, who is “an attractive and ambitious man who’s been driven out of the business of auto racing for good and doesn’t like to be reminded of it.” Chase Stokes, for his part, will play Ronnie Whitlock, “a rebel with a lead foot.” And Michael Rooker will play Lucas Farley, the patriarch of the Farley family, a rival racing dynasty.
Macqueen guest stars as Trey Whitlock, the youngest son of NASCAR legend Duane Whitlock — a driver with dazzling natural talent and a smile built for the cameras, which together have made him the most hyped young name in motorsport. But his long-awaited Cup Series debut comes with a heavy catch: he isn’t just racing to meet the world’s expectations, he’s racing to keep his family’s storied team from going under.
Kennedy recurs heavily as Bobby “Breeze” Roberts, the guy every sponsor dreams about — laid-back, effortlessly likable, and just as reliable off the track as he is behind the wheel. His steady results have made him a genuine asset to Whitlock Racing Team, but that easy exterior hides a restless ambition to stop finishing mid-pack and start collecting checkered flags.
And Dillon guest stars as Dakota Voss, who has an almost supernatural knack for turning raw data into race wins, plus the swagger to back it up. As the youngest Lead Race Engineer in NASCAR, she’s used her aerospace background to drag Farley Performance out of the history books and straight to the technological cutting edge.
Go ahead and paste it — I’ll condense it into a single paragraph.
Porter recurs heavily as Bonnie Taylor-Whitlock, an aspiring country singer who’s certain she belongs onstage — even if the only stage available is the one in her husband Calvin’s taproom. She may be a little drunk on her own spotlight, but she’s sharper than she lets on, and she’s right there helping Calvin scheme his way toward entrepreneurial success.
The Crew:
As for the team behind the scenes, Thunder Road is created and executive produced by John Fusco. Taylor Elmore is on board as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Cliff Roberts with Syndicate Entertainment and Mark L. Smith, along with NASCAR Studio’s Tim Clark and John Dahl, with Gladys Cheng as producer.
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The Plot:
According to the synopsis, Thunder Road, “follows the multi-generational saga of the fictional Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family’s ties to the southern hill country roots that shaped them.”
So we can’t wait!
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Release Date:
Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a confirmed release date for Thunder Road. But The series is set to begin production this summer and will debut on AMC and AMC+ in 2027.
