Watching the high-speed, action-packed races, every lap leaves us on the brink of our seats. But what about having a pack of some post-race fun moments? Back in the day, NASCAR not only was big on television but also renowned for its links to popular culture. We had the Dukes of the Hazard a comedy show that aired on CBS, and on the silver screen with Tom Cruise starter, Days of Thunder. Cole Trickle, the Mello Yellow 51, and the Chevrolet number are still fresh in the memories of NASCAR fans.
Not to forget, there’s Talladega Nights, and while the movie captured the essence of stock car racing, it has to be the most hilarious piece of NASCAR entertainment material. So you see there’s a ton of reference that we can dig up from the past and remember the good old glory days of NASCAR. And that is what a social media page named nascarman did by sharing a throwback to one of the most hilarious TV shows ever produced. The Cleveland Show produced by FOX has to be one of the most comical shows ever produced, but one of their 88 episodes holds a special place in the hearts of NASCAR fans which aired on March 17, 2013.
Starring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, the show depicted the personalities of the driver with humor. But the best bit about this episode was Kasey Kahne’s character and how well it presented the struggles that were a part of his racing career.
The Cleveland Show casually showcases the “luck” of Kanhey
The animated sitcom by Fox, The Cleveland Show, is a trailblazer that transforms jaw-dropping scenes on the track into hilarious content on TV. Onlookers will view the entire racing event from a different perspective from it. Recently an X video brought back some nostalgia to the NASCAR fans!
Does ‘luck’ have a role in winning the track? Well, may or may not! But our favorite drivers have proven that strategy and focus matter. However, Fox’s The Cleveland Show had a take on it back in 2013. Just hours after the Food City 500 at Bristol, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, and Tony Stewart were ‘on air’ as Kanhe won the track.
“Wait a minute. As Dale and Tony gone and all the rest of the cars wrecked, I could win this race, just by driving sensibly.” But as Kahne tried to get back going at Richmond, all four wheels on his No. 5 car just gave up on him. Fortunately, luck favored him during the actual race at Bristol Motor Speedway where he was able to make the most of Brad Keselowski’s slow restart late in the race. And the irony is that this particular show aired on CBS just after Kahne’s win at Bristol.
March 17, 2013: Dale Jr, Tony Stewart, and Kasey Kahne appeared in an episode of The Cleveland Show
The episode aired hours after Kahne won at Bristol pic.twitter.com/Nea8prVrPW
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) March 17, 2025
Kasey Kahne was touted as the next big superstar driver in NASCAR after Jeff Gordon. But throughout 529 Cup Series races, he just couldn’t live up to his billing, switching one team after another. With 18 wins, the best championship run for Kahne came in 2012 when he made the switch to Hendrick Motorsports. But, his ardent supporters believe that at the time HMS was on decline and he joined them at the worst possible time. Some feel like Kahne’s best came at Evernham Motorsports in 2006 when he snagged six races and finished 8th in the points standings.
Although we often speak about the likes of Mark Martin, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin being eluded of their championship glory, perhaps Kahne makes the best case for one of the unlucky drivers. Not because he didn’t have the talent, but simply because he just couldn’t get the right opportunity to express himself.
NASCAR racers and Pop media
Simpsons is another sitcom show, that time and again has curated content that references NASCAR racing. FOX and NASCAR notably collaborated with the Simpsons family and used them to promote the 2016 Daytona 500 race. “The Simpsons are headed to Daytona was the tagline of the promotional video, you can still watch the video on FOX’s YouTube channel. This was just another event where popular culture met NASCAR.
We also had Kyle Larson, who made a cameo appearance as a limo driver in the 2017 film “Logan Lucky.” It’s Steven Soderbergh’s humour-oriented film. Along with Larson, six other NASCAR drivers share the screen with their unique characters. Kyle Busch acted as West Virginia state trooper. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano work as security personnel, Kyle Larson is a limousine chauffeur, and Ryan Blaney serves as a delivery person in the movie. LeAnn Rimes and Jesco White also make brief appearances.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. who is seen as the poster child for NASCAR in the modern era had his fair share of pop culture appearances. While there are a ton of those that can be mentioned, his voice featured in the video game Scarface: The World is Yours has to be one of the top picks. He even voiced himself in the Disney/Pixar’s Cars movie as the No. 8 car. Not to forget, he still holds the pulse of the NASCAR fans with his own production company and podcast, the Dale Jr. Download.
While the pop culture references have taken a back seat in recent years, the 2025 year looks promising. The fans are going to be treated with a new docu-series on Dale Earnhardt by Amazon Prime, and then there is the NASCAR Full Speed season 2 by Netflix.
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