NASCAR Finally Gets Its Epic Family Drama — And Dennis Quaid Is Leading It
on May 01, 2026
A New Series Titled ‘Thunder Road’ Will Follow A Racing Family Dynasty
Dennis Quaid has been acting for decades, starring as President Ronald Reagan, in Reagan (2024); a secret service agent in Vantage Point (2008); and as astronaut Gordon Cooper, in The Right Stuff (1983).
He’s also played a father a few times, with The Parent Trap (1998) seeing him at his most charming.
Now, Dennis Quaid will be taking the lead in a new series devoted to stock car racing.
Titled Thunder Road, this series was greenlit by AMC for production this summer, and is expected to premiere in 2027.
Produced in association with NASCAR, Thunder Road happens to be the first long-form drama series to team up with the racing company.
Deadline, which noted that Thunder Road was announced during AMC Global Media’s Upfront showcase, writes:
“‘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.”
In the series, Quaid will star as fictional racing legend Duane Whitlock, know by the monicker “The Wrecking Ball.”
Described as a “towering figure who built a racing empire from a legacy of moonshine runs and dirt tracks,” the series will follow Whitlock as he refuses to let that legacy fade away, Deadline writes.
Expounding on the series’ premise, Deadline says the show will feature “ruthless competitors who will stop at nothing to dethrone and destroy” the Whitlocks.
More broadly, AMC has pitched the upcoming series as being “about family dynamics, fierce rivalries, and a dynasty on the edge of extinction.”
Dan McDermott, chief content officer of AMC Global Media and president of AMC Studios, said, “We are thrilled to team up with NASCAR, a world-class partner that continues to engage and entertain their deeply loyal fans for nearly 80 years. And in the ultimate dream casting, we’re fortunate to have the legendary Dennis Quaid lead this captivating series.”
McDermott added, “This show will be a nonstop thrill ride for viewers.”
See AMC’s announcement for Thunder Road, here:
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Watch Dennis Quaid Drive A NASCAR Car And Discuss Racing
Back in 2024, Dennis Quaid took a spin around a track driving the NASCAR Racing Experience.
He then followed that up with a brief press conference while promoting the film Reagan.
There, Quaid detailed his affinity for racing, saying, “I just love to drive, always have. I grew up at a time where, like, A.J. Foyt, who is another Texan, too; and, you know, Mario Andretti, back in those days — those guys. I loved it when … A.J. Foyt would get really pissed and just get out of the car on the track and throw his helmet at somebody going by.”
Quaid went on to also speak on his love for Richard Petty, saying, “Richard Petty, too, who probably did more for NASCAR than anybody, including, I guess, inventing it, in a way.”
He went on to reveal he almost played Petty in a film that was to be produced by Disney in 2003 about the famed driver.
Watch Dennis Quaid behind the wheel, here:
Watch Dennis Quaid speak on his love for racing, as well as the time he almost played Richard Petty in a movie, here:
