NASCAR fans are known for their love of racing, but a new romantic comedy film will try to sway racing fans away from the track and into the movie theater.
“Clean Air,” a film which was reportedly in development starting in 2021, is set to be directed by Victoria Mahoney, who has worked on other projects such as “The Morning Show,” “Lovecraft Country” and “The Rise of Skywalker.”
NASCAR Chief Digital Officer Tom Clark will reportedly work on the project, along with others including Hollywood star Will Smith and Westbrook Studios’ Heather Washington.
According to Deadline, the film will follow a sports agent named Lyla, who will lose her biggest client — in this case, a star NASCAR driver — leaving Lyla to take a chance on 17 year-old Piper Kyte, classified in the article as a “rebellious dirt track racer.”
Lyla’s biggest challenge in preparing Piper for the bright lights of NASCAR will be her father, Matthew Kyte, who was a former NASCAR champion who walked away from the sport entirely and hasn’t been seen in four years.
“Clean Air” isn’t the first time that NASCAR has ventured into the romance genre. In the mid 2000s, 40 NASCAR-themed romance novels were released by a multitude of authors, including Liz Allison, wife of the late NASCAR driver Davey Allison.
While the romance novels were written at the height of NASCAR’s popularity, “Clean Air” will be released at a time of stagnation for the growth of the sport. Whether or not that reflects in the public’s view of the film will be interesting to see, but the reaction from the NASCAR fanbase itself will be a show in and of itself.