In 2013, three of NASCAR’s biggest stars—Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kasey Kahne—were featured in Fox’s animated series “The Cleveland Show.”
Back then, NASCAR wasn’t just about high-octane action on the track; it was a pop culture force. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Days of Thunder,” “Logan Lucky,” and Pixar’s “Cars”—NASCAR has inspired plenty of classic films.
It also made waves on TV. Here’s how it went down.
How Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Roasted Kasey Kahne on ‘The Cleveland Show’
The episode hilariously captured the drivers’ personalities, but Kasey Kahne’s character stole the spotlight. The storyline explored the myth of “luck” in racing, contrasting it with the importance of strategy and focus.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Kahne, as the episode aired just hours after his win at the Food City 500 in Bristol. In the show, there’s a hilarious moment where his animated self joked, “Wait a minute. As Dale and Tony are gone and all the rest of the cars wrecked, I could win this race, just by driving sensibly.”
Fans loved the irony. In real life, Kahne capitalized on Brad Keselowski’s sluggish restart to seal the win.
Once viewed as NASCAR’s next superstar after Jeff Gordon, Kahne’s career was full of near-misses. He scored 18 Cup Series wins but often found himself caught in tough breaks. His best year came in 2006 with Evernham Motorsports, winning six races and finishing eighth in points.
Still, the stars never fully aligned for his talent, and Kahne is often mentioned in conversations about the sport’s “unluckiest” drivers.
NASCAR’s ties to pop culture have always run strong. The Simpsons, another Fox hit, regularly parodies the sport and even aired an episode celebrating the 2016 Daytona 500.
In 2017, “Logan Lucky” brought NASCAR back to the big screen, featuring cameos from Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano.
Earnhardt Jr., a NASCAR icon, has also made his mark in pop culture. He voiced himself as the No. 8 car in Disney/Pixar’s “Cars” and contributed to the video game Scarface: The World Is Yours.
While NASCAR’s pop culture spotlight has dimmed a bit, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year. The sport is racing into a new era with Amazon Prime’s Dale Earnhardt docuseries and Netflix’s “NASCAR: Full Speed” Season 2.