If you have been following NASCAR closely, then you must be aware that the buzz entering the sport is the current YouTube documentary series RISING. NASCAR has been working just as hard to showcase the role personalities of young drivers behind the helmets. That mission is what sparked RISING.

The series rolls out nightly from November 17 to 21, spotlighting young stars like Carson Hocevar along with fellow young standouts Jesse Love and Rajah Caruth. And that is definitely the talk of the town, as the fans are embracing the new series with loads of love.

NASCAR’s newest docu-series flooded with positive response

Carson Hocevar, Jesse Love, and Rajah Caruth together make an electrifying trio of young talent, each bringing something unique but all sharing that hunger, speed, and potential that signal that they are future stars, and the docuseries centers them. As the featured Cup Series Driver, Hocevar naturally becomes the series’ main character, a role that fits him almost too perfectly.

He’s never been afraid of the spotlight, and he’s never hidden the messy, human parts of his life from fans. His evenings are spent live-streaming on Twitch, and his winters are spent on dirt and short tracks, when anyone can walk up and talk to him. So when the camera crew followed him all year, the intrusion didn’t feel like an intrusion at all; it felt like more honesty and more reality.

Hocevar says that authenticity was essential. He noted in this week’s teleconference, “I think it’s healthy for a show to have the good, bad and the ugly, right. For me, I’m comfortable being vulnerable on a camera just because I think that’s healthy…The world can see through that pretty easily and feel like something is faked or whatever. I want to watch ‘authentic’ and ‘real’ and there’s a reason drama or clickbait sells. I think shows need that. ”

Hocevar is a fierce and aggressive racer who has come agonizingly close to his 1st cup win, most notably finishing P2 at Atlanta this year after a gutsy late run and nearly winning at Nashville, showing he is more than capable of contending at the top. It is the rawness that separates real documentary storytelling from scripted reality TV.

And that type of approach is exactly what NASCAR’s senior vice president of content, John Dahl, formerly of ESPN’s iconic 30 for 30 franchise, has brought to the sport. He said, “What we’re looking (to spotlight) is characters and people, drivers in this case, who are willing to open up and not just present a polished PR look at their lives, and are willing to be vulnerable… We show them as human beings, and as we expand our audience for NASCAR, we look to do storytelling that is authentic and relatable, and that’s what we got here with RISING. ”

Jesse Love, on the other hand, is the consummate rising star. Having won the 2025 Xfinity Series Championship, he closed out the season in style at Phoenix, making a decisive pass with 24 laps to go. This makes him “the” driver to be watching.

Jesse Love didn’t shy away from echoing that sentiment. The document series goes deeper than the typical race weekend coverage fans are used to. Cameras weren’t just hovering in the background; they were inches away during tense conversations, emotional debrief and private moments that teams usually guard closely.

Love said, “We were having this one tough conversation at Martinsville, and he was like, ‘What is this camera like?’ And it had the boom mic over it over his head. He was like, ‘What the hell is this?’ And I smacked him. He’s like, ‘Get that out of here.’ So, it’s definitely taken some getting used to for me, my crew chief, and my whole team.” Moreover, the 20-year-old emphasized how the series spotlights the Gen Z racers.

Rajah Caruth brings both heart and history to the mix; a former esports racer who taught himself to drive on a simulator, he broke through in the truck series with a landmark win at Las Vegas, becoming only the third Black driver to win at a NASCAR national level. And more importantly, it gives insights into all three young aces. And it is safe to say that the fans will look forward to the upcoming episodes.

NASCAR fans rally behind RISING docuseries

NASCAR fans cannot get enough of the series. Taking to Reddit, the fans didn’t hold back. There’s something deeply compelling about the document because, as one viewer put it, “It’s nice to get to know them a bit more and see their personalities a little, it’s hard to get much from the broadcasts anymore.” That sentiment really captures why RISING resonates. Rather than steroid race recaps, it gives the fans unfiltered access to the three drivers.

You see them not just as drivers but as young men with dreams, doubts, and daily lives, and that human element makes them far more relatable than the typical broadcast sound bite. Another kept it real, saying, “I think if you either like em or dislike em more than the docs have done their thing. It needs to show the personality of the drivers cuz the broadcast is s**t and NASCAR ain’t wantin’ to put em in other stuff. Hope they can do something similar with other drivers, mainly cup drivers.”

Another comment highlights just how the viewers’ respect for Jesse Love has grown, saying, “I have way more respect for Jesse Love than I did before. I cannot imagine moving across the country at 15 years old without my family. That takes a whole new level of commitment.” Indeed, the 20-year-old journey is one of sacrifice and maturity, moving from California to the heart of NASCAR territory as a teenager and dedicating himself wholly to his racecraft. Learning about the personal cost behind a championship run adds weight to every lap he drives.

Finally, one viewer reflects on how the series makes all three drivers feel likable. He says, “I’m impressed with the series and the stories of all 3 drivers. Was already starting to become a fan of Love, but the series has for sure increased that. Had no idea his nickname was Hammer either. Was cool when his dad was watching him win at Daytona.”

Another couldn’t help but broadcast how much of the series they finished watching, saying, ” I already knew a bit about Rajah and live about an hour from Jesse’s hometown so I certainly didn’t dislike them, but gosh, I really think this series does a great job of making them all likeable. I see a small part of myself clearly in all three, and it genuinely makes me want to follow their careers more closely in the future (although I’ve only watched through Ep2 so far and I heard Ep3 is souring some people on Carson more so idk)”

For Carson, the hunger for his 1st cup victory, for Love, the continuation of a champion’s upward trajectory, and for Rajah, the fulfillment of a trailblazing story. Together, they embody a new generation, and through the series, fans are discovering not just their talent but also their hearts.