‘The Crew’ Netflix: Kevin James Reveals if He’d Invest in NASCAR Team

With The Crew landing on Netflix Monday, actor Kevin James is taking over the role of a NASCAR crew chief. He will try to guide the fictional Bobby Spencer Racing to the postseason while working with a new boss. He will also do so while facing questions about his future in the sport.

With new owners purchasing stakes in teams or starting their own charters, there are obvious questions about whether James would also make the leap to NASCAR. Would he follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, the founder of 23XI Racing, or Pitbull? The actor told PopCulture.com and other media members during a roundtable discussion that there is still more information he would need to learn about NASCAR before attempting a similar move. He also mentioned the financial hurdles that would potentially stand in the way.

“I would still have to learn more and more about it,” James said during the roundtable. “That’s also crazy money too, isn’t it? I would have to borrow some from Freddie [Stroma]. … That’s the greatest challenge too. It’s in all sports, with the Mets, this and that, and the Yankees having the biggest budget. Sometimes it works, and sometimes you can buy the biggest talent and it doesn’t come together.

“That’s where you need the experience of putting the right guy in at the right time, and you can do it without the money,” James continued. “You see the same thing in Formula 1, right? With Mercedes and this and that. Trying to buck that, trying to beat that with a lower budget. That all feeds into it. But owning a team? Man, I don’t know. It’d be great.”

The disparity between larger teams and smaller counterparts has been evident in recent Cup Series seasons. Teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, and Joe Gibbs Racing have consistently competed for playoff spots and the Bill France Cup. Other teams in Richard Petty Motorsports, Go Fas and Rick Ware Racing have struggled to field competitive cars.

Bubba Wallace put this gap in full display during the 2020 season and into the qualifying sessions ahead of the 2021 Daytona 500. He struggled with speed while driving the No. 43 RPM Chevrolet Camaro and failed to win a single Stage or race. Once he joined the new 23XI Racing team, he came within inches of winning the second Duels race. Wallace also had one of the fastest cars during the qualifying session.

If James ever does decide to invest in a NASCAR team, he will have to consider several factors that would impact the ability to win races. For now, he will focus on promoting The Crew, which is available on Netflix on Monday. James will also make history by leading the first-ever NASCAR sitcom.