Dennis Quaid lands lead role in AMC NASCAR series ‘Thunder Road’

Dennis Quaid has landed the lead role in the NASCAR series Thunder Road, which is currently in development at AMC, according to Joe Otterson of Variety. The 71-year-old actor will star as Duane Whitlock, a.k.a The Wrecking Ball, and the character is described as  “a NASCAR legend.” 

Whitlock is also “a towering figure who built a racing empire from a legacy of moonshine runs and dirt tracks… and refuses to let it die. This is a story about a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction — and the old king fighting to hold onto his crown.”

Thunder Road is being produced in partnership with AMC and NASCAR, and the hope is that production begins this summer. John Fusco is the writer and executive producer, and Taylor Elmore will serve as a showrunner and executive producer. Tim Clark and John Dahl are executive producers on behalf of NASCAR.

More on Dennis Quaid and the NASCAR series ‘Thunder Road’

It was announced in November that NASCAR and AMC are teaming up for Thunder Road. “Thunder Road is about the Whitlock racing dynasty, a family bound by legacy, love, and the weight of their name,” Fusco said at the time. “Set against the high-stakes world of NASCAR and the mythic outlaw roots of a sport born on the whiskey-running backroads of the south, you might call it Succession with stock cars. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this dramatic, action-packed, uniquely American story to life with AMC and NASCAR.”

Dennis Quaid is no stranger to sports projects in Hollywood. Some of the films the Emmy-nominated actor has starred in are Everybody’s All-American, The Long Game, Any Given Sunday, Express: The Ernie Davis Story, and The Rookie.

The development of Thunder Road comes as Paramount Pictures is working on a sequel for the NASCAR film Days of Thunder. Last month, a Hollywood film writer met with NASCAR teams and drivers to help develop a plot for Days of Thunder 2. The first film was released in 1990 and starred Tom Cruise as Cole Trickle, a younger NASCAR driver seeking greatness in the Cup Series.