--- title: RISING | 8th Hashtag Sports Awards description: Global awards recognizing excellence in fan engagement and celebrating creativity across sports marketing, media & entertainment image: https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets-AF-2025/kPWWoBKp-DBKa2ByuIL-file.jpg --- RISING | 8th Hashtag Sports Awards [The 8th Annual Awards](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2026?hsLang=en) # RISING [NASCAR Studios](https://www.nascarstudios.com) Share [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hashtagsports.com%2Fawards%2Fshortlist-2026%2Frising) [** ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hashtagsports.com%2Fawards%2Fshortlist-2026%2Frising&text=RISING+%7C+8th+Hashtag+Sports+Awards) [** ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hashtagsports.com%2Fawards%2Fshortlist-2026%2Frising) ABOUT THIS ENTRY NASCAR, in partnership with Emmy® Award-winning studio Words + Pictures, today announced *RISING*, a new multi-part documentary series offering an unprecedented look inside the lives of three young, up-and-coming NASCAR drivers as they’ve established their identities both on and off the track this past season. The project was produced by FULL SPEED ENTERTAINMENT, the production partnership between NASCAR Studios and Words + Pictures which focuses on elevating the cultural footprint of NASCAR, its drivers, and teams through bold storytelling, talent-driven initiatives, premium content and large-scale specials. Premiering Nov. 17-21, 2025, on [NASCAR’s YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/nascar), *RISING* follows Carson Hocevar (22, Cup Series), Jesse Love (20, Xfinity Series), and Rajah Caruth (23, Craftsman Truck Series) through a key season in their careers. Each of the five episodes captures the pressure, sacrifice and ambition that have fueled these talented stars, part of the next generation poised to help carry NASCAR into the future. ![Image](https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets-AF-2025/kPWWoBKp-DBKa2ByuIL-file.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=kPWWoBKp-DBKa2ByuIL-file.jpg) How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"? "RISING" is an example of the growing possibilities for longform sports programming on YouTube that innovates on the follow-doc format. It's a roadmap to successfully expanding the venue that sports leagues can meet existing fans and create new relationships with prospective fans. Objective NASCAR wanted to highlight its up-and-coming drivers in a way that showcases what it takes to climb the ladder to superstardom in the world of stock car racing. We sought to get viewers in on the ground floor of these drivers' careers, linking them to personalities they can hopefully follow for decades. The goal was to not only give viewers a look into the drivers' world, but do so in a style that reflected the characters' personalities and youthful vibes.  Strategy & Execution "RISING" was designed with the plan to release all episodes to YouTube across a stretch of five back-to-back days. Recognizing that more and more viewers are watching longform content on YouTube on their televisions, NASCAR sought to bring best-in-class documentary storytelling to the platform while appealing to a younger audiences in the creative and casting. ** Nominations ** - Best Original Film or Series: Long-Form **Organizations** - NASCAR Studios - Words & Pictures - Full Speed Entertainment **Links** - [  Watch on YouTube ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&si=p3y8h3OUGO9Ah8me) - [  Ep. 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJYUKkdXsno&list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&index=7) - [  Ep. 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kmNgJojfUs&list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&index=6) - [  Ep. 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAP1ElfOtjU&list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&index=5) - [  Ep. 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1DUi12Je7g&list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&index=4) - [  Ep. 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWlZfOEajeM&list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&index=3) - [  Bonus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6_GFQ4OxNY&list=PLtc57NTUizP7uyPVwzOBNPhs6DomYMTf0&index=2) **Featured** - Carson Hocevar - Jesse Love - Rajah Caruth **Credits** **[ Matthew Chase](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-chase-b3717146/) ** Director, Producer, Editor Words + Pictures **[ Connor Schell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-schell-93000a116/) ** Executive Producer Words + Pictures **[ Libby Geist](https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-geist-22b2b210/) ** Executive Producer Words + Pictures **[ Aaron Cohen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-cohen-806850/) ** Executive Producer Words + Pictures **[ Tim Clark](https://www.linkedin.com/in/timclark3/) ** Executive Producer NASCAR Studios **[ John Dahl](https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dahl-a1a7835/) ** Executive Producer NASCAR Studios **[ Tally Hair](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tally-hair-41454413/) ** Executive Producer Full Speed Entertainment #### INSPIRED TO ENTER WORK? 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