FOX Sports to air new Patrick Dempsey racing documentary

Patrick Dempsey’s return to racing is the subject of a new documentary made by FOX Sports Films that will debut on Sunday, March 16.

Set to air at 7:00pm ET on FOX Sports 1 following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the one-hour feature, “Destined to Drive: Patrick Dempsey’s Return to Racing,” chronicles the actor/driver as he finds his way back to motorsports following a decade away from the cockpit.

The documentary includes “exclusive interviews with NASCAR Cup Series champion and FOX NASCAR analyst Kevin Harvick, Dempsey’s teammate, three-time American Le Mans Series champion and Porsche factory driver Patrick Long, and Rallycross and Formula Drift champion Tanner Foust, the film offers behind-the-scenes access to Dempsey’s preparation as he re-ignites his passion for professional motorsports and competes in the high-stakes Porsche Endurance Challenge.” Watch a preview below:

Long was so compelled by the offer, he unretired to coach and race with Dempsey.

“I am so thankful for this opportunity – not just to be back behind the wheel, but to do it with the right team and my friend, Patrick Long, as my co-driver,” Dempsey said.

For Bobby Akin, whose Mechanical Rabbit Productions company followed the duo throughout last year’s Porsche Endurance Challenge, the chance to capture Dempsey’s passion and nerves and journey back to the sport was a privilege.

“When Patrick told me he was thinking of coming back to racing after almost a decade away, I had a lot of questions,” Akin said. “Did he still have what it takes to drive at a high level? Is he fit enough? Does he have the time between his day job as an actor, his charitable foundation, and his family? When I asked him some of these questions, he said, ‘Why don’t we make a film and find out!’

“This is not only a story of a famous guy coming back to racing after a decade away from the sport. It’s a story of friendship, overcoming the realities of Father Time, the demands of his acting world and time away from family to race once again at a high level. Going in, I don’t think anyone knew how it would play out, but it was one heck of a ride.”