The Best Racing Movies and TV Shows on Free Services

What it's about: Five pair of offroad enthusiasts try to conquer the rugged back country of Alaska's less traveled terrain for there chance at a $100,000 purse. Alliances will be made and broken as they push their vehicles and each other to the limits.

Where to Watch: 8 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (PlutoTV). 8 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Philo & Hoopla). 8 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (History). 8 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Upon learning that he has to come out of retirement to steal 50 cars in one night to save his brother Kip's life, former car thief Randall "Memphis" Raines enlists help from a few "boost happy" pals to accomplish a seemingly impossible feat. From countless car chases to relentless cops, the high-octane excitement builds as Randall swerves around more than a few roadblocks to keep Kip alive.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & The Roku Channel) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV, Plex & Crackle), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Paramount+, Philo & 1 other) & rent or buy from $0.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Hosts Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara and Rutledge Wood embark on adventures as they test cars in extreme stunts, intense challenges and first-person reviews using their unique perspectives.

Where to Watch: 29 episodes (31%) are available to watch free online (PlutoTV). 74 episodes (80%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 82 episodes (88%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Terminal Island, New York: 2020. Overcrowding in the US penal system has reached a breaking point. Prisons have been turned over to a monolithic Weyland Corporation, which sees jails full of thugs as an opportunity for televised sport. Adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for violence and a spectacular, enclosed arena come together to form the 'Death Race', the biggest, most brutal event.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Peacock), stream on a subscription service (Starz), stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Starz) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Drive is an American action drama television series set against the backdrop of an illegal cross-country automobile road race, focusing on the willing and unwilling competitors and, as the plot develops, the unseen puppet masters who sponsor the race. Minear has described the show's thematic tone by saying "a secret, illegal, underground road race can be anything from Cannonball Run to The Game to North by Northwest to Magnolia-on-wheels. Ours is all those things."

Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Tubi). 6 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: The film revolves around a local street-racer who partners with a rich and arrogant business associate, only to find himself framed by his colleague and sent to prison. After he gets out, he joins a New York-to-Los Angeles race to get revenge. But when the ex-partner learns of the scheme, he puts a massive bounty on the racer's head, forcing him to run a cross-country gauntlet of illegal racers in all manner of supercharged vehicles.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (IMDb TV) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A year-long immersion into one of Chicago's most progressive and diverse public schools, located in suburban Oak Park. Both intimate and epic, exploring America's charged state of race, culture and education today with unprecedented depth and scope.

Where to Watch: 1 episodes (10%) are available to watch free online (The Roku Channel). 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Starz). 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Starz). 10 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (Google Play, Vudu & YouTube).

What it's about: In a boorish future, the government sponsors a popular, but bloody, cross-country race in which points are scored by mowing down pedestrians. Five teams, each comprised of a male and female, compete using cars equipped with deadly weapons. Frankenstein, the mysterious returning champion, has become America's hero, but this time he has a passenger from the underground resistance.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi), stream on a subscription service (Fandor & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 1 service (iTunes).

What it's about: Idris Elba travels from his childhood home in east London to 'Motor City' - Detroit - and then on to New Jersey where he delves into the history of the first boy racers and explores how the quest for high speed has shaped professional motorsport and popular culture.

Where to Watch: 3 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV & IMDb TV). 3 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Brothers addicted to speed at any price. Documentary following the motorcycle road racing careers, and fate, of the Dunlop family.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Plex & Crackle) & stream on a subscription service (Philo & fuboTV).

What it's about: The untold true story behind the Cold War race to put man into space.

Where to Watch: 8 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Tubi).

What it's about: Featuring rare archival footage and audio, this epic 4-part miniseries documents one of the greatest accomplishments of the 20th Century. But behind this seminal event is a monumental story filled with incredible drama, danger, ingenuity, and emotion. THE APOLLO CHRONICLES tells this story like it has never been told before. Participants, family members, historians, and other experts paint a rich portrait of a story that will have the audience immersed from start to finish.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Plex & The Roku Channel). 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Philo).

What it's about: Michel Vaillant is # 1 of pilots, undisputed champion in rallying in all circuits in the world. His success arouses admiration and envy. Ruth Wong, director of Team Leader, is determined to break his streak and avenge the memory of his father, founder of Leader. She is capable of anything to achieve her goal.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV).

What it's about: In the early 1960s, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari went to war on the battlefield of Le Mans. This epic battle saw drivers lose their lives, family dynasties nearly collapse, and the development of a new car that changed racing.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV), stream on a subscription service (Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: After his kid brother is killed in a street race, a champion drag-racer quits racing. However, a new kid comes to town determined to force him back into racing so he can take his title--and he's already taken his girlfriend.When his younger brother, Steve, is killed racing a hot-rod, Jeff Northup blames himself for the accident since he had built the car for his brother and had encouraged him to race it, with other boys on a special course provided by police detective Ben Merrill, who is working to reduce the city's hot-rod fatalities by providing supervision for the dangerous hobby. Jeff withdraws from participating in races on Merrill's course and, without his leadership, reverts to racing on the streets. "Bronc" Talbott, a newcomer, makes a play for Jeff's girlfriend, Lisa Vernon. Eventually, the taunting-Talbott forces Jeff into a race which results in the death of a bicycling child, and evidence seems to indicate Jeff was at fault.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & stream on a subscription service (Fandor).

What it's about: A man wrongly imprisoned for murder breaks out of jail. He wants to clear his name, but with the police pursuing him, he's forced to take a beautiful young woman, driving a fast sports car, hostage and slip into a cross-border sports car race to try to make it to Mexico before the police get him.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV & The Roku Channel), stream on a subscription service (Paramount+, Epix, Fandor & 1 other), stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Epix) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: A mythic motorcycle tale of father and son", this is the story of Manuel Galloway, also known as "the King of Cali", the president of a motorcycle club whose members are all African-American men, mostly white-collar workers who exchange their suits and ties at night and on weekends for leather outfits and motorcycle helmets.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (The Roku Channel), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Paramount+) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV & Vudu), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Hoopla & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 4 services (Google Play, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: Packard Walsh and his motorized gang control and terrorize an Arizona desert town where they force drivers to drag-race so they can 'win' their vehicles. After Walsh beats the decent teenager Jamie Hankins to death after finding him with his girlfriend, a mysterious power creates Jake Kesey, an extremely cool motor-biker who has a car which is invincible. Jake befriends Jamie's girlfriend Keri Johnson, takes Jamie's sweet brother Bill under his wing and manages what Sheriff Loomis couldn't; eliminate Packard's criminal gang the hard way...

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV, Plex & 2 others), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & Tribeca Short List) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Documentary on motorcycle racing featuring stars of the sport, including film star Steve McQueen, a racer in his own right.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi), stream on a subscription service (Fandor, Hoopla, ConTV & 1 other) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Based on the story of Jesse Owens, the athlete whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Peacock) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle—a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV, Plex & 2 others), stream on a subscription service (Philo, fuboTV, Hoopla & 2 others) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: At the beginning of the 20th century, a newspaper organizes an endurance horse race : 700 miles to run in a few days. 9 adventurers are competing, among them a woman, Miss Jones, a Mexican, an Englishman, a young cow-boy, an old one and two friends, Sam Clayton and Luke Matthews. All those individualists will learn to respect each other.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer. Together they begin training the horse to race against the fastest ones in the world.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV & The Roku Channel), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla), stream on a TV everywhere service (TCM) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (Google Play, Prime Video & 3 others).

What it's about: In its first 25 years only 10 people have finished The Barkley Marathons. Based on a historic prison escape, this cult like race tempts people from around the world to test their limits of physical and mental endurance in this documentary that contemplates the value of pain.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Vudu), stream on a subscription service (fuboTV & Hoopla) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 1 service (iTunes).

What it's about: The former leader of a commando rescue attempt into Vietnam tries to discover why his squad members are being murdered, one-by-one, after the war is over.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV, Vudu & 2 others), stream on a subscription service (ConTV) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: An ambitious young skier, determined to break all existing records, is contemptuous of the teamwork advocated by the US coach when they go to Europe for the Olympics.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV), stream on a subscription service (fuboTV & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: An early departure from director David Cronenberg's canon of visceral horror, 1979's Fast Company profiles one of his personal passions, racecars, in a gritty melodrama that also features exciting racetrack footage. Veteran toughguy William Smith is top-billed as a champion drag racer who clashes with the unscrupulous oil-company executive (John Saxon) who sponsors his team.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & Vudu), stream on a popular subscription service (HBO MAX, HBO & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (iTunes & Prime Video).

What it's about: The year 2050 the planet has become overpopulated, to help control population the government develops a race. The Death Race. Annually competitors race across the country scoring points for killing people with their vehicles.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: After a mysterious malfunction sends their small plane climbing out of control, a rookie pilot and her four teenage friends find themselves trapped in a deadly showdown with a supernatural force.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: Alex, blind since the age of two, dreams of running for his school's cross-country team. His father, a probation officer, finds a running partner who spends his time 'running' from the law.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV & Vudu), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (Google Play, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: Based on the incredible true story of amateur cyclist Graeme Obree, who breaks the world one-hour record on a bike he made out of washing machine parts.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (The Roku Channel), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 2 services (Google Play & Microsoft).

What it's about: Herman discovers he's the new lord of Munster Hall in England. The family sails to Britain, where they receive a tepid welcome from Lady Effigy and Freddie Munster, who throws tantrums because he wasn't named Lord Munster. An on-board romance had blossomed between Marilyn and Roger, but on land Marilyn discovers Roger's family holds a longstanding grudge against the Munsters.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The world knows Paul Newman as an Academy Award winning actor with a fifty-plus year career as one of the most prolific and revered actors in American Cinema. He was also well known for his philanthropy; Newman's Own has given more than four hundred and thirty million dollars to charities around the world. Yet few know the gasoline-fueled passion that became so important in this complex, multifaceted man's makeup. Newman’s deep-seated passion for racing was so intense it nearly sidelined his acting career. His racing career spanned thirty-five years; Newman won four national championships as a driver and eight championships as an owner. Not bad for a guy who didn't even start racing until he was forty-seven years old.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV), stream on a subscription service (Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Sherlock Holmes takes a vacation and visits his old friend Sir Henry Baskerville. His vacation ends when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a double-murder mystery. Now he's got to find Professor Moriarty and the horse Silver Blaze before the great cup final horse race.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & PlutoTV), stream on a subscription service (Paramount+ & Epix) & stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Epix).

What it's about: An in-depth profile of the life and career of Willy T. Ribbs - the controversial Black driver who shattered the color barrier of professional auto-racing and became the first Black qualifier in the storied history of the Indy 500.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV), stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Seventeen years ago, NASCAR racer Cutter McCullough died in a fiery crash. But death can’t stop a man driven by revenge. He and his car are back from the grave to settle a score with his old girlfriend Tammy and his rival JJ Sawyer. Now JJ, Tammy, and their daughter, Jesse, are hitting the road with the Phantom Racer on their tail.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, Peacock & 2 others).

What it's about: A race-car driver who's down on her luck is invited by her ex-husband's wife to stay at their plush villa. The two women form a bond, and it's not long before their mutual dislike for the husband culminates into a plan to kill him. As it turns out, though, they're not alone in plotting murder

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & PlutoTV) & rent or buy from $0.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: 15-year-old Jesse is the only one who witnessed the stabbing of his friend Jonas. Now he has to face his family and friends from the BMX riders crew and explain the unexplainable - how he feels about it.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & Vudu), stream on a subscription service (Fandor & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: A group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Hill."

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Rick Bowman, a drag racing street punk, comes to the attention of crafty businessman Grant Willard. Willard bails him out of jail and offers him sponsorship as a stock car driver. Bowman accepts and enters the demolition derby-adjacent world of "figure eight" racing. As Bowman moves up in the ranks, his regard for his friends slips-- giving way to outright obsession with becoming the best.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi), stream on a subscription service (Fandor, Shout Factory TV & ConTV) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: In the world of 1970s car racing, Hurley Haywood was cool, calm and collected. A five-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner, three-time Le Mans winner and Trans-Am champion, Haywood was a Hollywood archetype: a strikingly handsome man brought up by a good Midwestern family. Yet Haywood was often overshadowed by racing partner and volatile mentor, Peter Gregg—the Batman to his Robin—whose abrupt suicide in 1980 shook the sport to its core. And yet Haywood had secrets of his own. Despite multiple encounters with women, some that included public appearances alongside Penthouse models, he remained elusive about his personal life. With deft use of archival footage and exclusive interviews featuring actor and fellow racer, Patrick Dempsey, Hurley reveals a greater insight into Haywood’s tightrope walk between career and sexuality, while posing the question—will motorsport ever be ready for openly LGBT racers?

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & Vudu), stream on a subscription service (Motor Trend) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: From go-kart champs, NASCAR winners are bred -- or so goes the thinking of the drivers (and their families) involved in the World Karting Association's National Pavement Series. This documentary follows three of the series' top contenders. Although small in stature, the adolescent racers harbor big dreams as they hit speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour in their quest to ascend the first rung on their way to NASCAR in this film from Marshall Curry.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, IMDb TV, Crackle & 1 other), stream on a subscription service (Philo, fuboTV & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.00 on 4 services (iTunes, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: In 1976 Niki Lauda survived one of the most famous crashes in Formula One history. Using previously unseen footage, LAUDA: THE UNTOLD STORY explains what happened on that fateful, and near fatal day at the Nurburgring, then follows Lauda’s courageous journey to recovery culminating in a miraculous comeback in Monza just weeks later. The film also investigates the impact that his crash had not just on his own life but on the sport as a whole, looking at the safety developments from the 1900s to the present day. Featuring exclusive access to Mercedes HQ and interviews with Lauda, his family, and motorsports legends past and present including Sir Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Jochen Mass. LAUDA: THE UNTOLD STORY is a must-see for all motorsport fans.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV & IMDb TV) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 2 services (Prime Video & Vudu).

What it's about: His new adventure takes Zanardi to one of the most famous endurance races in the world: The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. He shares the cockpit of the BMW GT race car with two of the fastest men in the sport: Ex-Formula 1 driver Timo Glock and touring-car champ Bruno Spengler. They form nothing less than an all-star team of race-track pioneers, going beyond limits and limitations. Never before has a handicapped driver competed in a 24 hour race on this level with able-bodied drivers. The documentary covers the whole story: From their first get-together at BMW headquarters in Munich until the lights turn green in Belgium and the Iron Man with plastic legs limps into his racing car, changing seat and steering wheel with his teammate. But for Alex Zanardi, even after the marathon race, his mission is not over. Only four days later, he is eager to defend his white jersey at the Handcycle World Championship in Switzerland - an outrageous challenge, even for the man with no limits.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV).

What it's about: A stock car racer hopes his luck will turn around when he gets a chance to elevate his driving career. Can he pull off the ultimate comeback?

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, Plex, IMDb TV & 1 other) & rent or buy from $0.99 on 2 services (Prime Video & Microsoft).

What it's about: Hoover Nielbold is a car-crazy teenager who, in order to impress the hottest girl in school, takes her for a ride in a souped-up race car owned by local racer Big Bubba Jones. Hoover's father Harry, who's also the local sheriff is furious at the situation and orders his bumbling deputies to go after him. With the Sheriff's office overflowing with concerned parents and citizens and his deputies failing to catch him. He enlists the help of Jones and fellow racers to capture him. It culminates in a thrilling car chase finale through the rural countryside.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV, The Roku Channel & 1 other) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: A motorcycle rebel rescues a woman (Ann-Margret) from his gang and fights an outlaw guru for supremacy.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Plex), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: A bright young teenager from a broken home uses his quick wits and glib tongue to get out of trouble - but they also get him into it.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & Kanopy).