Is Motorheads Based on a True Story?

Amazon Prime’s ‘Motorheads’ follows a group of teenagers in Ironwood, Pennsylvania, who occupy themselves with building cars and work out their angst by racing on the streets. The story follows twins Zac and Caitlin as they move in with their mother Samantha to the latter’s hometown from Brooklyn, to stay with their uncle Logan Maddox. Their father, Christian Maddox, was a local racing legend who disappeared 17 years ago during a post-robbery car chase. A former NASCAR mechanic, Logan presently runs an auto repair shop from his barn-turned-garage. Caitlin loves cars and is thrilled to work and learn beside her uncle.

However, all Zac initially wants is to lie low and be disconnected from his father’s legacy. Soon, they meet other teenagers in the place, including their neighbor Marcel Crawford, as well as Alicia Whitaker, Kiara Gibbons, Harris Bowers, and Curtis Young, who all go to the same school. Harris and Zac soon fall out, and Caitlin, Marcus, and Curtis back the latter. They decide to fix up a yellow Dodge Charger belonging to Christian and take on Harris in a drag race. The high-octane coming-of-age drama deals with the universal themes of friendship and rivalry, along with the untethered excitement of street racing.

Motorheads Explores the Culture of Drag Racing in Pennsylvania

‘Motorheads’ is set in the fictional town of Ironwood near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Described by the pilot episode director, Neil Burger, as a cross between ‘The Fast and the Furious’ and ‘Friday Night Lights,’ the show paints a realistic picture of the culture of drag racing on the streets, which goes back over half a century. The state is the home to the abandoned Nu-Be drag strip, which opened in 1969. The 1/8 mile strip was shut down in the early 1980s after the owners stopped paying taxes. Though short-lived, it helped foster camaraderie among racers and car enthusiasts in Philadelphia.

The state of Pennsylvania has produced many legends in the sport of drag racing, such as Kenneth Dale ‘Kenny’ Bernstein, Russell James ‘Jim’ Liberman, Joe Amato, and Bruce Larson, among others. The sport itself has had numerous representations on the big screen, such as in ‘Snake & Mongoose’ (2013), ‘Heart Like A Wheel’ (1983), ‘Burnout’ (1979), and ‘Wheels of Fire’ (1973).

At present, Philly is witnessing a rise in street racing at the cost of public safety. In September 2024, hundreds of cars reportedly participated in drag races in various parts of the city, involving stunts that used flamethrowers. While many gathered to witness the events, other citizens were terrified, leading to a strong police crackdown. Thus, the made-up world of ‘Motorheads’ appears grounded in the reality of its setting and embodies all aspects of the subculture to tell viewers a well-grounded story.

The Fictional Story of Motorheads Captures the Real Love of Cars of Its Star

While ‘Motorheads’ is a complete work of fiction crafted from the mind of showrunner John A. Norris, actor Michael Cimino, who plays Zac, embodies the term in its truest sense. The 25-year-old star has always been a car enthusiast, collecting Hot Wheels as a kid. In an interview with the LA Times, he recalled building racetracks for the model cars with his father, and playing the motor racing video game ‘Forza’ together as he got older. Michael revealed that his uncles were drag racers, and his grandfather taught him how to work on cars and rebuild engines, thus building a strong foundation for him on the subject. “I built a ’02 Miata that’s supercharged,” shared the ‘Love, Victor’ star. “I have a whole little TikTok series that I’ve been editing together, of me building it with my friend, Justin, and my cousin that I’m gonna start posting pretty soon.”

Since Michael signed with the Creative Artists Agency, he has been waiting for a project that brings together his passion for cars and acting. Thus, when he received the script for ‘Motorheads,’ he was confident he would secure the job. Michael’s affinity for cars helped him land his role in the show, confirmed the showrunner, Norris, who took his audition along with executive producer Jason Seagraves. They received many auditions from people pretending to know “car stuff” to get the part, and initially assumed Michael was one of them. However, when the latter spoke of building a car and showed them his work in progress that he was bringing with him to LA on Zoom, they realized he was the real deal. “That energy is real. Every bit about him is,” added Norris.

Attending the annual car show, Tokyo Auto Salon, helped Michael better acquaint himself with the car-building and racing subculture. He made connections and witnessed the underground scene, concluding that the world of motor enthusiasts is not simply about having a good time, but also a “signifier of self-expression” and rebellion. This spirit is channeled within his character, Zac, as he decides to take on the school bully, Harris, in ‘Motorheads.’ While stunt drivers performed the actual racing in the Amazon original show, Michael hopes to bring more authenticity to such roles in the future by doing it himself. The actor has received his stunt-driving certificate and hopes to emulate his role model, Tom Cruise, in the coming days.