APTN to Debut Friday Night Thunder Season Three

APTN has slated the third season premiere of Friday Night Thunder, following racing families at Ohsweken Speedway, the only dirt track on Indigenous land in Canada, for September 8.

Produced by Big Soul Productions, an Indigenous-owned company, the series captures the emotion, community and connection at the core of dirt racing and digs into what makes taking part in the dangerous sport at the Ohsweken Speedway a tradition among families in the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario.

The new season sees the series’ 11 Indigenous sprint car drivers struggle with the now-unfamiliar track at Ohsweken after competing at smaller tracks during the pandemic closure. Alex Hill, the only female driver, reenters the sport after struggling with mental health issues that kept her out for most of the season.

“Season three of the show takes us back to Ohsweken Speedway after a two-year pandemic closure,” said Laura Milliken, producer and director. “And all the drivers are re-learning how to drive on this big racy track—with varying degrees of success. So it’s definitely a season of highs and lows for these drivers.”

Hill added, “I felt ready to get back into the car. And I felt my mental health journey should be a topic of conversation. My anxiety surfaced when I was heading onto the track for the first time in 13 months, but I needed that race to determine if I could overcome this. It was the only way to find out.”