Defy The Odds

Defy the Odds, the new short film directed by award-winning director and editor Corry Wiens, is based on the true story of NASCAR driver Bill Lester, the first African American to compete professionally in the NASCAR sanctioned Grand-Am Series and the first African American to win a race.

Defy the Odds is based on Bill Lester’s memoir, Winning in Reverse, and focuses on a man pursuing his passion and letting nothing stand in his way.

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At the age of 37, Bill Lester decided to leave his job at a big engineering firm to pursue his passion for racing full time. With the odds stacked against him as a black, middle-aged man in a southern, white man's sport, Bill rose above them all and made history time and time again.

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The short film was shot in multiple locations within Tennessee including Arc Studios, the first Nashville-based virtual production studio, powered by award-winning video production company Gear Seven in partnership with the Atlanta-based virtual production team at MEPTIK.

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Gear Seven also worked closely Shift Dynamics to capture the high-octane racing scenes at the Polecat Training Center in Fayetteville, TN.

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