Wednesday, April 11, 2007

ABC Unveils "Fast Cars & Superstars"


First it was the GEICO Cavemen, and now its NASCAR's "Gillette Young Guns." ABC announced today that the six "Young Guns" will be the centerpiece of a new seven episode ABC prime-time show. The drivers will "train" celebrities on "what it takes to win on the racetrack." The series will climax with a "time trial race," and will debut in June.

"Fast Cars & Superstars" will be hosted by ESPN's Kenny Mayne and NASCAR Now's Brad Daugherty. Among the celebs will be William Shatner, singer Jewel and her boyfriend Ty Murray, Serena Williams from the tennis world, and former NFL coach Bill Cowher.

The series will be produced by Radical Media, which produced "The Life" for ESPN and "Iconoclasts" for The Sundance Channel. It was created by Gillette, which has paid ABC for the air time. Gillette will not say what the ABC time cost, or what it is paying the drivers and celebrities.

USA Today says this is akin to "Dancing With The Stars" but with race cars. Steve Fund, the Marketing Director for Gillette, says "We're seeing a blurring between advertisement and entertainment." You don't say.

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