Racing With The Stars: New ABC Show Gears Up For Celebs, NASCAR Pros
by Kevin Ransom, Thursday, Apr 12, 2007 8:00 AM ET
ABC AND GILLETTE HAVE DEVISED a new take on the concept of a "great race" reality show. Starting June 7, Gillette will sponsor "Fast Cars & Superstars--Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race," a seven-episode series on ABC that partners Gillette's Young Guns--six death-defying NASCAR drivers--with celebrities from music, sports and TV. The six half-hour episodes and hour-long finale will be co-hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and former Cleveland Cavaliers center and current ESPN Nascar analyst Brad Daugherty. The show was co-created by BBDO and Gillette and produced by Radical Media. Corporate sponsors include Cars.com, Kroger, Lowe's, Sam's Club and Walgreen's. The show's high concept is simple: Stock-car drivers will teach celebs like William Shatner, Jewel and Serena Williams about taking hard corners at high speeds, while trying to keep 3,000-plus pounds worth of sheet-metal, pumping pistons and gas-gulping engines from spinning out of control. In each episode, pros like Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards will train racing-novice stars. In the finale, the celebrities will be coached from the pits by their Gillette Young Guns instructors, as they match wits and speed against each other during a time-trial race. Said actor William Shatner in a statement: "It's every American boy's dream to get behind the wheel of a stock car." Other celebrity drivers include skateboarding hotshot Tony Hawk, actress Krista Allen, rodeo champ Ty Murray, former Detroit Piston and NBA Champ John Salley. The Gillette Young Guns are six young drivers who have emerged as the dominant racers on the NASCAR circuit and are considered as the premier talents in its NextelCup series. The Gillette Young Guns program was organized in 2004 to help drive awareness, appeal and usage of Gillette products among NASCAR fans.
