NASCAR, GAC Become Drafting Partners
Scripps Networks’ Great American Country, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Team Up on New Show
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/23/2008 8:01:00 PM
Scripps Networks’ Great American Country and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing are partnering on a new show that celebrates the enduring intermarriage between country music and auto racing.
Drafting Partners, which starts a 12-episode run on GAC beginning April 9, will pair up a country star with a NASCAR driver for a rambling conversation on songs and speed.
In each episode, the duo will meet at the track during a race weekend to chat and introduce their favorite country-music videos. The first installment, shot at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will feature Arista Nashville recording artist Jason Michael Carroll and NASCAR’s Scott Wimmer.
Produced by NASCAR Images, the series fits into the racing association’s new strategy of re-targeting its core fan base. And while GAC has had success taking its other shows on location to NASCAR events, Drafting Partners is the first dedicated solely to the NASCAR fan base.
"In the past year, we’ve increased the number of shows relating to the NASCAR genre, and we’ve found that the shows resonated well with our audience," said Sarah Trahern, senior vice president of programming for GAC, adding that many of the featured artists are longtime racing fans. "This series combines the things our viewers like best: country-music artists, NASCAR and, of course, music videos."
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