Over the years, SPEED has tried a wide variety of TV programs related to NASCAR. Some, like the ill-fated I Wanna Date a Race Car Driver were laughable while others like Beyond the Wheel are still sorely missed.
Monday night at 8PM, SPEED throws another original offering at the TV wall to see if it sticks. Michael Waltrip says Fast Track to Fame was his idea. Click here for a video where he discusses what the show is all about.
Already described as NASCAR's version of American Idol, the show sounds like a collection of race fans showing off their singing and juggling skills on the SPEED Stage. The facts are a bit different.
Click here for the audition information on the new series from the Actor's Pages website. Those wishing to get noticed can travel to the auditions from anywhere in the nation.
Like many other talent shows on the air, Fast Track to Fame is open to almost all kinds of acts. Click here to read about NBC's America's Got Talent series and the auditions for that entertainment program. It certainly sounds familiar.
Fast Track to Fame has all kinds of connections to FOX Sports in LA. FOX's David Hill is listed as an Executive Producer and the actual company doing the production is LA-based FiveBinks Inc.
It seems ironic that Waltrip is hosting a talent show produced by FOX on the very same night that This Week in NASCAR used to inhabit. For many years the lone NASCAR program on Mondays, TWIN was surrounded by lifestyle programs created by SPEED. The management of the network was firm in saying that NASCAR-related programs do not work on weekdays.
Apparently, something has changed. SPEED now has a daily NASCAR news show and just added a three-and-a-half hour block of NASCAR themed shows on Mondays. Following Fast Track to Fame is a NASCAR cooking show, two different highlight programs and then Jimmy Spencer's What's the Deal series.
It's always interesting when entertainment types get involved in NASCAR. Perhaps this line from the Actor's Pages audition listing says it best. FOX and the LA-based production company are: "Looking for talent that will appeal to those who attend auto races." You can take if from there.
This post will serve to host your comments before, during and after this debut episode of Fast Track to Fame airs on SPEED at 8PM ET. To add your opinion on this topic, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for stopping by.