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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPEED Channel’s NASCAR Nation Enjoys Celebrity Status
With appearances from Lindsay Lohan, Lisa Marie Presley and Donald Rumsfeld, new-look nightly show live by motto 'Life Beyond the Fast Lane'
Erik Arneson  |  Posted August 02, 2005  

SPEED Channel's NASCAR Nation isn't your father's NASCAR show.

Turning the wheel hard to the left at nearly 200 mph, the lightning quick, purple neon NASCAR Nation steers clear of typical race reporting, choosing instead to highlight the sport's growing role in today's American pop culture.

But Chris Long, SPEED Channel's new VP of Studio Production and the architect behind the flashy new show, is quick to point out that NASCAR Nation is not the model for all future SPEED Channel programming, simply another alternative for a rabid fan base that ranks among the most loyal in sports.

"From Thursday through Monday, SPEED Channel takes the NASCAR fan through the entire race weekend in a very traditional way," Long said. "Trackside gets the fans fired up on Friday night, NASCAR This Morning is a great pre-race show, NASCAR Live is our update vehicle and NASCAR Victory Lane wraps up the weekend's events. Add in Beyond the Wheel, SPEED News, NASCAR Performance, Inside NEXTEL Cup and NBS 24/7, and we feel like we have all the news and activity at the track covered better than anyone else.

"For NASCAR Nation, the aim is a little different – we want to take NASCAR fans away from the track, giving them a feel for the true celebrity status of the competitors," Long added. "We've been on the red carpet in Hollywood, thrown out first pitches at major league baseball games and traveled to the sets of commercial and music video shoots. The show's motto says it all – it's life beyond the fast lane."
NASCAR Nation host Leeann Tweeden with Jamie Foxx.

To capture more of a mainstream entertainment flavor, the cast of NASCAR Nation does not include a single NASCAR driver or crew chief, instead opting for television personality and cover girl Leeann Tweeden to lead a hosting team that includes Vicki Johnson and Craig Reynolds. Field reporters John Willenborg, a contestant from season two of the NBC mega-hit The Apprentice, veteran sports reporter Courtney George, NASCAR.com columnist Marty Smith and newcomer Shannon Spake round out the team.

"I think over the last five years, NASCAR has become a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry," Tweeden said. "Drivers are becoming celebrities in their own right. People who don't know anything about NASCAR still recognize Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. More and more often, these guys are showing up in commercials, movies and music videos.

"There no longer is a straight career path in the entertainment business," Tweeden added. "Actors want to be singers, singers want to be actors – and they all want to be race car drivers."

The show itself gains a little celebrity status this year, as the untitled Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy will beginning filming scenes with Tweeden and Reynolds on the NASCAR Nation set in November.

NASCAR Nation airs Mondays through Thursdays at 7 and 10 p.m. ET and PT.
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