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Celebrities Start Their Engines for a New ABC Television Reality Series, 'Fast Cars & Superstars -- Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race'


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William Shatner, with Gillette Young Gun Randy Newman, waves to the crowd before climbing into his stock car in preparation for a time-trial race during the taping of the new reality show, "Fast Cars and Superstars -- Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race.".

Celebrities Learn from Pro Stock Car Drivers and Compete for the Checkered Flag

BOSTON, April 11 -- Celebrities including Jewel, Tony Hawk, Serena Williams and William Shatner are dreaming of life in the fast lane, as they race to the finish in the new reality show, "Fast Cars & Superstars -- Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race," a 7-episode series to air on ABC prime time beginning Thursday, June 7 (8:00 - 8:30 p.m. ET). Twelve celebrity drivers will partner with the Gillette Young Guns -- six of stock car racing's most talented and popular drivers -- to learn what it takes to win on the race track.

  

The show will explore the interaction of top young stock car drivers with stars from the world of sports, music and entertainment, featuring drama and competition on and off the race track. In each episode, viewers will watch celebrities train with a Gillette Young Guns driver. The show will culminate in a one-hour finale where the celebrities will be coached from the pits by their Gillette Young Guns instructors, and compete against each other during a time-trial race.

"I jumped at the chance to be involved in the Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race," said actor William Shatner. "It's every American boy's dream to get behind the wheel of a stock car."

"Fast Cars & Superstars -- Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race" will include six half-hour episodes with an hour-long finale. The series will be hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and co-hosted by former Cleveland Cavaliers center and current ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty, and was co-created by BBDO and Gillette and produced by Radical Media. Corporate sponsors are Alltel, Cars.com, Kroger, Lowe's, SAM'S CLUB, The Scott's Company, and Walgreen's.

"I hope these celebrities are ready to feel the real power of a stock car," said Jimmie Johnson, the reigning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion and member of the Gillette Young Guns. "We're all really excited to share our knowledge of competitive racing to coach these stars. We'll see who has what it takes to be the Champion."

"The thing that really excites me about competing in the race is that it brings together some of the best talent in their fields and gives them the opportunity to meet on a common ground," said Grammy Award Nominee, Jewel. "And I love the chance to compete against guys!"

Celebrity Drivers will be singer Jewel, actor William Shatner, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, actress Krista Allen, 7-time World All-Around Rodeo Champion Ty Murray, former NBA Champion John Salley, former NFL Super Bowl Champion John Elway, World Wrestling Entertainment Champion John Cena, tennis star Serena Williams, volleyball great and model Gabrielle Reece, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton, and former NFL Super Bowl-winning Head Coach Bill Cowher. Gillette Young Guns are Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray.

About the Gillette Young Guns

The Gillette Young Guns are six of NASCAR's top young drivers who have emerged as a dominant force in the sport. They define excellence and performance. Their cutting edge attitude toward their sport and life in general, combined with their track record as proven winners, cement them as NASCAR NEXTEL Cup's premiere talent. The Gillette Young Guns program started in 2004 to help drive awareness, appeal, trial and usage of Gillette products among NASCAR fans. Please visit www.gilletteyoungguns.com for the latest news and information about the Gillette Young Guns.

About Procter & Gamble

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella, Gillette(R), and Braun. The P&G community consists of over 135,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com/ for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.