Gillette, Cars.com Have Heavy Sponsor Presence On ABC Show

The series premiere of ABC’s “Fast Cars & Superstars - Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race”on Thursday night featured a heavy Gillette presence, with signage throughout the racetrack and logos on the infield grass. The edition featured Serena Williams, John Elway and Laird Hamilton, under the tutelage of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, wearing Gillette racing suits and racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in their first challenge, a three-lap time trial. In addition, there were two promos for GYGTV.com, the Web site for the Gillette Young Guns marketing campaign.  Cars.com sponsored the celebrities’ cars and the “Cars.com Leaderboard,” while Busch drove his usual Miller Lite-branded Dodge.  The 30-minute broadcast featured three 30-second Gillette ads, three 30-second Cars.com ads and two 30-second Lowe’s ads. Williams did not advance to the second round.  Tony Hawk, Ty Murray and Krista Allen will compete in next week's episode, which will also feature driver Jimmie Johnson  (ABC, 6/7).