Fast cars and superstars make for reality TV, Part 3 (cont'd)

So is the attitude that Gillette took in bringing the series to the small screen. Hoping to cash in on reality TV's popularity, the idea is a way for Gillette to focus attention on its Young Guns, entertain the nation and -- you guessed it -- move product.

"The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race affords us the opportunity to take a property that is extremely popular with stock-car racing fans to the next level," said Steve Fund, director of new business development at Gillette. "Product integration on television shows has become ubiquitous, but this is the first time that branded content, leveraging a unique asset -- including seven original episodes -- has been produced and will air during Prime Time on a major U.S. network."

Gillette is a division of Proctor & Gamble, which touches the lives of people around the world more than three billion times a day, in one form or another. That's some major-league marketing clout.

Among P&G's brands that should be familiar to NASCAR fans are Tide and Folgers, both of which served as primary sponsors for a number of teams on the circuit.

The series begins on ABC on June 7 at 8 p.m. ET. One of the celebrities will be eliminated each week until the champion is crowned. Celebrity drivers joining Cena will be singer Jewel, actor William Shatner, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, actress Krista Allen, seven-time world all-around rodeo champion Ty Murray, former NBA champion John Salley, former NFL Super Bowl champion John Elway, tennis star Serena Williams, volleyball great and model Gabrielle Reece, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton and NFL Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher.

Along with Edwards, the Gillette Young Guns participants are Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch.

Fast Cars & Superstars: Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race will include six half-hour episodes with an hour-long finale. The first six episodes will air June 7, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 19, with the finale on Sunday, June 24, at 7 p.m. ET. The show will be co-hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and former Cleveland Cavaliers center and current ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty, and was co-created by BBDO and Gillette and produced by Radical Media. The series was filmed at Lowe's Motor Speedway on March 12-14.