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Fueled to win:
'NASCAR in Primetime'

The new ABC reality series follows three drivers

By Diego Vasquez
Aug 15, 2007

ABC is in last place this summer among adults 18-49 and has seen the biggest ratings falloff in the demographic compared with last year among the English-language broadcast networks. Summer to date, it’s averaging a 1.6 rating, according to Nielsen, down 16 percent from the same time last year.

A big reason for the decline has been the network’s new summer reality shows. Few have averaged better than a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating.

Thus if the new “NASCAR in Primetime,” which premieres tonight at 10, can manage even a 2.5 rating, it would be ABC’s biggest hit of the summer.

Certainly “Primetime,” an offshoot of the long-running newsmagazine, has a shot. It faces only so-so competition and chronicles three drivers in auto racing’s most popular circuit, the Nextel Cup.

ABC News spent six months following Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Johnny Sauter for the five-part series. It begins tonight with some behind-the-scenes drama at a race in Hampton, Ga.

Some of the 6 million NASCAR fans who have watched races on ESPN the past three weeks will likely tune in to “Primetime.” Plus, ESPN has been pumping NASCAR like crazy this summer after regaining rights to the races for the first time in seven years.

With ABC taking over race coverage this fall, both networks have reason to hope “Primetime” draws in new racing fans as well as old.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	The domestic diva herself, Martha Stewart, guests.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Power of 10" (G)	The Drew Carey-hosted show debuted solidly last week, but will ratings hold?
8 p.m.	Fox	"So You Think You Can Dance" (R)	In the first half of yet another two-part season finale, the final four perform for the judges.
9 p.m.	NBC	"Last Comic Standing" (R)	The final six compete in their last head-to-head battle.
10 p.m.	ABC	"NASCAR in Primetime" (N, S)	Series premiere. A look at the popular racing circuit through drivers and their fans.
10 p.m.	FX	"Rescue Me" (D)	Tommy meets a woman at a restaurant who leaves him curious for more.
10 p.m.	MTV	"The Real World" (R)	Trisha is single and ready to mingle after she breaks with her boyfriend from home.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	"Good Morning America" (N)	Star Jones Reynolds and Lisa Marie Presley both guest.
8 p.m.	Fox	"So You Think You Can Dance" (R)	Season finale. After a summer of dancing, the show's third winner is chosen.
8 p.m.	ESPN	"NFL Football" (S)	More preseason action as the Miami Dolphins take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
9 p.m.	HBO	"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (N, S)	Among other segments, an interview with tennis power couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
10 p.m.	AMC	"Mad Men" (D)	Don wins an award, earning him the cover of a prominent magazine.
10 p.m.	USA	"Burn Notice" (D)	Fiona tracks down a wanted jewel thief who she thinks is innocent.
10:30 p.m.	MTV	"Cribs" (R)	A look at the homes of rapper Bow Wow and NFL star Rudi Johnson.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	Musical group Maroon 5 performs live.
8 p.m.	Fox	"NFL Football" (S)	Two teams with lots of questions, the Vikings and Jets, face off in a preseason game.
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	"High School Musical 2" (K, M)	The popularity of the original should make this a must-watch among kids.
9 p.m.	USA	"Monk" (D)	Monk finds a map in a dead man's car and tries to find out where it leads.
10 p.m.	TLC	"A Model Life with Petra Nemcova" (R)	Petra has the models take pictures of each other so they can see what it's like on the other side of the camera.
10 p.m.	USA	"Psych" (D)	A chef is accused of murdering a food critic by way of poisonous mushrooms.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18
Time	Network	Program	Description
3:30 p.m.	Fox	"Major League Baseball" (S)	This week it's either Cardinals-Cubs or Tigers-Yankees.
8 p.m.	CBS	"NFL Football" (S)	A preseason showdown between the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Gymnastics" (S)	Day-one coverage of the U.S. Championships from San Jose.
9 p.m.	CMT	"Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge" (R)	The celebs get on bulls for the first time, and one of them is injured.
10 p.m.	ABC	"Masters of Science Fiction" (D)	Anne Heche stars as a woman in 2077 who goes to court over the fate of an athropoid that may be human.
10 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	"Clash of the Caimans" (N)	Hundreds of giant crocodiles migrate to a hidden lake during the Amazon's dry season.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	"PGA Golf" (S)	Final round of the Wyndham Championship, won last year by Davis Love III.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	More preseason action as the Giants take on the Ravens in Baltimore.
9 p.m.	VH1	"Rock of Love" (R)	The girls test for who'd be most likely to survive while on a rock tour.
10 p.m.	A&E	"The Two Coreys" (R)	Corey Haim fights with his girlfriend, so he unexpectedly drops in on Corey Feldman and his gal.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Entourage" (C)	Billy finishes the script for Vince's new film, and Eric has a new client.
10 p.m.	Lifetime	"Army Wives" (R)	Trevor wants Roxy to quit her bar job after a fight breaks out there.
10:30 p.m.	HBO	"Flight of the Conchords" (C)	Bret and Jemaine meet a women's water polo team at an airport bar.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.