"Changing Lanes'' debuted Wednesday night on the BET network, detailing the sport's Drive for Diversity program. Yet it is just part of a change NASCAR is undergoing in marketing the sport to those who might not be fans.

 A documentary on Wendell Scott, the only African-American to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series is scheduled for February 2011 to coincide with Black History Month. Also, NASCAR is working on a program with Versus Network on a five-part series called "Next Generation.'' That show will look at who the up-and-coming stars of the sport are. The plan is to tap into the younger crowd, one NASCAR has struggled to maintain recently. More such programs are expected to be on the way.

 "We will be creating more and more content (with) the diversity initiative and the next thing, really for us, is the youth area,'' said Jay Abraham, NASCAR Media Group's chief operating officer. The NASCAR Media Group produces various shows seen on numerous networks about NASCAR.

 "This ("Changing Lanes'') is really about a major strategic industry initiative to expose our sport to a whole new group of fans, a diverse audience,'' Abraham said at a party for the show's premiere in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday night.

 "Changing Lanes'' is a racing reality show. It features minority drivers (from African-American and Latinos to females) that are a part of Revolution Racing, which runs the sport's Drive for Diversity program.

 Wednesday's first episode followed some of the 30 drivers who competed in the combine last fall that determined the 10 drivers for the program. It told the stories of some of those individuals so fans could better know them and, possibly, connect with and care about to see how they perform in the combine and (if they make the cut) in the eight-episode series.

 Max Siegel, who used to be an executive at Dale Earnhardt Inc., is the CEO of Revolution Racing and has made it an acdaemy-style training facility. The drivers relocated to the Charlotte, N.C. They spend about 20 hours a week working on their cars in the shop. They do physical training and they race. The goal is to have the drivers, some still in high school, for about two years, giving them the chance to move up the ranks in the NASCAR world.

 Wednesday's first episode began by discussing Wendell Scott. The rapper Ludacris provides the program's voice over and speaks words Siegel said in a short version of the show played at Daytona in February. In the February version, Siegel noted how Scott had been the only African-American to win a Cup race. But also in that version shown to a group was a clip from Scott's daughter, who said: "Racial barriers were a sign of the times. There were people who did not accept him. I feared for my Dad's life, but the man was an inspiration and he still inspires today.''  That clip was not in Wednesday's first episode. Instead, it was replaced by some of the driving candidates talking about what Scott meant to them. Of course, the comments from Scott's daughter could be included in a later episode (the drivers were taken to see members of Scott's family to get a better appreciation for the man).

 Siegel, who is African-American, said the show would not shy away from the historical context or even present-day situations his drivers experience at tracks.

 "When people deal with cultural differences, oftentimes we view them from our own perspective and if you haven't experienced some of the things that other people haven't, it's hard to be empathetic even if you can be sympathetic,'' Siegel said. "I think one important moment is Blair Addis (who is white and oversees the Late Model drivers in the driver diversity program) talks about what he and (African-American driver) Michael Cherry experienced at Greenville-Pickens. Blair, being as much Michael's big brother as he is his competition direction, finally got an understanding of how hurtful some of this stuff is that people deal with, and I think it gave him an appreciation for some of the added pressures and challenges that women and people of color face on a daily basis.''

 How will this show do? It will depend on if the audience connects with the drivers and want to follow them for the next couple of months to see them progress. Certainly, some of the drivers who make the cut have had success, winning poles and races this season. Maybe one or some will make up NASCAR's ladder to the Cup Series. 

 "Once  a few of us make it to (Cup),'' said African-American driver Ryan Gifford, who is in the show, "the next generation of kids are going to be able to look up to us and say, "Hey, we can do it.'' - by dustin long - www.hamptonroads.com

NEW YORK (AP) -Jessica Brunelli is a fan of ''Jersey Shore'' and ''The Real World,'' so the 17-year-old race car driver knows just how addictive reality TV can be.

Addictive enough to draw in viewers who don't know Jeff Gordon from Jeff Burton? That's the gamble behind ''Changing Lanes,'' a new show that airs not on a sports network but BET.

Yes, BET. Where better to reach a completely new audience? ''Changing Lanes'' chronicles 10 young female and minority racers in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program as they compete for four spots on a team.

It's got all the staples of reality TV: contestants living in a house together and getting eliminated one by one. Well, not all the staples - Brunelli is relieved the show sticks to the drama on the track and in the drivers' back stories.

Rapper/actor Ludacris narrates the eight-episode series, which premieres Wednesday night.

The show is the brainchild of Max Siegel, who spent two seasons running Dale Earnhardt Inc. until the team merged with Chip Ganassi Racing. His sports marketing agency now runs the Drive for Diversity program, which has struggled to produce racers for NASCAR's top series.

Siegel's team, Revolution Racing, fields cars for the contestants on the show.

This is a sport where sponsorship is critical to success and each driver is like his or her mini-corporation. Siegel figures there's nothing like a reality show to introduce companies to the personalities of up-and-coming racers.

''That's a hope,'' Brunelli said, ''that someone takes a liking to you personally.'' - AP

Mooresville, NC, August 10, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Fast drivers, cool cars, beautiful women and loads of prominent sponsors are integral to the appeal of NASCAR. That’s why, to maintain authenticity, V1 Entertainment Films is auditioning advertiser/sponsors to star in its new NASCAR-themed television series, “The Ride.” Acclaimed film and television actor/director Giancarlo Esposito of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” has agreed to direct the project, which is being targeted as a Spring 2011 network replacement series. Veteran WGA screenwriter Tony Sommo has been tapped to write the script.



“The Ride” is a character-driven story about the exploits of a tight-knit group of drivers from different worlds set in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina, north of Charlotte, often called Race City USA. “There’s no other sport like NASCAR, where the advertisers become so entrenched in the action and have such dynamic behind-the-scenes roles,” noted Aspen Hughes, CEO of V1 Entertainment Films. “The advertising sponsors are important characters in the storyline of ‘The Ride,’ so we’ve got to get it right.”
 

Hughes is reaching out to brand managers and marketing executives of food, automotive and packaged goods companies, as well as their advertising agencies, in the unorthodox casting call. Product sponsors who join “The Ride” will be working directly with all key decision-makers on every aspect of production, right from the start. Hughes has hand-picked a well-connected team of racing consultants to be on board from script development to final edits to soundtrack to promotion. V1 Entertainment Films’ personal and professional relationships with NASCAR, drivers, teams, tracks and off-track locations assure the kind of authenticity that both sponsors and viewers demand.

While Hughes would not reveal just yet which companies have already signed on for “The Ride,” saying he did not want to spoil a planned gala announcement, he did allow that, “Tony Sommo has written some very intriguing scenes, not only for an automobile manufacturer but for a tool company, a fast-food chain, a mobile phone provider, a record label, even a jewelry company. The product sponsorship opportunities are diverse and will give the right partners a terrific return on their investment.”

Hughes continued, “’The Ride’ is a win-win for advertisers,” citing a study done by the major television networks in 2005 which revealed that 90 percent of viewers surveyed said they skipped all or most of the commercials.1 “Faced with a diminished passive audience, advertisers have had to revise their marketing strategies and find other ways of promoting their products.”

The product placement market is growing rapidly, with the value of the industry in 2010 estimated to be more than $5.5 billion in television alone.2 “Add exposure in new mediums, such as the online virtual world Second Life, and the tagging and linking of products on consumer-generated media sites like YouTube, and opportunities offered by ‘The Ride’ are not only economical but extremely effective, especially in reaching that elusive young-male demographic,” said Hughes.

He added that getting Esposito to direct the pilot was “a major coup,” and if it is picked up, Esposito will likely continue to take the director’s reins. The popular star had been seeking more opportunities to direct since producing and directing the 2009 independent film, “Gospel Hill,” which, despite its small budget, afforded Esposito a chance to direct such Hollywood talents as Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Adam Baldwin and an uncredited Samuel L. Jackson.

Advertisers interested in more information or in auditioning for a part in “The Ride” are invited to visit www.V1EntertainmentFilms.com. - www.postproduction.digitalmedianet.com

 

SPEED and FOX Sports on-air personality Krista Voda was married January 23 in Pittsburgh. She wed Phillip “PK” Kelley, an independent contractor for network television, sports and entertainment, and a longtime fixture in the NASCAR garage. Kelley and Voda, host of NCWTS Setup on SPEED, will reside in Cranberry Township, Pa. - speedtv.com

Here's what I learned about stock car racing last night: It requires a lot of shuttle runs, garage floors are never dirty, and the people who do it live in gigantic stainless steel kitchens (which are also never dirty.)

I was really looking forward to HBO's reality mini-series about NASCAR's reigning four-time champion—if you missed it, the whole first episode is online—because I honestly believed I would get something useful out of it. Last fall's "Hard Knocks" series about the Cincinnati Bengals was riveting because I really felt I learned something about football and the way a team functions. Even their "24/7" boxing documentaries, which don't dwell very long on the science of boxing, at least you give some insight into the insane dedication required to put your body through a championship fight. But was is the point of "Road To Daytona"?

The show is clearly meant to be a hand-holding introduction for people who know little-to-nothing about auto racing, but what exactly are they getting out of it? Jimmie Johnson is the best. Okay, but what makes him better than Jeff Gordon? Why do you need 25 men on a race car team? What the hell does that left wheel carrier do? Why does it take 12 seconds to do a pit stop? Can't you do it in six? What does that switch do? How do they keep their floors so damn clean?

Real NASCAR fans must have been bored to tears. If they were hoping for a behind-the-scenes look at Johnson's personal life, they got none of that. He mixes his own protein shakes! He knows how to cook at least one meal from scratch! His wife is a former model! Just like you and me!

Unlike those previous HBO shows, where cameramen move silently among the participants, all the talking was done in controlled interviews. You're not watching a story. It's being told to you. There was more discussion about cookies than there was about engines. The biggest public relations problem for the sport is that so many people just don't get it. They don't believe these guys are athletes and they don't see the difference between driving in a circle for three hours and driving to work on the turnpike. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about cars and even I have trouble believing it sometimes. But nothing in the first episode would dispel the myth that drivers are as interchangeable as spark plugs.

This was a golden opportunity to explain to "Other America" how auto racing works and, so far, they've squandered it. I'm not optimistic that another 90 minutes will get the job done. - By Dashiell Bennett  - www.yardbarker.com

Send an email to Dashiell Bennett, the author of this post, at dashiell@deadspin.com.

SPEED will open its 2010 Daytona Speedweeks coverage Feb. 4 with live coverage of Budweiser Shootout practice, the Budweiser Shootout Selection Show and the Fourth Annual SPEED Performance Awards. On Feb. 6, SPEED will bring race fans live and exclusive coverage of Danica Patrick's stock car debut, as the popular open wheel racer makes her first ARCA Racing Series start for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports race team.

To enhance television coverage of Patrick's effort, SPEEDtv.com, will offer exclusive in-car and ISO streaming videos, along with pit-to-car radio communication between Danica and her team.

The Gatorade Duel at Daytona takes center stage Feb. 11, beginning with a special edition of NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot at 1 p.m. ET, followed by live race coverage at 2 p.m. ET. Krista Voda and Jeff Hammond will host. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opens its season Feb. 12 with Krista Voda hosting NCWTS Setup at 7:30 p.m., followed by race coverage at 8 p.m. ET.

Rick Allen, Darrell Waltrip and Phil Parsons will call the race for SPEED, with Ray Dunlap and Adam Alexander in the pits. And on Sunday, Feb. 14, SPEED delivers a special three-hour edition of NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot, leading into FOX coverage of the Daytona 500. John Roberts hosts, with Kyle Petty and Kenny Wallace sharing their observations as teams prepare for The Great American Race. Wendy Venturini and Hermie Sadler lead a team of SPEED RaceDay voices reporting from all around the race track. - speedtv pr

CONCORD, N.C. -- Get ready for Chad Knaus like you've never seen him, folks.

We're talking 4 a.m. We're talking Chad in his pajamas.

We're talking the first episode of the all-access HBO series 24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona, which will air this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on the pay-per-view cable network. The four-week series of 30-minute shows will conclude just two days after the running of the 2010 Daytona 500.

This is the first time the 24/7 franchise has ventured beyond the boxing world, where it has captured seven Emmy awards for shows detailing the lives of boxers and what they go through as they prepare for a big fight. The plan is to offer the same kind of insight into what a championship driver and team must do to ready themselves for the biggest race in NASCAR.

"They were at my house at 4 o'clock in the morning a couple weeks ago to watch me get up out of bed, so that was kind of unique," Knaus said of the HBO film crew. "But they're a good group and it's been a lot of fun. I think people are going to see some pretty neat insight."

Johnson, the four-time defending Sprint Cup champion, pled innocence on having anything to do with the bright camera lights shining on Knaus in his PJs.

"He agreed to it, for whatever reason," said Johnson, laughing. "So he can blame himself. He can't blame me.

"He needs to learn how to say no, I guess."

Actually, when the idea for the series was first broached with Knaus, the crew chief did say no. He wanted nothing to do with it, worrying mostly about the possibility of allowing competitors to gain a closer look at some of the secrets that have permitted driver Johnson and the No. 48 team to go on their unprecedented run of championships.

Johnson said it was left up to him, and others, to talk Knaus into it.

"I think it's very easy to have sort of a knee-jerk reaction to a reality-based or documentary show," Johnson said. "What it took for me was to show him episodes of 24/7 and have him realize that it's more of a documentary than a reality show -- that this was a special opportunity to show what goes on behind the scenes.

"Showing him how they co-existed in NFL locker rooms [for the filming of Hard Knocks, another HBO sports reality franchise detailing what National Football League teams go through during a training camp] and amongst these fighters' camps helped him understand that this is pretty cool. And, of course, he was worried about trade secrets and things like that. Once he got involved and got his arms around that, he became much more comfortable with it."

Knaus said he came around to the idea pretty quickly after discussing it with Johnson and others.

"Immediately I said no. I was like, 'There's no way. We've got way too much sensitive information [involved] in the things that we do,' " Knaus admitted. "But when you sit back and you look at it, we talked about it and I think it's good for the company, I think it's good for Jimmie, I think it's good for our teammates. I think it's great for everybody involved and obviously for our sponsors.

"I also think it's great for attracting a new group of fans that might not typically be watching motorsports, people that focus maybe more on movies and things like that. Once I began to think about it like that, I was very quickly persuaded to go for it."

Knaus also laid down a few ground rules.

"We're not cutting anything out and saying, 'You can't shoot this.' But we've done a very good job of making sure that they shoot sensitive material from 20,000 feet -- as opposed to looking right into our engine compartment and seeing what our geometry is and what our chassis looks like," Knaus said. "They do a real good job of showing what's going on and giving people a good feeling of what we're doing -- without showing exactly what gears we're putting in the car and what suspension settings we're using, things of that nature."

The first episode will deal mostly with what goes on at the Hendrick Motorsports shop in terms of getting ready for the season-opening race. But it also will include footage from a test at Rockingham Speedway "when it was about 12 degrees," according to Knaus.

"I think what they've filmed so far is going to show sort of how we lay the foundation, where we put out there what we're doing here at the shop," Knaus said. "What's going to be cool as we get to the race track [in Daytona] is viewers are going to be able to see how we go about making the decisions that we do."

No human-interest angle will be overlooked, either. Johnson and his wife Chandra recently announced they are expected their first child in July. The driver noted that HBO has filmed plenty of footage of his wife as she has contended with some of the challenges related to the pregnancy.

"That will all be part of the show. They are with us at different times on different days, and Channie has had a tough go of it with morning sickness. You'll see her numerous times when she's just beat up. She has more good days than bad now, which is good, but we're making ourselves available and open," said Johnson, who added that he has been getting up most days at 5 a.m. to fix his lovely bride oatmeal, one of the few staples she has been able to handle at the breakfast table [of course then he goes back to bed].

The first episode was still being edited as of late last week and Johnson admitted he was getting antsy to see the finished product.

"What's weird is that I haven't seen anything," Johnson said. "They've collected reels and reels of footage, and that's starting to drive me a little crazy. All I keep hearing is wait until you see the first episode, because they're editing it now. I'm anxious to see it.

"They have so many more visual aids than when they do a boxing show. Boxers run, they train, they're sparring. That's all they have to show. There is so much more to show here. Their reaction to how cool it's going to be is neat to see -- but we can't see it just yet. We're all like, 'Damn, we want to see this!' "

Knaus said he thinks fans will enjoy seeing different sides of not him and Johnson, but also members of the 48 shop team and pit crew.

"It's difficult to be yourself, to a degree, when you know the camera is rolling. But I think we've done a pretty good job of it," Knaus said. "When you look at how I act, how Jimmie acts and how everybody on the crew interacts with everybody else, I think you're getting it pretty straight up. I mean, they got me in my pajamas getting up out of bed. I think that's about as real as it can get." - by joe menzer - www.nascar.com

SPEED and NASCAR have reached a multiyear agreement naming SPEED as the official television home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. As part of the deal, SPEED will continue to offer live coverage of special events leading up to the annual induction ceremonies, including nomination and voting days for each Hall class.

As part of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame opening on May 11, which SPEED will televise live, the network also will offer a special "walking tour" broadcast from the striking new Charlotte, N.C., facility just before it opens to the public, as well as extensive pre-event programming. Beginning in April, SPEED also will produce and air one-hour documentaries on each incoming NASCAR Hall of Fame class member. For more information on NHOF events, please visit www.NASCARHall.com. - speed tv

HBO Sports' groundbreaking 24/7 reality franchise presents its first non-boxing series with the all-access show 24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona. Debuting at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 26, the four-week series spotlights one of NASCAR's biggest stars and gives viewers an inside look at the driver and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team as they prepare for the Daytona 500.

Other half-hour episodes will air on subsequent Tuesdays -- Feb. 2, 9 and 16 -- in prime time at 10 ET/PT. The Feb. 16 series finale debuts two days after the Daytona 500, with cameras tracking all the drama and excitement surrounding Johnson and his team on race day.

All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand.

Liev Schreiber narrates.

• Other HBO playdates: Jan. 26 (2:15 a.m.), 27 (2:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 29 (7:30 p.m., 11:45 p.m.), 30 (11:00 a.m., 8:30 p.m. PT only, 11:30 p.m. ET only) and 31 (9:00 a.m.); and Feb. 1 (8:00 p.m., 12:15 a.m.), 2 (11:30 a.m.), 13 (11:00 p.m.) and 14 (8:00 a.m.)

• HBO2 playdates: Jan. 28 (9:45 p.m.) and 31 (5:45 p.m.); and Feb. 11 (12:25 a.m.)

• HBO On Demand availability begins Feb. 1. - official release

ESPN will air 14 Sprint Cup races this season, including nine of the 10 races in the Chase. ABC will air three prime time Saturday night races.

For the past three seasons, ESPN has aired six races, with 11 on ABC.

"Last year's performance showed us that ESPN provides the best home for NASCAR," said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content.

"ESPN further strengthens NASCAR's consistent start times message for the fans, and with the strong support of NASCAR across our multimedia platforms, we hope to build on that momentum in 2010."

"This is exciting news for NASCAR and our fans," said NASCAR Media Group president Paul Brooks. "The ESPN subscriber base is larger than ever at nearly 100 million, and the network has the proven ability to attract younger viewers.

"As the premier network during the most competitive time of the year for sports, having more NASCAR races on ESPN will create more exposure."

With 12 nights of college football, three Cup Series races and the Little League World Series U.S. championship game, ESPN is producing 16 consecutive weeks of prime time Saturday night sports for ABC.

"Saturday night racing on ABC benefits from the strong crossover between NASCAR and college football fans," Skipper said.

ESPN's 17-race coverage of the Cup Series begins with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and concludes with the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead.

All Cup Series race telecasts on the ESPN networks will continue to be preceded by NASCAR Countdown. With NASCAR's new 1 p.m. ET starting times for Sunday afternoon races in the Eastern and Central time zones, NASCAR Countdown will air on ESPN2 at noon prior to the 1 p.m. races during the NFL season. For other races, NASCAR Countdown will air on the same network as the race.

The entire Nationwide Series season will continue to appear on ESPN networks, with most on ESPN2 and selected races on ESPN and ABC. - official release

NASCAR on SPEED is back and bigger than ever.

Beginning Jan. 24, NASCAR fans will be given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to one of the sport's most successful teams as it prepares for the season-opening Daytona 500. SPEED and IMG Sports Media are working together on a series of four one-hour specials featuring Joe Gibbs Racing and giving fans a unique perspective of what it takes to be ready to perform in the Great American Race.

The JGR Countdown to the Daytona 500 will take viewers to previously restricted areas, including wind tunnel testing, the engine department and team plane.

JGR Countdown to the Daytona 500 schedule:
• Episode 1 -- 6 p.m. ET on Jan. 24
• Episode 2 -- 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 31
• Episode 3 -- 4 p.m. ET on Feb. 7
• Episode 4 -- 6 p.m. ET on Feb. 13

Daily NASCAR coverage returns to SPEED at 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 11 with the season premiere of NASCAR Race Hub. Adam Alexander and Randy Pemberton host the first episode, with a guest appearance from Toyota GM for Racing Development Lee White. NASCAR newcomer Danica Patrick will appear on Tuesday's show. In addition, SPEED will now offer a West Coast airing (11:30 p.m. ET) of the Hub all season long. For complete coverage of motorsports, The SPEED Report returns at 7 p.m. ET Sunday.

Later in the week, SPEED will be live from Daytona Beach and the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest. Entitled NASCAR 2010 Live from Daytona, shows will air at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 15 and 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 16. Daytona 500 winners Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are scheduled to appear.

For something a little different, SPEED will cover the Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge in Lake Placid, N.Y., with a group of NASCAR and NHRA drivers competing in modified bobsleds down the three-quarter mile, 16-turn Mount Van Hoevenberg track, site of the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games as well as the 2003 and 2009 World Bobsled Championships. The special will air at noon ET and at 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 31.

To close out January, SPEED will offer live coverage of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, featuring the top teams from NASCAR's Grand National and Elite divisions at famed Irwindale Speedway in California. Qualifying airs at 10 p.m. ET on Jan. 29 and race coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET on Jan. 30. - speedtv pr

Radio show shock jock and part time race car driver 'Bubba the Love Sponge' will make his TNA Wrestling debut tonight at 8:00 PM eastern on SPIKE TV as the show's new 'Backstage Interviewer'.

Bubba's long time friend Hulk Hogan will be making his return to professional wrestling on tonight's show and who better than Bubba to report the action backstage. The entire wrestling community will be tuned in to see the fireworks in the ring and backstage when the Hulkster and 'Bubba the Love Sponge' take over the TNA set. - John 'Captain Thunder' Nevins - www.CaptainThunderRacing.com

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP)—Travis Pastrana ended up in the water again.

The daredevil shattered the world record for the longest jump in a rally car on Thursday night, making a nearly perfect flight of 269 feet from the Pine Street Pier onto a barge anchored in the harbor.

“It was a wild ride,” said the wild man of action sports.

His Subaru skidded sideways after landing and slammed into a safety wall at the end of the barge, but Pastrana emerged unscathed. He ran up the landing ramp and did a backflip into the water in front of a crowd estimated at 20,000.

This time, his splashdown was well-received.

“It’s soft,” Pastrana joked about his penchant for jumping into the water. “It was a lot colder than I anticipated.”

He broke the old record by 98 feet.

“The flight was awesome,” the 26-year-old daredevil said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

After teasing the crowd of several thousand with a warmup run down the 1,000-foot run-in and up the takeoff ramp, Pastrana did it for real, flying across approximately 220 feet of water to the landing ramp on the barge just a few minutes after midnight EST.

Pastrana said he skidded at the end because the dew had set in about 10 minutes before he took off. Had he landed straight and stopped before the wall, he planned to spin doughnuts in celebration.

Asked about the condition of his car, he laughed and said, “Good-ish. It’s not a submarine, so I think that’s good.”

The old record was 171 feet set by Pastrana’s Subaru teammate, Ken Block, in a rally car in November 2006. Pastrana wanted to break that mark by more than 100 feet.

He came close.

“There’s a 40-foot window where I wasn’t going to break or die,” he said, “and I hit it right in the middle.”

The stunt was the latest in Red Bull’s New Year, No Limits series.

Pastrana was the first to do a double backflip on a motorcycle, and he’s gone on to win four straight Rally America championships.

As part of his Nitro Circus TV show, he’s done such crazy stunts as riding dirt bikes off a ramp into the Grand Canyon and parachuting the rest of the way down; and jumping out of a plane without a parachute, confident that a fellow skydiver with a parachute who jumped out at the same time would catch up to him and guide him to earth.

“This is one of the cooler feelings, just to be part of something so huge,” he said. “It was kind of pass or fail. It was just a really good time and trying to push the envelope of what’s possible in a car.” - AP