With Spectacular Return of Kate Del Castillo in “Arranque De Pasion, La Historia De Ela”
Five Week Web Novela Premieres on Univision.com/Arranquedepasion on April 1st
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2013) – NASCAR and Univision will make history on April 1 as “Arranque de Pasión, La Historia de Ela,” the first-ever sports-themed original project for the leading media company serving Hispanic America, debuts in the U.S. and Puerto Rico on Univision.com. Following five consecutive weeks of three new five-to-seven-minute episodes, this NASCAR-themed drama will air an edited version in a special primetime network television debut on Univision on Sunday, May 5.
Earlier that day, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will also celebrate its return to the famous Talladega Superspeedway with the 44th running of the Aaron’s 499 (FOX and FOX Deportes, 1 p.m. ET).
“Arranque de Pasión, La Historia de Ela,” is a co-production between Univision Studios and Kate Del Castillo Productions, Inc., in association with NASCAR. The drama stars internationally acclaimed television and motion picture actress Kate del Castillo, who yesterday served as Honorary Starter for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., as well as leading men Carlos Ponce and Christian Meier. Shot at Homestead-Miami Speedway, “Arranque de Pasión, La Historia de Ela” is also NASCAR’s first-ever Spanish language original production.
“Novelas are a popular genre for Univision and Hispanic audiences, and we think NASCAR is a very exciting universe for storytelling and unique original projects like ‘Arranque de Pasión, La Historia de Ela,’” said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR vice president of entertainment marketing and business development. “We have developed a great relationship with Univision over the last several years, and this project is a wonderful opportunity to introduce Univision’s millions of online and television viewers to the excitement and passion of NASCAR.”
Following the premiere on Monday, April 1, a new episode will be released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, midnight ET, for five consecutive weeks, culminating with the Univision network television special on Sunday, May 5. NovelasySeries.com will also provide compelling behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive content, character bios, previews, recaps, trivia and much more for users to engage with before, during and after each episode airs.
“Univision Studios is pleased to partner with NASCAR and Kate del Castillo Productions, Inc. to debut a compelling novela that takes place in the exhilarating world of NASCAR,” said Luis Fernandez, president of Univision Studios. “This new project will allow us to continue our commitment of offering Hispanic America culturally relevant content across platforms, including online and on mobile.”
NASCAR’s Los Angeles-based Entertainment Marketing division continues to focus on integrating NASCAR into mainstream pop culture through original productions, television show integrations and at-track celebrity appearances. In addition to “Arranque de Pasión,” other recent projects include Joey Logano appearing on Cartoon Network’s Hall of Game Awards, actor James Franco serving as Grand Marshal for the Daytona 500 and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart “guest-starring” on The Cleveland Show.
Viewers can join the conversation regarding this first-of-its-kind novela on Twitter via @Univision, @vivanascar and @NASCAR as well as comment along with others on Facebook.com/Univision.
For more information on “Arranque de Pasión, La Historia de Ela,” visit Univision.com.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series continues on Sunday, April 7 with the STP Gas Booster 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX) from Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series, both known for competition on road courses. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information, visit www.nascar.com and follow NASCAR at www.facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.
About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 96% of U.S. Hispanic households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 89% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to news, and an additional suite of six cable offerings – De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Distrito Comedia; UVideos, the first bilingual digital network serving Hispanic America; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company’s platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive, a network of products and offerings including Univision.com, which continues to be the No. 1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Móvil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit Univision.net.
