When USA Network decided to leverage NASCAR to promote DAMNATION – its new television series about America’s heartland in the 1930s that premieres at 10 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 7 – it seemed natural to pick Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).
The gregarious 38-year-old from Emporia, Kansas, is an active ranch owner and farmer who in life and racing never ventures far from his rural roots. Few in the sport relish America’s heartland and history more than the eight-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winner who replaced three-time series champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 machine after Stewart retired from driving upon the conclusion of the 2016 season.
“We think Clint and his fans will really love DAMNATION,” said Jason Holzman, SVP and Head of Creative, USA Network and SYFY. “Set in the heartland of Depression-era America, the series tells the story of people who took on big government and big business in a fight for our country’s future. We can’t wait to introduce the action and excitement of DAMNATION to the NASCAR track.”
Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford Fusion will carry a red and grey paint scheme promoting the television series during the Can-Am 500k race weekend Nov. 10-12 at Phoenix Raceway.
“This sounds like it’s going to be a pretty cool television show,” said Bowyer, who said he plans to watch the series premiere Tuesday. “I know NASCAR fans will tune in. If we can run well at Phoenix and get the show a lot of attention, we’ll deliver an even bigger audience for the folks at USA Network.”
DAMNATION is an epic saga about the secret history of the 1930s American heartland, focusing on the mythic conflict and bloody struggle between big money and the downtrodden. Tuesday’s pilot introduces Seth Davenport (Killian Scott), a man masquerading as a small-town Iowa preacher in the hopes of starting a full-blown insurrection against the status quo.Focused on his mission, he is unaware that an industrialist tycoon has hired a professional strikebreaker named Creeley Turner (Logan Marshall-Green) to stop the uprising by any means necessary. Unbeknownst to those around them, these two men already share a secret and bloody past.
The series also stars Sarah Jones, Chasten Harmon, Melinda Page Hamilton, Christopher Heyerdahl and Joe Adler. From executive producers Tony Tost (Longmire), Adam Kane (American Gods), James Mangold (Logan) Guymon Casady (Game of Thrones) and Daniel Rappaport (Office Space) on behalf of Entertainment 360, the pilot was written and created by Tost and directed by Kane. Universal Cable Productions co-produces the series with Netflix, which will have first-run rights to the series outside of the U.S.
Bowyer should be near the front of the field in the Can-Am 500k. He owns two top-five and six top-10 finishes in 24 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix, and he comes to the penultimate race of the year hungry for a win, having come tantalizingly close already in 2017 with three second-place finishes and two third-place drives, the most recent coming Oct. 29 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
The Can-Am 500k can be seen live on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST and heard live on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Bowyer said there’s an added bonus of having the new series on his car at Phoenix.
“I already think the title DAMNATION is pretty cool,” he laughed. “I get to say the word ‘damnation’ now and nobody can get mad at me for cursing.”
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