SPEED Road Tour Challenge
Encyclopedia
Speed Road Tour Challenge is a reality television
game show
(or "game opera
") that airs on the United States
cable
/satellite
network Speed Channel
. The host is Rutledge Wood
.
Four contestants travel together on a tour bus
, similar to those used on musical concert tours, as they travel between various race track
s that host NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series races. There are 13 episodes, each corresponding to the races on the NASCAR on Fox
schedule (Fox
and Speed Channel have the same parent company, News Corporation
). The series debuted on February 15, 2007 and the finale was held on May 24.
Each show has a reward challenge in which points are awarded to the contestants based on their performance. The winner of each challenge gets a reward related to NASCAR racing, the losers are punished (e.g. cleaning bathroom
s or disposing of garbage
at the track). The contestant with the most points at the end of the 13 weeks wins a job with Speed Channel.
During the competition, there were two cast changes. The first came when Eric Frega, a contestant from Riverside, California
, withdrew from the competition after the casting episode before the season began for reasons that were not disclosed. Then, after the Kobalt Tools 500
, Becky Patterson left the Challenge because she did not feel comfortable competing on the show.
On the season finale, John was announced as the winner of the Challenge. Wood implied that his job with the network would be as an intern
traveling with its production staff to the remaining races of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season
. Scott English of harlotte, North Carolina], finished second, followed by Carrie and Estee. Carrie joined the show after Becky dropped out, and John replaced Eric just before the start of competition.Actually John led the points after the half-way point in the show and never looked back winning a brand new Toyota Tundra and the SPEED job.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
(or "game opera
Game opera
A game opera is a type of television show that combines elements of game shows and reality television.The term was coined by Steve Beverly, a professor at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, an expert on game shows, and a webmaster of a site devoted to games. The phrase itself is a portmanteau...
") that airs on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
/satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
. The host is Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood, born in Birmingham, Alabama, is a roving auto racing analyst employed by Speed Channel. Wood is one of three hosts for the History Channel's Top Gear along with Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust, which premiered on November 21, 2010....
.
Four contestants travel together on a tour bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, similar to those used on musical concert tours, as they travel between various race track
Oval track
Oval track racing, also known as oval racing, is a form of closed-circuit automobile racing that is contested on an oval-shaped track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, almost universally left...
s that host NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
NEXTEL Cup Series races. There are 13 episodes, each corresponding to the races on the NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
schedule (Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and Speed Channel have the same parent company, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
). The series debuted on February 15, 2007 and the finale was held on May 24.
Each show has a reward challenge in which points are awarded to the contestants based on their performance. The winner of each challenge gets a reward related to NASCAR racing, the losers are punished (e.g. cleaning bathroom
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
s or disposing of garbage
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
at the track). The contestant with the most points at the end of the 13 weeks wins a job with Speed Channel.
During the competition, there were two cast changes. The first came when Eric Frega, a contestant from Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, withdrew from the competition after the casting episode before the season began for reasons that were not disclosed. Then, after the Kobalt Tools 500
2007 Kobalt Tools 500
The 2007 Kobalt Tools 500, the fourth race of the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Season, was held Sunday, March 18, 2007 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The race was won by Jimmie Johnson, his second consecutive win in the Nextel Cup.-Lineup:...
, Becky Patterson left the Challenge because she did not feel comfortable competing on the show.
On the season finale, John was announced as the winner of the Challenge. Wood implied that his job with the network would be as an intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
traveling with its production staff to the remaining races of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season
2007 in NASCAR
The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season began on February 10, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 18 of that same year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire...
. Scott English of harlotte, North Carolina], finished second, followed by Carrie and Estee. Carrie joined the show after Becky dropped out, and John replaced Eric just before the start of competition.Actually John led the points after the half-way point in the show and never looked back winning a brand new Toyota Tundra and the SPEED job.