Indy car racer and NBCSN Verizon IndyCar Series analyst Townsend Bell is the host of "What’Cha Got” – seven weekly episodes airing Sundays during ESPN FC on ESPN2 beginning Oct. 19.
The short episodes feature six MLS players swapping their daily rides for a turn behind the wheel of a Lamborghini on a circuit in the parking lot of an MLS stadium. The Eastern and Western Conference players with the best time will compete in the final, airing Dec. 7, with a year-long lease of the Lamborghini as the prize.
“We are happy to launch our first season with Major League Soccer and Continental Tire,” said Bell, an eight-time starter in the Indianapolis 500. “It was a great experience to share my racing passion with these athletes. I’m excited for soccer fans as they watch some of the best athletes in the sport take on the challenge of driving at the limit. With a supercar on the line for the fastest driver, they really go for it.”
Among the MLS players competing in “What’Cha Got” is US World Cup midfielder Graham Zusi of Sporting Kansas City. Others participating are: Chandler Hoffman of LA Galaxy, Sean Johnson, of the Chicago Fire, Stephen Keel of FC Dallas, Giles Barnes of the Houston Dynamo and Dan Kennedy of Chivas USA.
Future seasons of “What’Cha Got” could include athletes from the NFL NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.
“It makes you think about the other motor skills athletes in different disciplines have perfected and how they’d translate to competitive driving, and that’s something we want to explore,” Bell told RACER.com.
“When you’re in a tight course in a powerful car, it’s all about instincts and physical control—coordination of your hands and feet, and as a professional racer, these are the tools of the trade—you almost take them for granted, so I got a kick out of how adaptable some athletic skills are across all sports. We hope to see how football, basketball, and baseball players fit into that dynamic.”