ARRANQUE DE PASIÓN, LA HISTORIA DE ELA, a NASCAR Webnovela, Has Premiered

Today marks the the U.S. and Puerto Rico premiere of Univision Studios' ARRANQUE DE PASIÓN, LA HISTORIA DE ELA, an original webnovela written and directed by Gazcón Fazi and produced exclusively for Univision’s online and mobile properties. Starring internationally acclaimed television and motion picture actress Kate del Castillo as well as popular leading men Carlos Ponce and Christian Meier, ARRANQUE DE PASIÓN, LA HISTORIA DE ELA, a NASCAR-themed drama, is a co-production between Univision Studios and Kate Del Castillo Productions, Inc., in association with NASCAR.

Ela (Kate del Castillo) is a talented NASCAR driver who has been playing second fiddle to her long-time boyfriend, and teammate, Jordi (Christian Meier). When Ela wins the prestigious pole position at the world famous Daytona 500, she infuriates Jordi who, in spite of their relationship, is out for his own glory and resents being upstaged by a woman. But before the big race, and on his way to join a rival team, Jordi is involved in an accident which puts him in the hospital and unable to race for weeks. This leaves an opening on Ela’s team which is filled by Checo (Carlos Ponce), the team’s crew chief and Jordi’s brother, who in fact, surprises the racing world by taking home the win at the Daytona 500. Jordi’s anger and resentment escalate as Ela and Checo begin to win races and become a true team, both on and off the track. When Jordi returns to racing, now on a rival team, the competition really heats up and sparks fly as Checo battles Jordi, and his own conscience, over falling in love with his brother’s girlfriend. Will family loyalty supersede love, or will the competition off the track prove too heated for Ela and Checo to cross the emotional finish line? This is one race that won’t only be decided by the checkered flag.

“Univision Studios is pleased to partner with Kate del Castillo Productions, Inc. to debut a compelling webnovela that takes place in the exhilarating world of NASCAR,” said Luis Fernandez, president of Univision Studios. “This new webnovela will allow us to continue our commitment of offering Hispanic America culturally relevant content across platforms, including online and on mobile.”

A new five-to-seven minute webisode will be released at midnight ET, beginning on April 1, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Univision.com/ArranqueDePasion website will also provide compelling behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive content, character bios, webisode previews and recaps, trivia and much more for users to engage with before, during and after each webisode.

“NASCAR is laser focused on continuing to expose our sport to Hispanic audiences in relevant ways, and the development of original projects is a way to meet Hispanic audiences where they’re at and through the prism of their interests,” said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR’s vice president of entertainment marketing and business development.” ‘Arranque de Pasion, La Historia de Ela,’ is the perfect way to bring the excitement and passion of NASCAR to Univision viewers, and we’re very excited about the project.”

Watch the first episode here. You have the option to turn on English captions.