DAYTONA BEACH -- There's a big premiere party scheduled tonight in downtown, and Michael Cherry will be one of the stars of the show.

Michael who? Cherry is a 20-year-old race driver from Tampa whose biggest claim to fame to this point was running wheel-to-wheel with radio personality Tom Clem, who is better known as "Bubba The Love Sponge."

But life as Cherry knows it -- as a struggling stock-car racer -- could change dramatically in the next eight weeks.

Cherry is one of 10 finalists in a reality show called "Changing Lanes," which premieres tonight at 8 on BET.

Cherry, other contestants from the show and several NASCAR officials will celebrate the premiere -- complete with a red carpet -- at The Arena Sports Cafe at 176 N. Beach St. The gala is open to the public.

The show is patterned after reality shows like "Big Brother" and "The Real World," with contestants living in the same house and being eliminated one at a time.

Tonight's premiere will set the stage for the rest of the series. Thirty hopefuls from NASCAR's Diversity Program will battle for 10 spots in the community house.

Cherry can't say much about the show, but he did acknowledge he was part of the final 10, who all fit into stock-car racing's diversity profile.

"There were five guys and five women," Cherry said. "Among the guys, there are three African-Americans and two Latinos." The days were long, sometimes from 5:30 a.m until 9 p.m. Much of their time was spent logging laps and getting expert instruction at the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. "It was pretty exhausting," Cherry said. "But we all got to know each other. We are all friends -- away from the track." The show is the brainchild of Max Siegel, who managed Dale Earnhardt Inc. for a couple years and now owns his own business, the 909 Group, plus Revolution Racing.

"You couldn't ask for better people to race for," Cherry said. "Max knows this stuff."

Siegel said he could have worked with any number of cable networks on this project, including Speed and ESPN, but decided on BET to expose NASCAR racing to a new audience.

"Strategically, for the first run of this show, this was the best fit," Siegel said. "It's no secret we're targeting the African-American population. BET reaches into 90 million homes.

"It brings credibility that NASCAR would partner with that network. It's a great place to start and make a statement and hit a focus group of people."

Cherry may not reach the cable star status of, say, "The Situation" from "Jersey Shore," but he knows fame is a vital part of a high-profile race career.

"The biggest thing is getting the fan base," he said. "Once you get a fan base, your career will get better. It takes sponsorship, but it also takes publicity."

NASCAR SHAKEUP:

NASCAR is in the process of turning its public relations unit into an integrated marketing communications department.

Three areas that will see greater communications resourcing and organizational focus include: brand and consumer marketing; digital and social media strategy and activation; and strategic collaboration with industry stakeholders.

NASCAR is headhunting for a chief communications officer.At the end of this season, current department head Jim Hunter will assume a new role as VP of special projects. Managing director of corporate communications Ramsey Poston has elected not to pursue a role within the new structure after 2010.