ITHACA - Picture a scene from a music video in which the setting reminds you of the local bar where everyone knows your name.

If Micawber's Pub on Aurora Streetis the first place that comes to mind, then former NASCAR short-track racer Daria Finn has achieved her goal.

The familiar backdrop, along with some familiar faces, will be featured in the soon-to-be-shot music video for “Are You Ready” - the title track from Finn's upcoming movie “2Fast4U.”

“We want to bring the movies back to Ithaca,” said Finn, who plans to use the pub as one of two filming sites for the music video. Stunts for the video will be shot at Chemung Race Track, Finn said.

Slowly but surely, hopeful dancers and extras filed into the pub, where Finn held auditions for the music video Saturday. For those who've got the moves and the look, an email confirming their spots in the video should arrive some time this week.

“It's cool to be involved in something in Ithaca like this,” said Yvonne Sain, a Cornell University senior and dance major.

After a quick overview of the dance steps from choreographer Roger Christian, Sain said it wasn't too difficult to learn. She said appearing in the video would be a good opportunity for her to get experience.

Finn said she was asked to shoot the video in Los Angeles, but chose to film in Ithaca because of the talent resources from CU and Ithaca College. She said Micawber's could become Ithaca's “Hollywood Café so to speak,” attracting actors who know they can network for opportunities through the pub.

Inspired by her own life experiences, the movie is a spin-off of the television pilot “Second Wind,” which Finn wrote about a novice female driver who conquers the male-dominated sport of auto racing. The pilot was a finalist in the drama category of the 2005 New York Television Festival and won the TV Guide online audience award, as well as the NAPTE MoTV Media Festival audience choice award in 2006.

Finn said she was driven to make the movie after receiving great response from the pilot. She said she would eventually like to shoot the “Second Wind” series in Ithaca and bring the same fame here as the television series “The Sopranos” brought to New Jersey and “The Wire” to Baltimore.

For Finn, who is originally from New Jersey, Ithaca's range of personalities and viewpoints make it the perfect backdrop for the work she'd like to accomplish.

“You just can't walk away from that kind of character,” she said of Ithaca.

Ron Brock, 35, is a NASCAR fan who showed up at the audition. He and his friend Rich Richardson hope to be in the video. “I like the concept of the movie and the video,” Richardson said. “I think the whole idea of a woman driving NASCAR is novel, a pretty cool idea.”

Danica Patrick's fourth-place finish in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 helped fuel demand for the movie and television series, Finn said.

“Yes it's about a woman, but it's also about people who fight the odds,” she said.

Contact:djeanbap@ithacajournal.com

Originally published February 27, 2006