Drew Barrymore First To Accept Jay Leno’s Green Car Challenge

First Published: September 4, 2009 6:43 PM EDT Credit: WireImage

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Oh no you didn’t! Drew Barrymore on the set of ‘Going The Distance’ in New York City on August 14, 2009Drew Barrymore’s new movie may find her hitting the skating rink for roller derby, but the “Whip It” director/star is ready to show off her racing skills on television.

Drew is the first to accept Jay Leno’s Green Car Challenge, Access Hollywood has learned. The actress will get behind the wheel of a high-powered electric car on the September 19 episode of “The Jay Leno Show” on NBC.

Jay’s new show debuts September 14, with Jerry Seinfeld serving as the first guest.

At the NBC TCA panel in August, Jay revealed to reporters that a number of stars were itching to try out the race track, built next to his new studio.

“I’ve told it to a number of stars and, as a matter of fact, even Tom Cruise called and said ‘Can I get in early and practice?’ I said ‘No, nobody gets to practice,’” Jay said at the time. “The fun thing about it, there’s a lot of people, [which] people want to see, perhaps athletes and people like this who are not good talkers but would be fun in this sort of environment – to see if Shaquille O’Neal is faster than Cameron Diaz.”

“Whip It,” Drew’s directorial debut, is due October 2.

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