Monday night on Fox has become a place for breakneck action, with the pairing of “Prison Break” and “24.”

Now that “Prison Break” has wrapped for the season, in races a worthy successor.

Hard as it is to figure out from the title, “Drive,” which premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday, is about cars and the people who abuse them.

No, it’s not the inevitable NASCAR drama. “Drive” (which moves to its regular 8 p.m. Monday timeslot April 16) is about an illegal, underground cross-country road race and the people taking part, some willingly, some not.

Put Alex Tully (Nathan Fillion, from the late lamented “Firefly”) in the latter category. His wife has disappeared, and Alex receives a cell phone call inviting him to enter The Race, with his wife the prize should he win. Along the way, he picks up an unwanted partner, Corinna Wiles (Kristin Lehman), whom he discovers that he needs.

Others have their own reasons for racing. New mother Wendy Patrakas (Melanie Lynskey) wants to escape her overbearing husband. Scientist John Trimble (Dylan Baker) is using the race to connect with his rebellious 15-year-old daughter Violet (Emma Stone). Ex-con Winston Salazar (Kevin Alejandro) wants a fresh start, and also sees a chance to bond with his half-brother Sean (J.D. Pardo). Three New Orleans refugees want to use the rumored $32 million prize to help rebuild their city.

So they all race from checkpoint to checkpoint, without even Mr. Bright (Charles Martin Smith), The Race liaison, able to fill them in on much detail.

The viewers are as much in the dark as the contestants. Who are these drivers, and why were they chosen? Who’s there voluntarily, and who’s there under duress? What’s the grand plan behind The Race?

With its fast pace and offbeat characters, “Drive” grabs the viewers right from the beginning. Many will stick around for the finish line. Let’s just hope that Fox doesn’t cut The Race short.