Bradley Riethmeyer (PR Photo)

The Kroger 200 could have special meaning to one rookie competitor when the green flag waves at Martinsville Speedway on October 21. Twenty two year old Bradley Riethmeyer, winner of the 2006 All-American Driver Challenge (AADC), will qualify to compete in his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. In a unique partnership between Robert Richardson Racing and the AADC, Riethmeyer will race in the No. 49 truck sporting a special AADC paint scheme.

"This is definitely a dream come true, to be lining up to qualify for a Craftsman Truck Series race against some of the top drivers in NASCAR," said Riethmeyer. "Racing has always been my passion and The All-American Driver Challenge gave me an opportunity to get to this level. I'm excited to take the green flag at Martinsville and see what happens."

Riethmeyer, a full-time college student at Texas A&M just a year ago, went against his parents' wishes and registered for the AADC, a virtually unknown driver development program at the time. Bradley began qualifying rounds at a Houston go-karting facility in the summer of 2005 and emerged as the fastest qualifier. Prior to entering The AADC, Riethmeyer, who hails from Hutto, Tex., had all but given up his professional racing aspirations after the cost of running late model cars became too expensive. But nine months later, after advancing from the top 100 drivers in the semi-finals at John Andretti's facility in Atlanta, he was crowned champion over nine other finalists at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. His prize was a fully-paid contract to drive in the 2006 USAC Carolina/Virginia Midget Series.

Riethmeyer made an immediate impact in the Midgets Series by winning the first event of the season in April. He went on to claim two victories in ten races and finished an impressive third in the final point standings, opening the eyes of Robert Richardson Racing and positioning himself to jump behind the wheel of the No. 49 truck.

"We knew the first time we saw Bradley compete in The All-American Driver Challenge USAC Midget at Hickory, he had a special talent," said Brian Moates, Executive Director of the AADC. "He's well equipped with all of the skills to succeed at this level and we're excited to see how he stacks up again the best drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series."

To capitalize on the buzz around Riethmeyer's Craftsman Truck Series debut, open qualifying for the second year of the AADC is being extended through November 15th (all Challengers must be registered by October 31st). This year's winner of the Driver Challenge will again receive an all-expenses-paid contract to drive in the 2007 USAC Carolina Ford Focus Midget Series and a partial schedule in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series.

The AADC is a driver development and search program that is geared toward fostering the best up-and-coming talent for a future career in a professional American racing series. All aspiring racecar drivers between the ages of 15 and 23 are invited to enter the AADC and earn their way to becoming the next American racing hero. Interested racers can go online to www.allamericandriver.com to register for the Driver Challenge (includes a $300 registration fee). Once registered, Challengers will go to one of 30 approved go-karting facilities across the country and begin running their qualifying laps.

Here's how the competition works:

Entrants will run their qualifying laps at one of the Driver Challenge affiliate karting facilities. Driver Challenge officials will average each entrant's top 100 laps.

The top three Challengers from each karting facility will be chosen to advance to the semifinals in January 2007, where they will be judged in the following six (6) areas:

• Driving talent
• Communication skills
• Media presence
• Physical fitness
• Personal character
• Mental acuity

The top 10 Challengers will advance to the final round in Hickory, N.C. in February, 2007. An elite panel of racing industry judges will award The All-American Driver Challenge Champion.

The All-American Driver Challenge was developed to find talented young drivers and provide them with a unique opportunity to begin a racing career in USAC. Challenge winners will be developed for the opportunity to advance to higher levels of racing including the USAC National Midget, Silver Crown, Sprint and NASCAR Late Model Weekly Racing Series. The All-American Driver Challenge is presented by Calico Coatings and other participating sponsors and endorsed by USAC. For more information on The All-American Driver Challenge, please visit http://www.allamericandriver.com.