Bradley Riethmeyer, a 22-year old senior at Texas A&M University, never imagined he'd get the chance of a lifetime when he registered to compete in The All-American Driver Challenge.

Bradley began his racing career at the tender age of nine driving Quarter Midgets. In 1996, he won three out of three races in the Quarter Midget Senior Stock Class. He then moved into Legends cars where he finished 1st in Young Lions Points and 6th in the overall national points standings. In 2000 and 2002 he ran in All Star Race Trucks and was 3rd in overall state points. Next, he moved into the ROMCO SLM Series where he took home the "Rookie of the Year" award in 2003. Then in 2004, he claimed the title of ROMCO Super Late Model Champion.

Though he had a successful year, he was unable to secure a sponsor for the quickly approaching 2006 season. Without a sponsor to help defray the cost of running his late model, the financial strain would be too great for his family to shoulder. At the end of the 2005 season, he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to forego his dream of racing – unless a sponsor could be found or some other opportunity to race presented itself. That's when The All-American Driver Challenge came into play.

Last December, Bradley was at a stock car race in San Antonio when one of the other competitors asked him if he had ever heard of the AADC. Though he knew nothing about the Challenge, he returned home and immediately went online to find out more. When he approached his father about the competition, he adamantly told Bradley not to enter. He feared it was another fly-by-night racing competition and didn't want Bradley to waste his time or money on something that wasn't proven.

He told his cousin, Michael Umscheid, a fellow stock car driver, about the competition. Despite his father's apprehension, they both decided to register. Bradley was at the karting track in Houston running his qualifying laps when his dad called to find out where he was. "When I told him I was in Houston, the first thing he said to me was, ‘you entered that driver challenge, didn't you?' And I said, ‘Yes, sir, I did.' Needless to say, he wasn't very happy with me but he understood my need to take the shot."

When Bradley made it to the semifinal round, his family, just like many others, was still apprehensive. In a sport where so much is promised but seldom delivered, it's easy to be suspicious of another new driver search and development competition. But, once the two-day competition began, it was evident to Bradley that the AADC was notably different.

"Yes, we had our doubts and suspicions," says Bradley. But it turned out to be one of the best and most fun experiences I've ever had in racing."

Bradley and nine other challengers were chosen to advance to the final round at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina, one of the most famous short tracks in the country. After two days behind the wheel, and among very stiff competition, Bradley was chosen as the first Champion of The All-American Driver Challenge.

"When I received the call from Tracy Trotter, I was in shock," says Bradley. "How I was feeling was virtually indescribable. I couldn't believe I had won!"

Bradley is currently running in the AADC midget in both the USAC Carolina Ford Focus Midget Series as well as the Midwest Focus Series. He will get his chance behind the wheel of the AADC late model car later in the season.

When asked what he'd tell anyone who is interested in entering the Challenge, he said, "It's a great opportunity for any young driver who wants to move up. Even if I hadn't won, I'd still be saying this. It was a great experience and I would encourage anyone to enter the challenge. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. If it weren't for The All-American Driver Challenge, I wouldn't be racing right now."