DENVER, NC (1/9/2006) - More than 25,000 qualifying laps have been counted, and 104 Challengers from across the country have been invited to advance to the semi-finals of The All-American Driver Challenge (AADC) at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games (AIK&G) in Atlanta, GA on February 4th-5th.

These talented young men and women will be traveling from as far as Los Angeles and Miami to spend two days at AIK&G proving that they have what it takes to be the next All-American Driver. All Challengers will be judged in several areas, including:

• Driving Talent (using USAC rules)
• Communication Skills
• Media Presence
• Physical Fitness/Personal Character

Drivers began qualifying for the AADC on July 1, competing for a fully paid contract to drive in the 2006 Carolina/Virginia USAC Midget Series. Open qualifying was held at go karting facilities around the country and ended on December 15th. Challengers were asked to submit their top 100 laps with the top 10 Challengers from each of the 10 regions advancing to the semi-final round.

The winner of the AADC will also receive a three-day racing school at the Derek Daly Performance Racing Academy in Las Vegas courtesy of www.Racingschools.com, the world's largest single source of auto racing school information.

"We were initially only going to take the top 100 Challengers, but the change in temperature over the past few months at several of our Affiliate tracks changed the qualifying conditions dramatically - in some cases, they were running up to a second slower." said Brian Moates, Program Director for The All-American Driver Challenge. "So, in the spirit of fairness, we decided to invite all Challengers who completed the required 100 laps to advance to the semi-finals. We have a tremendous pool of talent so far and we're looking forward to seeing how the Challengers perform at the semi-finals."

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 26 were invited to enter the AADC and earn their way to becoming the next American racing hero. 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 www.allamericandriver.com or call 1.800.861.6491.