DENVER, NC (2/27/2006) - Ten Challengers will be competing this coming weekend, March 3rd and 4th, in the final round of The All-American Driver Challenge (AADC) in Hickory, NC to win a full-paid contract to drive in the USAC Carolina/Virginia Ford Focus Midget Series.

After months of qualifying, 100 Challengers from across the country competed in the semi-finals of the AADC at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Atlanta on February 4th and 5th. Two days of racing on both a road course and oval track as well as interviews by a panel of judges including Beast Chassis founder, Bob East; sports journalist, Bones Bourcier; sports announcer and host, Rick Benjamin; AADC owner/promoter, Tracy Trotter; AADC crew chief, Gary Huffman; current AADC driver, Robbie Ray, and sports marketing professionals from Moving Ideas, Inc., narrowed the field down to just 10 drivers who were asked to advance to the final round.

On Friday, March 3rd, the first day of the final competition, the final 10 Challengers will receive an on-track orientation and instruction on the midget as well time to interact with the judges. On Saturday from noon until dusk, each Challenger will have their chance behind the wheel where the judges will be evaluating them on their ability to handle the car and to communicate how the car is performing as well as other areas of talent.

The finalists in order of appearance in attached photo are as follows: From l-r in front row: Jessie Morrison from Silver Springs, MD; Justin Larson from Safety Harbor, FL; Bradley Riethmeyer from Hutto, TX; Tyler Church from Hickory, NC and Josh Kinser from Bloomington, IN. And in the back row from l-r: Jon Laski from Zionsville, IN; Viktor Sinzig from Cupertino, CA; Preston Peebles from Lubbock, TX; Michael Sboro From Mooresville, NC and Michael Umscheid from Cedar Park, TX.

Drivers began qualifying for the AADC on July 1, 2005, 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.

In addition to a driving contract, 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. Simpson Performance Products, well-known manufacturer of safety apparel and equipment to the motorsports community, will be providing the AADC winner with a complete driver uniform including embroidered racing suit, helmet, gloves and shoes.

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. Qualifying for the 2007 competition will begin in May 2006. The All-American Driver Challenge is presented by Calico Coatings and other participating sponsors and endorsed by USAC. For more information, please visit www.allamericandriver.com or call 1.800.861.6491.