Drive for Diversity
The 2006 Drive for Diversity driver roster was announced Monday by NASCAR Director of Diversity Tish Sheets. The program, which is managed by Access Marketing & Communications, will give eight ethnic and gender diverse drivers the opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. The drivers were chosen from a pool of more than 300 applicants.

"Through the team work and dedication of NASCAR and our program sponsors we are able to continue reaching our goal of providing a steady pipeline of talented individuals into the sport," said Greg Calhoun, president and CEO of Access Marketing & Communications. "Once again, we are excited to have such skilled, ambitious drivers on our roster. They have truly earned their position in the program and we wish them much success."

"We are thrilled with the opportunities that the Drive for Diversity program has created for diverse drivers and crew members over the past two years," Sheets said. "It is through the support of the entire industry that programs like this can succeed in helping to further diversify NASCAR."

The Drive for Diversity program was founded in 2004 to help develop diverse and female drivers and crew members and is endorsed as NASCAR's leading on-track diversity initiative. Nineteen applicants were chosen to participate in the Drive for Diversity Testing & Evaluation Combine last October. They were observed during various on-track test sessions and off-track interviews.

The following eight drivers were selected by their respective team owners to compete in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series this season:

• Chris Bristol, competing with Ken Schrader Racing, is a Columbus, Ohio, native who made history as the first black to win a race at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Caraway (N.C.) Speedway. He had three wins, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 2005.

• Brianne Cronrath of Fleetwood, Pa., participated in the Drive for Diversity program in 2005 competing at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. This season she will join Spraker Racing Enterprises.

• Allison Duncan will drive for Richard Childress Racing in 2006. Duncan, from San Rafael, Calif., has been with the Drive for Diversity program since its initial season in 2004. Last year she became the first Drive for Diversity participant to win a race and the first woman to win at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway.

• Marc Davis of Mitchellville, Md., will join Joe Gibbs Racing. In 2005 he competed at Summit Point (W. Va.) Raceway and Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway where he became the NASA Road Course Points Championship in the Super Unlimited Division.

• Paul Harraka will compete with Spraker Racing Enterprise. The Fairlawn, N.J., native had 20 wins in the World Karting Association and Stars of Karting Series in 2005. He is a seven time World Karting Association National Champion.

• Jessica Helberg of Petaluma, Calif., competed at various tracks across the west coast in 2005, earning four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. She will drive for drag racing icon Frank Pedregon in 2006.

• Jesus Hernandez of Fresno, Calif., returns for his second season as a Drive for Diversity participant. He finished 2005 with one top-five and six top-10 finishes. He will join MB2 Motorsports in 2006.

• Peter Hernandez from Blue Island, Ill., competed in the Mid-American Stock Car Series in 2005, finishing first in points with 14 top-five finishes. This season he will compete with Bill McAnally Racing.