NORTH HIGHLANDS, California – After months of preparation and testing, Rob Dixon’s RTD Motorsports, Inc., with driver Mike Gallegos, is ready to tackle the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series West opener Saturday night.
The 25-year old Gallegos will compete in the #34 RTD Motorsports Chevrolet in the Toyota Napa Auto Care 150 at All American Speedway in Roseville, CA. A sellout crowd is expected for the event.
Gallegos, of Wheat Ridge, CO, has a long-standing friendship and association with Dixon. 2008 will mark Dixon’s debut as a car owner and Gallegos was his obvious choice for his first driver.
Dixon’s roots trace back to Colorado and his work with driver Rick Carelli. Dixon has also worked with Bill McAnally Racing, Thompson Motorsports, and Justin Lofton, earning a reputation as one of the top fabricators and crew chiefs in the business.
RTD Motorsports is partnered with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity initiative, which places minority and female drivers into top NASCAR development rides. This will be Gallegos’ fourth season in the program.
A Drive for Diversity driver has never won a NASCAR Camping World Series race, but Gallegos seems poised to be the first.
His career began in 1998 in karting. Gallegos then advanced through the Legends ranks quickly and in 2001 became the youngest Late Model driver in Colorado history.
Gallegos’ best season was in 2006, when he finished seventh in the NASCAR Midwest Series. He concluded the season with a 12th place finish in the prestigious Toyota All-Star Showdown.
A part-time schedule of West Series races in 2007 prepared him for the full 2008 slate.
Racing action will kick off Friday night with practice and testing, with qualifying and the 150 lap feature to take place on Saturday.
