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Arteaga Set For East Debut

Jorge Arteaga did not stop working after his race last week at Puebla in the NASCAR Mexico Series.  That's because Arteaga needed to get ready for his U.S. debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire Friday.

Arteaga will follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Carlos Contreras, Ruben Pardo and Rogelio Lopez. Pardo became the first Mexican-born driver to win in the series in 2006 with his victory on the road course at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., and Lopez was the first to win on an oval with his victory at Memphis' Music City Motorplex in 2007.

Arteaga has the right perspective concerning his debut race.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time," Arteaga said. "I will have Mike Vazquez and Carlos Contreras there to support me. Mike will be spotting for me and Carlos will be there to help me with his vast experience racing in the US. We're just going to try to run a smart race and gain experience. We want to learn from the car and the track and our goal is simple, to just finish the race in one piece. If we can just do that we can surprise many and potentially score a solid finish".

In addition to his on-track endeavors, Arteaga has created and successfully run a program called Equipo Nutricion (in its 2nd year), translates to Team Nutrition, where he and his sponsors donate 12 tons of food per NASCAR Mexico event to local food banks in each race city. Plans for Team Nutrition in the US are being finalized and in the coming weeks Jorge will be making an announcement regarding upcoming donations and race events.

Arteaga continued: "I will be racing with Troy Williams of TW Motorsports. Mike worked with Troy on the opportunity and just a few days ago we were able to secure it. We will be racing with the number 12, a Dodge, which coincidentally was the make and number that Ruben Pardo made his debut in 2006. I will also benefit from the support of my NASCAR Mexico sponsors: La Huerta, Red Baron Pizza, International, Pennzoil and ESTO."

On his part, Vazquez said: "Our project, FCV Racing, has always been about NASCAR racing on both sides of the border. I started as a team owner in 1999 in the former Busch Series and helped work on the NASCAR Mexico project from its inception. The idea was to expand the US fan base by bringing Hispanic talent and adding a little spice to NASCAR, while also taking the excitement of NASCAR Racing to Mexico and Latin America. We've had the opportunity to work with Carlos Contreras and Ruben Pardo, and now we are very proud have Jorge follow in their footsteps to gain crucial experience on some of NASCAR's most famed and challenging short tracks. I'm sure this will be the first of many events for Jorge and Equipo Nutricion in the US".

“It's a dream come true to be able to race in the US," Arteaga said. "My goal is to eventually race in Daytona, but I know it's a long process. This is a crucial first step to get to Daytona. I want to thank my sponsors, my family and all my fans and friends who have supported me along the way for this great opportunity.

The race will be televised on SPEED on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. ET

Follow Jorge Arteaga on Twitter.com/JorgeArteaga49
For more information on Jorge Arteaga and Equipo Nutricion visit www.jorgearteaga.com.mx