Part 2 - NASCAR Corona Series - Jorge Arteaga
The NASCAR Corona Series (formerly NASCAR Mexico Corona Series) is the most important stock car racing series in Mexico. In 2007, NASCAR became the sanctioning body of the series. Jorge Arteaga was voted the NASCAR Most Popular Driver for the series in 2009.
NASCAR Race Mom: Thank you for taking the time to let us know a bit more about yourself and your series. What does winning the NASCAR Most Popular Driver award mean to you?
Jorge Arteaga: Winning the NASCAR Corona Series most popular driver last year means a lot to me. It was only my second season racing in NASCAR and to be honest it came as a complete surprise. I was never the fastest runner or the strongest child in school but I followed my passion of racing and became a driver in Mexico's biggest racing series. To win this award, voted for by the public made me think that I made the right choice in my career and they support what I am doing.
I love racing, the adrenaline, the passion and the engineering, but I also feel like part of my responsibility of being able to race and be an icon to people is to lead by example. This is why I have set up the Equipo Nutricion (Nutrition Team) to help those in Mexico who need it. Mexico has various problems with nutrition, all affecting the body and mind in different ways. Not only do I donate 12 tonnes of food after each race to those who need it but I give them a talk about the importance of eating a balanced diet (believe it or not it's cheaper to buy prepared junk food here than to make a healthy meal) and show them simple ways of cooking healthy meals. We also have a problem with obesity, especially in children, so I am also visiting schools to teach children in an informal and exciting way about eating healthily.
Returning back to answer the question, the reason I’m so proud to be the most popular driver in Mexico is because I feel like my campaign to help improve Mexico little-by-little is being recognized, the next step is to get more fans to join me in my actions so we can really make a difference in Mexico.
NASCAR Race Mom: How has your 2010 season been going?
Jorge Arteaga : My 2010 season so far has been a rollercoaster, statistically it's been my best start to a season but I have been struck with a lot of bad luck. I started with a top ten finish, but that was after a refueling miscalculation that meant I ran out of fuel and had to make another refueling stop with just two laps to go. The car felt stronger than before . . . I was really confident for the season, but the second race was a disaster.
I was shunted from behind before I even got to the first corner and my car was badly damaged. After hard work from my team, 30 laps later I re-entered the race and stayed focused to earn some points for the race.
Race three was problematic because I had fuel cell problems which led to poor performance exiting corners and overheating but I managed to hold on for my second top ten of the season. Unfortunately for the fourth race we fixed the fuel cell problem but it lead to another problem with my car overheating and I had to retire 2/3 into the race.
I always take time to get going in the season and I’m sure I must have used up all my bad luck for this season already, so I’m confident that with my team behind me I’ll be back battling for the podium in no time.
As of May 22, 2010, Jorge Arteaga is eighteenth in the NASCAR Corona Series Championship points. His last race, “The Pennzoil 200 at Autódromo de Chiapas” was the first night race in the series history. The event drew 25,000 fans, including Juan Sabienes Guerrero, the Governor of the state of Chiapas. More than 50 portable lights were brought in to light pit road and the track.
The NASCAR Corona Series will be visiting Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 6, 2010 for race five of the fourteen race schedule. NASCAR Race Mom will be rooting for the NASCAR Corona Series Most Popular Driver, Jorge Arteaga!
NASCAR Race Mom wishes that she could attend - it promises to be an exciting NASCAR event.
You can connect with Jorge Arteaga on Facebook by
clicking here.
