| Ruben Pardo Estevez | |||||||
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| Born | June 18, 1979 Mexico City, Mexico |
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| Awards |
1996, 1997, & 1998 Superbikes 600 CC Champions 2000 Dodge Neon Series Champion 2002 Dodge Neon & Truck Champion 2006 Busch East Series Rookie of the Year 2006 Featherlite Most Improved Driver 2006 Hispanic Athlete of the Year |
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| NASCAR Nationwide Series career | |||||||
| Car no., team |
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| First race | 2007 Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 (Mexico City) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of July 4, 2007. | |||||||
Ruben Pardo (born June 18, 1979, in Mexico City), is a Mexican racecar driver. He currently drives the Family Dollar Dodge for Fitz Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch East Series, and part-time in the Nationwide Series. He is the brother of fellow NASCAR driver Carlos Pardo, who died in 2009.
Pardo began racing in motorcycles, eventually competing in the 600cc Superbikes Series. After three consecutive championships, he started driving stock cars in the Dodge Neon Series, finishing tenth in points for his rookie season. After graduating from college with a degree in Marketing, Pardo moved to the NASCAR Mexico Series, finishing second in championship points behind his brother. He began the 2005 season with two wins when he suffered injuries in a jet ski accident. In his first race back, a pair of fire extinguishers exploded beneath his driving seast, breaking both of his legs. After nearly having his foot amputated, Pardo was able to return to racing later that year, picking up an additional win.
In 2006, Pardo moved to the Busch Seast Series, where he was named Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Hispanic driver to win a NASCAR-affiliated award. His win in the season-ending race at Lime Rock Park made him the first minority to win a Busch East race. In addition to his full-time run in NASCAR Busch East Series this year, he has run a part-time schedule in the Busch Series. He made his debut in the #44 Family Dollar Dodge at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, starting 24th and finishing 41st due to handling problems. His next race came at Nashville Superspeedway, where a vibration forced him out after three laps. He will drive a part-time schedule for Fitz in 2008 in the Nationwide Series.