WIN Series: Johanna Long

Johanna Takes on Homestead

Johanna Long, a native of Pennsicola, Fla., began racing go-karts at the age of 8. Then she moved up to Legends cars. She then moved on to the Pro Late Model division as a 15-year-old at her home track of Five Flags Speedway.

She will attempt to bring home a great finish under the lights as she competes in the Camping World Truck Series' season finale tonight at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Long will be driving her Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR’s Ford 200, making her first appearance at the 1.5-mile oval.

Long has been driving since she was 5 years old. She is a former Blizzard Series Champion on the Gulf Coast. Several top teams have showed much interest in the teen driver, and she has given them good reason. Homestead-Miami is Long’s seventh career start in the NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series. In her previous six starts, Long has two top-20 finishes.

She qualified for Friday night's race in 21th position with Jennifer Jo Cobb in 32nd. Prior to qualifying, Long spoke with me in a short phone interview via Skype. Below you will find the link to the unedited interview. I hope you enjoy this first-time interview for the WIN Series.

WIN Series Pre-Qualifying Interview with NCWTS driver Johanna Long

The #20 Toyota Tundra is also sporting a decal depicting the43rd Annual Snowball Derby. Long stated in a recent interview, “I'm excited to have the Snowball Derby decal on the truck this weekend. Late models are my roots, my comfort zone and my first love, so it's nice to be able to showcase the Derby where I'm racing now - the Truck Series. The Snowball Derby is a tough week of racing, and I look forward to it every year. A lot of people know me from the Derby and the Blizzard Series - so it's nice to show where I came from in the sport. I'm looking forward to shedding some light on these races, as well as my home track of Five Flags Speedway. Plus, it might give me a little luck going into the weekend!"

It’s Long’s hope to move into 2011 with momentum from a great finish at the Miami track. This could potentially pave the way for her to debut in 2011 as her rookie year with the support of the right sponsors, some good luck and the continued support of her growing fan base.

Race Results:

Johanna finished in 20th position. A great finish for the 2011 Rookie hopeful. I will be posting a more in-depth interview on Johanna for the readers of S&S and the fans of Johanna Long. Link will be posted on Twitter when post is ready to read.