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.

Read More

Johanna Long off to Homestead!

Long Hopeful for 2011 NASCAR Season; Brings a Little "Snowball" to Sunny Homestead-Miami Speedway at the Ford 200

18-year old makes first run at 1.5-mile oval; No.20 truck paintout to feature historic Snowball Derby

Mooresville, NC (November 15, 2010) - NASCAR driver Johanna Long, 18, is setting her sights on competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' season finale - the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway "under the lights" on Friday, Nov. 19. Driving the No.20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra, she'll be bringing a little "snowball" to sunny Miami by featuring a decal of the historic late model weekend - the 43^rd Annual Snowball Derby. Held at Five Flags Speedway from Dec. 1-5, Long, the defending Blizzard Series champion, will be driving her late model in the weekend's races. After Miami-Homestead (her seventh NCWTS attempt in 2010), Long is also hopeful for a rookie year in 2011 if the right marketing partner can come along.

Continuing the Girl Scouts partnership this year, Long will also take on two of the local Girl Scouts - from Girl Scouts Council of Tropical Florida - as "honorary pit crew" members for the team at the Ford 200. Long partnered at each track this year with a local council, speaking about her journey in motorsports, hard work and determination in whatever they choose to do in life. She will also have her "honorary pit crew" members cross the stage with her at driver introductions.

"I'm excited to have the Snowball Derby decal on the truck this weekend," said Long. "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!"

Long will make her seventh career NCWTS start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while juggling the preparations for the upcoming legendary Snowball Derby. A native of Pensacola, Fla., she began her racing career in go-karts at eight years old and then moved on to Legends cars. She then made the big jump to the Pro Late Model division as a 15-year-old at her home track of Five Flags Speedway. She posted three wins and became the youngest track champion - in the long history of Five Flags Speedway. She won at other tracks as well enhancing her racing reputation and move up another level to the Super Late Model division where she competed against and often beat her father Donald, an accomplished racer in the now-defunct All-Pro Series.

This season she made another major jump in the racing ranks, moving to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Panhandle Motorsport - running a limited schedule this year to gain track knowledge and experience on the Speedways. Her season-best finish of 17^th came at Indianapolis Raceway Park. She also has qualified among the top 20 in all six of her previous starts, with a top qualification of 9^th at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

"I have such great people around me this year, teaching me so much about the tracks. Plus, it has been really awesome to get support from so many of the veteran drivers, all of whom don't hesitate to get me in a car to do track walks. I'm really hopeful for a Rookie season in 2011 - it's time to show what I can do with a full year. We're looking for marketing partners now, and it's critical for that to happen. If anyone out there wants to help support our efforts, please be in touch - let's keep this momentum going!"

ABOUT DRIVER JOHANNA LONG & PANHANDLE MOTORSPORTS:
Johanna Long, 18, is the youngest driver in the elite NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Her career to date has included racing in NCWTS in 2010 with family race team Panhandle Motorsports in Las Vegas, Martinsville & Texas Motor Speedway; as well as three starts with Billy Ballew Motorsports in the NCWTS; and two starts in 2009 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Former Blizzard Series Champion on the Gulf Coast & driver since the age of five, Long has caught the eyes of many top teams over the years as an "up-and-coming" teen driver. For more information, please visit www.JohannaLong.com, Facebook: http://bit.ly/bglf8H or Twitter: http://twitter.com/JOHANNALONG.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SNOWBAL DERBY:
The Snowball Derby draws the best and brightest Super Late Model teams from all across the land to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. For more information about the week's events from December 1-5, 2010, visit http://5flagsspeedway.com/ or www.speed51.com.

Read More

NCWTS Youngest Driver--

Meet Johanna Long

Photo credit: NASCAR Media Group

Eyes Forward for Panhandle Motorsports Team & Johanna Long - NCWTS Texas Race Recap

18-year old Shows Talent by Qualifying 9th; Accident Ends Race Early

Mooresville, NC (November 7, 2010) - Young NASCAR driver Johanna Long, 18, was all smiles for her first race at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Winstar World Casinos 250k (NCWTS) under the lights Friday night. Her strong qualifying run in the No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra of 30.185 seconds at top speed 178.897 placed her 9^th on the starting grid on her first appearance at the tough 1.5-mile oval. Plus, after a strong lead-lap finish in Martinsville just two weeks prior, she was in positive spirits and ready to log the miles with trusted crew chief Kevin "Cowboy" Starland. Posting solid practice runs the day prior while working through tough wind conditions and cool temps to try to gain speed, the former Blizzard Series Champion and Pensacola, Fla. native was ready for the night's challenging 147 lap race.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to show her true talent under the lights, as an early shift caused an unavoidable brush with competitor Ricky Carmichael in turn four of the first lap. The No. 4 truck cut the rear left tire of the No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports truck as Carmichael tried to go below Long to avoid a crash, sending Long into the wall as the tire went down. After attempts on pit road to fix the truck, crew chief Starland made the call to bring it to the garage - where excessive damage to key truck components made it impossible to return to the track for laps. Long finished in 36^th place.

Texas Motor Speedway was the continuation of Johanna's "learning year" in one of NASCAR's toughest Series with her new team - driving the No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra. Long had a great practice and qualifying day with a veteran crew, to include crew chief Starland - whose critical coaching relationship has been successful in Long's progress. Showing a quick study to the 1.5-mile oval, she qualified in an impressive 9^th position that night in a good simulation of race night conditions - cool and dark on the track. Her busy race day showed that she could handle the pressure of the on-track learning curve and off-track fan signings early on - spending most of the day at the track signing autographs for Toyota Racing and Texas Motor Speedway fans in an effort to build more awareness. Long hoped to finish with her first top-15 of the season, but those hopes were dashed as turn four beckoned on the backstretch.

Long, ever the racer, keeps her chin up and eyes forward - focusing now on the upcoming Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19^th. The Blizzard Series Champion will also return to late model competition on December 4^th at the Allen Turner Snowflake 100, then December 5^th at the prestigious 43^rd Annual Snowball Derby, both at Five Flags Speedway - days of grueling competition heralded in the stock car community. Competing at some of the NCWTS schedule's toughest speedways earlier in the season, Long has completed six starts, with two top-20 finishes and top 20 qualifying grid starts at all races started.

"I'm really disappointed that we couldn't get back out on the track Friday after we worked so hard this week at Texas," Long said. "We made so many great strides during the practice runs, and I was really comfortable at qualifying time. It must have showed in the qualifying run - even I was surprised we hit that high on the board! I'm really trying to get a handle on the speedways this year. It was heartbreaking for me to be out so early, but I have to stay positive and just focus on Homestead. Every time I get a chance to drive, I have to make the most of it. We learned a lot this week - now we're going to take that to Florida and see how we can gain ground for a great finish."

ABOUT DRIVER JOHANNA LONG & PANHANDLE MOTORSPORTS:
Johanna Long, 18, is the youngest driver in the elite NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Her career to

date has included racing in NCWTS in 2010 with family race team Panhandle Motorsports; as well as three starts with Billy Ballew Motorsports in the NCWTS; and two starts in 2009 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Former Blizzard Series Champion on the Gulf Coast & driver since the age of five, Long has caught the eyes of many top teams over the years as an "up-and-coming" teen driver. For more information, please visit www.JohannaLong.com, Facebook: http://bit.ly/bglf8H or Twitter: http://twitter.com/JOHANNALONG.

Photo credit: NASCAR Media Group

Read More

Let's Hear It for the Ladies

ARCA driver Alli Owens (Motorsports Images & Archives)

This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, no less than nine female racers will be looking to make the field across four series of motorsports.

The IZOD IndyCar Series leads all series with five women entered for Saturday's Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300. Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick (who's also running part-time this season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series), rookies Simona De Silvestro and Ana Beatriz, and Milka Duno are in the 29-car field, which is the largest for any IndyCar race this season. The record number of women entered matches that for the Indianapolis 500 in May.

On Saturday it became official that all five women entered in the PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 will start the race, the most in the history of the IZOD IndyCar Series.
 
In the Firestone Indy Lights Series, which is the developmental series for IndyCar (similar to the Nationwide Series in NASCAR), Pippa Mann is the lone female behind the wheel in Saturday's Chicagoland 100, prior to the IndyCar race.

On the stockcar end, there are two women competing in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series and one in the ARCA Racing Series.

Rookie of the Year contender Jennifer Jo Cobb and Billy Ballew Motorsports driver Johanna Long will be running in Friday's EnjoyIllinois.com 225 truck race. Cobb recently made history, becoming the highest-ranked woman in the Truck Series points standings, reaching 16th place after Darlington. Long, a Late Model champion in the Blizzard Series and Gulf Coast Series, will be making her third start in the series.

In ARCA, Venturini Motorsports driver and fan favorite Alli Owens will be the only woman in Friday's Ansell Protective Gloves 150 at Chicagoland. Owens was featured in Skirts and Scuffs' Women in Racing/NASCAR series earlier this year.

As any of these drivers will tell you, they are racers who happen to be female. They're in it to win it as much as the next driver, regardless of sex. But as the faces of motorsports become more diverse, it's nevertheless exciting to see more and more women making their presence known on the racetrack.

Read More

Johanna Long Makes Truck Series Debut at ORP

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 19, 2010) – The AAA Insurance 200 will mark Johanna Long’s debut in one of NASCAR’s top-three series.  The Pensacola, Fla., native will drive the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM) Toyota Tundra at the famed O’Reilly Raceway Park in her first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outing.

Long has already collected an impressive list of racing accomplishments.  At only 18 years old, she touts Late Model championships in the Blizzard Series and Gulf Coast Series from the 2009 season. Long won five of the 36 events she ran en route to her championships and captured the pole for the esteemed Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in 2009. Long also competed in two ARCA events last season.

Long has tested with BBM twice.  She worked with the No. 15 team at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway and Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park (GMP) in preparation for her inaugural NASCAR race. While at GMP, Long clicked off the fastest lap time at the half-mile asphalt oval. Her time of 17.218 seconds was the quickest among NASCAR’s top-three series since the facility was repaved last season.

 Long will carry the colors of John Andretti’s Race 4 Riley event on the hood of her truck. Thanks to people like John Andretti and Dave Wilson, and their support of Riley Hospital for Children, we’re one step closer to every child having an equal chance of growing to adulthood. The three-day Race 4 Riley event begins on Wednesday, July 21 with donations going to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Long Comments on the AAA Insurance 200:

“I’m really excited to go racing trucks.  I’ve been racing Late Models my whole life and this is the next step.  I’m ready to take it.

“After a few test sessions, I’ve learned that Late Models are a lot different than trucks. Late Models are a lot lighter, and when you go in the corners, you can slam on the brakes and turn the car wherever it needs to go. You have to be a little easier in the trucks. They’re a little lazy.  You have to let off the gas and then start turning it. It’s a lot different to get used to.

“I’ve been to ORP before in Late Model competition.  It’s an awesome race track. It’s definitely a racer’s track. The turns are really wide, so you’re all over the place. I did pretty well with my Late Model, so I’m excited to go back.”

Read More