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Johanna started 15th at Michigam and at
the end of 124 laps was in the18th
spot
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- 2013
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Profile
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
DOB: 5-26-92
Race Driver/Student
Single
In 2011 made 17 of 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series races as a Sunoco Rookie of the Year
candidate with her family-run Panhandle Motorsports
team. … Posted her career-best finish of 11th
at Texas-1. … In 2010 made her NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series debut, where she made seven
starts for her family team and Billy Ballew
Motorsports, with a best finish of 17th in her
Lucas Oil Raceway debut. … Established career
highlight with her Snowball Derby victory. …
In 2009 at age 17, made two ARCA Racing Series
starts, for owners Bill Venturini and Eddie
D'Hondt. … Won the Blizzard Series super late
model championship at Five Flags Speedway in her
first year in the class, winning two of five races
in addition to the pole position for the Snowball
Derby. … Won the Gulf Coast Championship for
super late models that included races in Pensacola
and Mobile, Ala., winning three times with an
average finish of 3.4. … In 2008, won pro late
model division championship at Five Flags and also
won races in Mobile and Opp, Ala.; along with
making her first Snowball Derby start. … Moved
to racing late model stock cars at age 12 after a
period in Legends cars. … Began racing karts
as an eight-year-old after setting that goal at age
five.
Father Donald Long was a noted late model racer
throughout the Southeast who often brought his
daughter to the race track and competed against her
in several Snowball Derbies, including her victory.
Plans to contend for Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Snippets
Johanna started 21st at Iowa and at the end of 250
laps was in 12th, tieing her highest finishes last
year at Daytona and Kentucky.
* * *
“The Big One” in the Talladega
Nationwide Race hit on Lap 94, with a crash
triggered by contact involving Johanna Long and
former points leader Sam Hornish Jr.
* * *
Johanna started 27th at Las Vegas and finished
19th, 2 laps down.
* * *
Early
crash snares Long, Honish, Pastrana
Johanna started 16th at Phoenix and on the
2nd lap it looks like she lost it in an oil
patch.
* * *
Johanna Long finished 27th in the 2013 Daytona
Nationwide Race after being involved in the first
major wreck, the sixth caution of the day, with
five laps to go that wiped out nearly a dozen
cars.
* * *
Johanna grids 36th at 2013 Daytona Nationwide
Race
* * *
Johanna Long hopes to race her way out from
under Danica Patrick’s shadow in 2013.
* * *
Johanna started 36th at Homestead and finished
34th. She finished the season in 20th having raced
in 21 of 33 races.
* * *
Johanna started in the 12th spot next to Danica
Patrick and ended up 200 laps later in the 12th
spot in Kentucky.
* * *
Johanna was gridded 17th at Chicago and finished
21, 4 laps behind the leader.
* * *
Johanna Long started 8th, her highest start, at
the Richmond Nationwide race and finished in 32nd
but held on to her 19th spot in the over standings
even though she's running 8 fewer races so far this
year. She will be running five of the final 8 races
of the season.
* * *
Johanna Long started 29th at the Bristol
Nationwide race and finished in 29th.
* * *
Johanna Long started 17th at the Indiana 250
Nationwide race and finished 30th.
* * *
Johanna Long Indianapolis Motor Speedway Preview
* * *
Johanna finished started 12th and finished 21st
at Chicagoland.
* * *
Johanna gets top finish of the year at Daytona
holding down the 12th position and finishing on the
lead lap.
* * *
Johanna started 14 and finished 16th at Michigan
International on same lap as winner.
* * *
Johanna started 19th and finished in the 22nd
spot in the NASCAR Nationwide race at
Iowa.
* * *
Jo started 21st, was 12th with 26 laps to go in
the first Nationwide race of 2012. She ended up in
one of the many pileups and kept running, finishing
21st. She is currently ranked 37th.
* * *
That's the way I love to see a NASCAR
round-d-round race end with a major pileup with the
leaders at the front of the pack and lots of money
down the drain to repair all those cars. It's the
new form of the good ole Demolition Derby.
* * *
Long not jealous of Danica-mania at Daytona
* * *
Johanna Long to team with female car owner in
2012 Nationwide Series
* * *
Johanna started 25th in the race at Phoenix and
came across the finish line in 20th.
* * *
Johanna started 5th in the race at Daytona but
was involved in an accident and finished 32nd.
* * *
Pole winner at Five Flags in annual Snowball
Derby race in 2009.
News
NASCAR 2013: Johanna Long
hopes to race her way out from under Danica
Patrick’s shadow
Johanna Long spent 2012 trying to learn how to race
in the Nationwide Series, focusing on her
performance and not the incessant comparisons to
the other female driver — Danica Patrick.
With Patrick primarily competing in Sprint Cup
this year while possibly running a handful of
Nationwide races, Long won’t hear as many
comparisons as the “other woman” in the
field as she embarks on a 21-race Nationwide
schedule in 2013.
“Everyone’s going to compare you to
somebody and that’s the bright thing to do
— is to compare two females,” Long
said.
“I know they do it, but it’s something
I never paid complete attention to. … I
don’t focus on that. It really doesn’t
faze me.”
As the primary female driver in the series,
there’s the possibility that Long could get
more attention now that Patrick has moved to Cup.
But there’s also the possibility of less
attention without Patrick, whose celebrity goes
beyond the NASCAR fan base.
“The thing that I always tell myself is if
I start running good and I start running in the top
10 and getting those finishes that I deserve, all
the media attention is going to come,” Long
said.
“I don’t want to be focused on because
I’m a female. I want to be focused on because
I am getting those finishes that I deserve and I am
out there running with the guys like I
should.”
The 20-year-old Long has a strong following from
avid race fans, many of who resent the media focus
on Patrick and believe Patrick is more beauty than
racer.
Those fans believe Long’s stock-car roots
and short-track racing experience create more
promise for her to eventually outperform Patrick,
who made history as a female winning an IndyCar
race and is in her second full-time stock-car
season.
Johanna Long hopes to race her way out from
under Danica Patrick's shadow. (NASCAR Illustrated
Photo)“I don’t really care if I’m
the first (female to win in NASCAR) or whatever it
is,” Long said. “Whenever the time comes
and I get the opportunity, I’m just going to
be happy for it. … Yeah, I have the hair and
I’m a female, but when I’m out in the
car, I’m just another driver.
“When I get in the car, I’m in my
heaven.”
Long knows what it’s like to win big races.
In 2010, she became the second female to win the
Snowball Derby — a highly competitive Late
Model race — at Five Flags Speedway in her
hometown Pensacola, Fla.
She ran 24 races in the Camping World Truck
Series in 2010 and 2011, with a best finish of 11th
at Texas but with six races where she crashed
out.
Last year, she ran 21 Nationwide races for ML
Motorsports, a small one-car team based in
northwestern Indiana that has two top-10 finishes
in six years of competing in the series.
Long posted a best finish of 12th at Daytona and
crashed out just three times. She had only three
lead-lap finishes but showed signs of speed and
steady improvement.
Her biggest hurdle last season was understanding
how the car will handle with a change in track
temperature, especially at races where they
practiced during the day and raced at night.
She will run another 21 races this year for ML
Motorsports, which has bought cars from Richard
Childress Racing and will run with Earnhardt
Childress Racing motors.
“I got to where I learned the tracks and
learned those cars and learned what I wanted in the
racecar,” Long said.
“I did extremely well towards the end of
the year. … It was just fun, and I definitely
felt like I grew as a driver.”
Source: aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2013-02-10/danica-patrick-johanna-long-2023-female-drivers-nationwide-series-sprint-cup?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl30%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D268491
Richmond International
Raceway Event Preview
Johanna Long and the No. 70 Keen Parts Chevrolet
team look forward to heading back to Richmond
International Speedway as the NASCAR Nationwide
Series (NNS) makes its second stop of the season at
the .75-mile track. The Virginia 529 College
Savings 250 event will be aired live on ESPN
beginning at 7:00 pm EST. Fans can also tune into
MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio,
Channel 90.
The No. 70 team will unload chassis No. 61 for
this Friday night’s race under the lights at
Richmond International Raceway. Chassis No. 61 was
last utilized at Kentucky Speedway on June 29th,
where Long and the ML Motorsports team registered a
19th-place finish.
Long and the ML Motorsports team last visited
Richmond International Raceway on April 27. The
20-year-old rookie brought the No. 70 Chevrolet to
a solid top-20 finish.
"Richmond International Raceway is by far one of
my favorite tracks on the NNS schedule,”
commented Long. “This track is a ton of fun to
get around. I’m looking forward to coming back
here with Keen Parts on board. We had a strong car
here in April, so hopefully we can take what we
learned earlier this season and build off of that
going into Friday night’s race.”
Source: johannalong.com/news/pr/86
Could Johanna Long be
NASCAR's next Danica Patrick?
Shawna Robinson, in 2002, was the last woman to
race in Sprint Cup, closing out an eight-race Cup
career with a 24th place finish in the July race at
Daytona. Danica Patrick will likely be the next
female in Cup, perhaps next year depending upon how
her partial Nationwide season with JR Motorsports
goes.
There are plenty more in development stages,
including Jennifer Jo Cobb. She ran the entire
25-race Camping World Truck Series in 2010,
finishing 17th in the points.
NASCAR wants and needs a female driver in Cup.
You can look at the excitement and television
ratings, and probably ticket sales, that Patrick's
IndyCar resume brought to Nationwide this season
and know that a female who can really drive -- pass
people, run at the front, compete to win races --
is a valuable marketing tool. Patrick passed cars
this year, but wasn't close to running in the top
10. Imagine what it would mean to have a female who
could.
Write down the name Johanna Long. She's several
years away, but everything she's done so far points
to her being NASCAR's best prospect for long-term
success in Cup.
Long closed out 2010 on Dec. 5 with a victory in
the Snowball Derby, the nation's most prestigious
Super Late Model race. Former winners include Kyle
Busch in 2009, Donnie Allison in 1975 and Darrell
Waltrip in 1976. Cup drivers in this year's race
included David Ragan, David Stremme and Landon
Cassill, and she beat top male prospects Chase
Elliott, son of Bill Elliott, and Ross Kenseth, son
of Matt Kenseth.
Tammy Jo Kirk won the Snowball, too, in 1994,
the only previous female to do it. Kirk became the
first woman to drive in NASCAR's Trucks series,
making 32 starts in 1997 and 1998 and drove in 15
Nationwide races in 2003. She didn't have a top 10
in either series and never made it to Cup. It's
part of the race's history, but is irrelevant to
Long's future. They are different drivers with
different backgrounds at different stages of their
careers.
Kirk had raced motorcycles and was a regular in
NASCAR's All-Pro Series, which included the
Snowball in 1994, when she was 32. Long is 18 and
has been winning short-track stock car races since
she was 16. The Snowball was the pinnacle of Kirk's
career. It's a line of demarcation for Long.
"It just means a lot for me as a person because
it's the biggest short track race in the country,"
Long said. "It was so emotional for me, in my
backyard with my family here, and so many big names
have won the Snowball Derby, so hopefully, it
opened some eyes and opened some doors. I think
I've proved myself. It definitely couldn't hurt
me."
Long made a late stop for tires and passed six
cars in the final five laps to win the Snowball,
which was run at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola,
Fla., her hometown track. Long won the Pro Late
Model championship there in 2008 and the track's
top-level Blizzard Series in 2009, but she's no
one-track wonder. Long has also won late model
races at Mobile International Speedway and South
Alabama Speedway.
Long ventured into NASCAR in 2010, driving in
seven Trucks races. She was 17th in her first race
at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. It was a
program designed to prepare her for next year's
Truck series, where she hopes to run the entire
season with the goal of becoming Rookie of the
Year.
Daytona is the Trucks' opener and NASCAR has a
stringent approval process to race there. Drivers
start on short tracks like ORP and then have to
prove themselves on the 1.5-mile tracks to be
approved for Daytona.
"When we picked our races, we picked them to get
approved for Daytona," Long said. "NASCAR wants you
to complete two mile-and-a halves before you can
run Daytona."
Long ran to a 20th-place finish at Chicagoland,
but a mechanical failure at Las Vegas and an
accident at Texas took her out very early. Her last
chance was Homestead-Miami, where she finished 20th
and on the lead lap.
"I had to do really good at Homestead-Miami,"
Long said. "I'm really excited to be able to do
Daytona."
Long drove the opening three Truck races in
Billy Ballew Motorsports' No. 15 Toyota. When
Ballew shut the team down, her family-owned late
model team --run by father, Donald -- purchased
some Toyotas from Kyle Busch's team and hired some
of Ballew's crew to augment their existing
personnel and ran the final four races of the Truck
season.
Among those who signed on from Ballew was Cowboy
Starland, a veteran Truck series crew chief whose
career included calling the shots on the Roush
Fenway trucks for Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.
Starland has also signed on for 2011 with Long.
"It's very surprising how much car control she
has," Starland said. "It's absolutely important.
You've got to have control of what you're driving
so it doesn't have control of you. She's impressed
me. She's got talent and is pretty amazing as far
as being an 18-year-old girl. With each race she
gets more comfortable.
"The trucks are harder to drive than the late
models. You've got o have more finesse and the
speeds are much higher. She just needs more
[truck] races."
Starland was also Long's crew chief for her
Snowball win.
"It's the biggest short track race you can win,"
he said. "People that have tried to win it and
haven't is a big list. We need to build on that
momentum. It couldn't have come at a better time.
We got what we needed and what she needed. You've
got to have that confidence."
Starland sees some of the same characteristics
in Long that he saw in Edwards and Biffle.
"They all have that same hunger, they want to do
well and that's what you need," Starland said.
"They ask a lot of questions."
Starland believes Long can make it to Cup.
"Absolutely," he said. "She's relentless. She's
got what it takes, no doubt about it."
Daytona will be critical to Long's season. She
has to qualify for the race on time in what is
traditionally the largest entry of the year. It's
also the premier lure for sponsors and the largest
purse.
"We're gong to race as many truck races as we
can," Long said. "It depends on how Daytona goes.
If it goes really good, we'll try to run the whole
season."
Long understands the challenge of the years
ahead. She excited about meeting them.
"I started racing go-karts when I was five,"
Long said. "All I've ever dreamed about is going
fast. I've been around racing (her father was a
long-time late model driver) since I've been a
little girl. It's in my blood.
"I want to go the farthest I can go, do the best
I can and keep moving forward and one day make it
to the highest level. It's not going to be
easy."
Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tim_tuttle/12/16/Johanna.Long/index.html
Initial NASCAR Race at
Indy - Johanna was there
Johanna Long tells us it all started with her dad
and a go-kart. Since then she has been on a mission
to find her “heaven”. And this weekend
… Super Weekend 2012 at the famed Indianapolis
Motor Speedway “Brickyard" … may just be
it.
"When you see that green flag drop -- you're so
nervous when you're out of the car (before a race)
-- and when you get settled in and I see that green
flag drop and I'm starting to go racing everything
just goes away. I'm in my heaven," said Long,
“I don't think about anything else. I just
worry about my car and the fun begins. That's just
the part of racing I always like, it's crazy ...
how you can just love it. I love it. When I'm in
it, like I said, I'm in my heaven."
Her Dad, Donald Long, was a late-model racer
when Johanna was growing up, and she says that he
gets the credit for putting the love of racing into
her blood stream.
"I was five and he was traveling a lot (on the
weekends)," she said. "I really wanted to get
heavily involved and I wanted to start racing. He
kind of put it off because he was always out of
town and really didn't have time to start me
racing. Finally, when I was eight, he said 'all
right, if you want to race, I'll slow down. I'll
stay home weekends and I'll let you race.' Ever
since age 8 we've been going heavy into go-kart
racing."
That was the start of her promising career.
Ironically, father and daughter careers briefly
intersected in late models, where Long called it a
draw. "The first race we ran together I actually
out-qualified him and then he beat me in the race.
The second race, he out-qualified me and I beat him
in the race. So we both had our share."
When it was time for her dad to retire, his
daughter’s career started turning heads. At
the age of 15, she became the youngest pro late
model track champion ever at Five Flags Speedway in
her hometown of Pensacola. By age 16, with 38
starts, Long won five times, had 18 top-fives and
27 top-tens all across the southeast. She also made
two ARCA starts.
In 2011 Long ran more races in NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series before moving up to a 21-race
partial schedule in NASCAR Nationwide in 2012.
Today, competing for ML Motorsports, Johanna
Long is 18th in points in the NASCAR Nationwide
Series and a serious contender for Rookie of the
Year. She and her No. 70 Keen Parts Chevrolet team
are preparing for one of the most anticipated races
on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule,
“Kroger Super Weekend 2012 at the
Brickyard”, the famed 2.5 mile Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
The Warsaw, Indiana team is owned by another
Woman behind the Wheel, Mary Louise Miller, who
considers the legendary Brickyard the team’s
home track. We caught up with Johanna as she
prepares for one of the biggest races of her
career. The media responsibilities are sometimes
overwhelming for this young driver, who considers
herself a shy person, but extensive media training
is paying off and she now is beginning to enjoy the
many driver appearances and fan interaction during
a typical race weekend. Super Weekend 2012 is no
exception.
First Stop: Thursday evening’s 4th
Annual NASCAR Hauler Parade down Speedway’s
Main Street.
Next up: Wish for our Heroes > Serving it
up for those who Serve Friday, July 27, Long
helps serve up hamburger and hot dogs for those who
serve our country at the Wish for Our Heroes
“Grills Gone Wild” BBQ event with local
Indiana troops. Fans came out to mingle with the
local Indiana troops and have a burger and hot dog
on ML Motorsports..
Final Stop: Visiting staff and children
at the Riley Children’s Hospital in
Indianapolis.
All this before her real job behind the
wheel!
When asked how she feels the opportunity to race
at one of the most historical tracks in the
country, she sums up her emotions in one word:
"Blessed."
"I feel like I am gaining a lot of experience
and a lot of people are recognizing me, that I
belong out there and I am gaining respect from all
the drivers," she said. "I just need to keep doing
that and the other stuff will come. I don't pay
attention to people who don't think I belong out
there because in my heart I know that I do. It's
just all about getting seat time and learning these
tracks and doing the best I can and working well
with the crew and we will start getting those
better finishes."
To help prepare for Indianapolis, she has
watched video of Cup cars to understand the racing
line. She has former Nationwide Series champion
David Green as her driving coach and spotter, and
hopes his experience will help speed up the
learning curve.
Her coaches and mentors describe Long as
"hungry" and even "relentless."
"I've not met a driver at this age and at this
part of their career as hungry as she is," David
Green told NASCAR.com. "Johanna's committed. I've
never seen the commitment that Johanna has, not
only to her job at hand but her career as a
driver."
The Nationwide Series Rookie proved herself on
the track Saturday by qualifying 17th out of a
field of 43 entries and ahead of NASCAR’s
notables including Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick,
Michael Annett and Joe Nemechek.
The team is visibly pumped for race day and you
can immediately identify that Long feels most at
home behind the wheel rather than in front of the
cameras. As she straps on her helmet and safety
harness you can see the visible transformation as
her face changes from a shy, rookie, underfunded
underdog to the poised, confident and committed
driver she is.
Racing in the top 20 for the first 30+ laps she
held her own against some of NASCAR’s best. A
surprise caution came out in Lap 39 when Danica
Patrick made contact with Reed Sorensen removing
both drivers from the race. By Lap 63, Long pushed
her way forward to 16 position. But a serious
vibration and drive shaft failure forced her
off-track and into the garage on Lap 70. She was
eventually able to re-enter the race but was 10
laps down and in 31st position.
With only 20 laps remaining, there simply was
not enough time to make magic happen. The No 70
Team watched Brad Keselowski make history as the
winner of NASCAR’s inaugural Nationwide Series
Indiana 250 at the Brickyard.
After the race, Long reflected: ‘It was
definitely an experience. It was a lot of fun
racing here. It’s hard to pass, but we had a
really good car. We just got struggled up with the
drive shaft. There was nothing we could do about
it, but I’m really proud of these guys for
never giving up. We have a lot to work on, though.
It’s something to gain on, and I’m really
proud of it.”
Source: http://www.trackchic.com/wbw/
Johanna Long
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Preview
Johanna Long and the No. 70 Keen Parts Chevrolet
team are anxious to get back on track this weekend
at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of the most
anticipated races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series
(NNS) schedule. The hometown team based in Warsaw,
IN is set to take to the 2.5-mile track for the
first time in NASCAR history on July 28. The Indy
250 event can be seen live on ESPN beginning at
4:00 p.m. ET. Race coverage can also be heard on
MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio,
channel 90. Check your local listings for start
times.
Source: femaleracingnews.com/circle_track/johanna-long-indianapolis-motor-speedway-preview/
Long Finishes 21st at
Daytona
Johanna Long will start 21st in the Drive for COPD
300 at Daytona International Speedway after posting
a laptime of 49.83 seconds (181.51 mph) on her
second qualifying lap.
Danica Patrick will start from the pole
alongside Trevor Bayne; following in the top ten
are Elliott Sadler, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin
Dillon, Sam Hornish, Jr., Tony Stewart, Cole Whitt,
Brad Keselowski, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Pre-race coverage begins at noon and will be
broadcast on ESPN with the green flag dropping at
approximately 1:25 pm.
Practice
Johanna Long posted a laptime of 30.34 seconds
(178.80 mph) during the first practice session at
Daytona International Speedway in only five laps.
The crew made adjustments to the No. 70 Chevy
enabling Long to pick up speed during the final
practice session with a laptime of 48.96 seconds
(183.83 mph) which was 26th on the leaderboard.
Qualifying is scheduled for Friday at 2:05 pm
and will be broadcast on ESPN. Race coverage begins
at 1:00 pm on Saturday and will be broadcast on
ESPN2.
Source: www.mlracing.com/Index.cfm
Long not jealous of
Danica-mania at Daytona
Johanna Long hasn’t walked the red carpet at
the ESPY’s or the Grammy. Neither has she been
splashed across magazines or national television
commercials.
When she gets to Daytona International Speedway
on Monday, she’ll be the other woman making a
competitive debut of sorts, this time in
NASCAR’s Nationwide Series race Saturday.
She’ll likely have a cameo role this week
in Danica-mania — the continued fascination
and world media attention on Danica Patrick, who
has a guaranteed spot for her NASCAR Sprint Cup
debut in Sunday’s Daytona 500. That’s in
addition to Patrick running a full schedule on the
Nationwide Series, beginning with Saturday’s
race.
Long, 19, understands she will likely get asked
about Patrick, whom she has never met, along with
the impact female drivers can have in a
male-dominated sport.
“I just want to be me,” said Long, who
will become the youngest female driver in history
to start the engine in a Nationwide Series race.
“This is my first time in a Nationwide car,
and she has been racing for a very long time.
I’m excited to be racing with her and everyone
else.”
Patrick, who turns 30 next month, has created
the biggest buzz already during Speedweeks at
Daytona. She commanded the largest audience at
media interview sessions. She’s needed her
army of handlers to manage autograph seekers and
media requests. One woman figured out a way to
follow her into the bathroom for an autograph.
Danica-tona
Normally, the Budweiser Shootout, last
night’s non-points race run at Daytona, is the
ignition to NASCAR’s biggest week of national
attention. But now, it’s all about the
“Danica 500.”
“We’re going in there kinda flying
under the radar, and that’s what I love about
this situation,” said David Green, who is
Long’s coach and mentor for the ML Motorsports
team and a former successful driver in this level
of NASCAR racing. “We’ve talked about all
of this and about Danica.
“I think it’s been good for the sport.
I think it’s probably enabled other
opportunities for female drivers like Johanna to
get involved, so I think that’s a
positive.”
Green said it’s Long’s own personality
that jumps out when meeting her. From the time she
began racing at Five Flags Speedway, Long has
instantly connected with fans, especially children
and their parents.
“It’s her normalness — and I know
that’s not a word,” Green said, laughing.
“To me, that is such a refreshing picture in
this day and time in stock car racing.
“She comes across as calm and mannered and
collected, and all those things you might say are a
trait of Terry Labonte, for example. But at the
same time, she is very polite and normal. It’s
almost as if she wants to let her actions, her
ability, speak for itself on the race
track.”
Another star from Pensacola area
This community has been blessed with its
multitude of sports stars who have attained
national acclaim and brought positive attention to
Pensacola. Long will soon do the same.
Like her sports peers who grew up in Pensacola,
Long has reached rare heights. She’s won the
Snowball Derby, won track championships, raced at
18 on the NASCAR Truck Series, broken barriers, and
earned respect. She loves where she grew up.
And now, she will be part of the biggest week
and one of the grandest stages in motorsports.
“With Danica Patrick, the branding stuff
she has done is great for her and it’s been
very good,” said Long’s father, Donald.
“I see what NASCAR is trying to do to keep
growing the sport, and NASCAR needs to do that.
“With Johanna, it’s an alternative to
that kind of branding. I think she fits a lot of
different criteria as far as demographics.
We’re very cognizant of trying to make sure we
do what we’re supposed to do. We want to fill
a void of her own audience.”
All she has to do is be herself. It will
happen.
Source: femaleracingnews.com/circle_track/long-not-jealous-of-danica-mania-at-daytona
Johanna Long to team with
female car owner in 2012 Nationwide Series
Johanna Long will drive the ML Motorsports No. 70
car in the Nationwide Series for 21 races in 2012,
the team announced.
Long will drive for Mary Louise Miller, one of
the few female team owners in NASCAR. The car will
have sponsorship from Biomet and Foretravel
Motorcoach.
Long, who has competed in 24 races in the
Camping World Truck Series with a best finish of
11th at Texas last June, will compete for
Nationwide rookie of the year. Her 21-race schedule
begins with the season-opening event at
Daytona.
The 19-year-old Long won the 2010 Snowball Derby
Late Model race and has primarily run for her
family-owned team.
“I’m excited to join ML Motorsports,
and I’m honored to have the support of Mary
Louise,” Long said in a news release. “As
a female team owner in NASCAR, Mary Louise is an
inspiration to me. I believe all the pieces are in
place at ML Motorsports to achieve success in 2012,
and I can’t wait to get started.”
Last year, the ML Motorsports car was primarily
driven by Shelby Howard and David Stremme. The team
has a guaranteed starting spot for the first five
races of 2012 (as long as it attempts each race) as
the car was fielded in partnership with Jay
Robinson Racing in all events last season and
finished 23rd in the owner standings.
“Johanna is a strong driver and a dynamic
young lady, and we are excited to have her on
board,” Miller said. “She has a great
competitive spirit; we believe she has everything
it takes to succeed at the highest levels of NASCAR
competition.”
Source: femaleracingnews.com/circle_track/johanna-long-to-team-with-female-car-owner-in-nationwide-series
Johnna Long Nashville
Race Recap
After an impressive debut in the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series (NCWTS) two weeks ago, Johanna
Long eagerly awaited her return in Saturday
night’s Nashville 200 at the 1.33-mile
Nashville Superspeedway. Long showed promise
throughout practice and qualifying, and appeared
poised to eclipse her previous finish of
17th-place. Unfortunately, Long didn’t have a
chance to show her true potential. The Pensacola,
Fla., native was spun from behind in the early
goings of the race. Her No. 15 Billy Ballew
Motorsports-fielded Tundra was forced to retire
from the race and she finished in 34th-place.
Three female racers left their
mark on history July 23rd competing together in
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series - Jennifer
Jo Cobb, Michelle Theriault and Johanna "Jo"
Long.
Johanna “Jo” Long, at 18, is the youngest
woman ever to compete in the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series. Piloting the No. 15 Toyota for Billy
Ballew Motorsports, Jo has been turning heads
winning championships in the Blizzard and Gulf
Coast series as well as pole honors in late model
series prestigious Snow Ball Derby.
As early as the age of five, as she watched her
father race around the Southeast in the old NASCAR
All-pro Division, Jo was driven to become a racecar
driver. While other girls were taking ballet
lessons, the only thing that Jo wanted to do was go
to her father's Late Model shop, located in her
hometown of Pensacola, Florida, where for years she
begged her dad to buy her a go-kart. Jo’s mom
thought it might be a phase and waited for it to
pass…but it never did.
Jo moved successfully from Karts to Legends. At
age 14, she made a name for herself throughout the
southeast in the competitive Pro Late Model
division. Then at 15-years-old, Jo made short track
history becoming the youngest, and first female
track champion in the long history of Five Flags
Speedway to secure the Pro Late Model title.
In the years since, Jo has stayed focus on her
goal to make her mark. After all, she’s the
girl who took the pole position away from Kyle
Busch in the 2009 Snowball Derby! Jo is now
following in Busch’s footsteps, as well as
current Sprint Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin,
Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard, Travis Kvapil and
David Stremme, all former drivers for BBM.
“When I turned 18, we wanted to do
something bigger than what we've been doing," Jo
said. "I'm really, really excited. We've been
working real hard to get to this point.
"This is a great opportunity. Billy Ballew
Motorsports has great people and great equipment.
Billy’s guys have been very successful helping
other up and coming drivers transition into
NASCAR."
"I'm just going to go out there and try to earn
respect from all of them," Jo says confidently.
"They're the best of the best, and I want to show
that I belong out there."
Source: www.trackchic.com/wbw/index.asp?articleID=1374
Johanna Long Was No
Ballerina
When Johanna Long was a little girl, ballet classes
bored her and gymnastics could not hold her
attention.
“She would just stand there and pick at her
tights and not pay attention to what was going
on,” said Haley Long, Johanna’s
21-year-old sister.
And while her sister chose to shop, little
Johanna had a different kind of shop in mind.
She wanted to be at her father’s Late Model
shop — located in her hometown of Pensacola,
Fla. — where for years she begged dad to buy
her a go-kart. Johanna’s mom thought it might
be a phase and waited for it to pass.
Well, it never did. And evidenced by her Truck
Series debut recently at O’Reilly Raceway
Park, the phase is just getting started.
“I hope to make it a long time,” said
Johanna, whose debut marked her in the record books
as the youngest female to make a start in the Truck
Series at 18 years old. She qualified 15th, kept
the truck in good shape, and brought it home
17th.
Team owner Billy Ballew of Billy Ballew
Motorsports, who typically runs the No. 15 Toyota
Tundra for developing drivers, said he was more
than impressed.
In fact, Ballew said Johanna’s talents and
background are significantly more notable than her
female predecessors.
“To have an 18-year-old who has never
driven a truck before do what she did at ORP, as
smooth as she did, was amazing,” Ballew
said.
Pending NASCAR approval, Johanna looks to make a
second start at Nashville Superspeedway Aug. 7,
driving for Ballew once again as part of a
multi-race development program.
“For never driving at truck at a difficult
track like ORP proves she has a ton of talent and
potential. This is all brand new for her but she
ran consistent lap times the whole race and if she
was in a truck full time I’m confident she
could run with the leaders,” said Ballew, who
has a history of opening doors for up and coming
drivers and has fielded winning trucks for young
talent such as and Aric Almirola. He also helped
jumpstart the stock car careers of Brian Ickler
and, most recently, Nelson Piquet Jr
“She is different and I’m not trying
to take anything away from previous female racers,
but she is,” Ballew said.
Her focus and pathway to racing is comparable to
that of female star Danica Patrick. Johanna
convinced her father to buy her a go-kart at 8
years old and she never looked back.
“And she’s only out there for one
reason and that is to race because she eats, sleeps
and breathes it. And she doesn’t care that
she’s a girl,” Ballew said. “She
wants it really bad and that is a lot of the
challenge.”
You become aware of her laser focus when you ask
her about life outside the track.
“There’s not much,” Johanna said.
“I went to the beach a couple of times with my
cousins this summer. Other than that I’ve been
racing. Last year I raced 38 separate events. To
tell you the truth, I’m still in high
school.”
And she doesn’t leave the house for that as
last year Johanna left her traditional school to
become home schooled. The attendance policy was
interfering with her racing.
The decision has proven to be a benefit, Johanna
said
Racing Late Models, she has grabbed some
much-deserved attention, namely the time last
season she out-qualified Kyle Busch in the highly
popular and prestigious Snowball Derby at Five
Flags Speedway and won the pole.
The Blizzard Series champion, Johanna broke the
track record with a lap of 16.463 seconds.
She won five of the 38 events she ran en route
to her championships and competed in two ARCA
events last season as well.
“She didn’t follow the leader,
that’s for sure,” said her sister Haley.
“My mom didn’t think racing was such a
good idea but we couldn’t stop her and when we
saw her run her first go-kart race and it was like,
‘OK, that’s where she belongs — a
race track, not ballet practice.”
Schedule
- 2013
|
2013
Nationwide Series Race Stats
|
|
Date
|
Track
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
|
Status
|
|
Feb 23
|
Daytona
|
25
|
27
|
120/115
|
Running?
|
|
March 2
|
Phoenix
|
16
|
40
|
200/2
|
Accident
|
|
March 9
|
Las Vegas
|
27
|
19
|
200/198
|
Running
|
|
April 12
|
Texas
|
24
|
27
|
195/200
|
Running
|
|
April 26
|
Richmond
|
13
|
15
|
250/250
|
Running
|
|
May 4
|
Talladega
|
25
|
26
|
94/110
|
Accident
|
|
May 25
|
Charlotte
|
28
|
36
|
155/200
|
Running
|
|
June 1
|
Dover
|
-
|
-
|
200
|
DNS
|
|
June 8
|
Iowa
|
21
|
12
|
250/250
|
Running
|
|
June 15
|
Michigan
|
15
|
18
|
124/125
|
Running
|
|
June 22
|
Road America
|
|
|
50
|
|
|
June 28
|
Kentucky
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
July 5
|
Daytona
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
July 13
|
New Hampshire
|
|
|
197
|
|
|
July 21
|
Chicagoland
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
July 27
|
Indianapolis
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
Aug 3
|
Iowa
|
|
|
250
|
|
|
Aug 10
|
Watkins Glen
|
|
|
82
|
|
|
Aug 17
|
Mid-Ohio
|
|
|
TBA
|
|
|
Aug 23
|
Bristol
|
|
|
250
|
|
|
Aug 31
|
Atlanta
|
|
|
195
|
|
|
Sep 6
|
Richmond
|
|
|
250
|
|
|
Sep 14
|
Chicago
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Sep 21
|
Kentucky
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Sep 28
|
Dover
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Oct 5
|
Kansas
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Oct 11
|
Charlotte
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Nov 2
|
Texas
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Nov 9
|
Phoenix
|
|
|
200
|
|
|
Nov 16
|
Homestead
|
|
|
200
|
|
Results - 2012
ML Motorsports will run 21 races in the No. 70
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series
|
Date
|
Track
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
|
Status
|
|
Feb 25
|
Daytona
|
21
|
21
|
119/120
|
Running
|
|
Mar 10
|
Las Vegas
|
15
|
19
|
198/200
|
Running
|
|
Mar 17
|
Bristol
|
24
|
29
|
291/300
|
Running
|
|
Mar 24
|
Fontana
|
|
|
/150
|
DNS
|
|
Apr 13
|
Texas
|
15
|
20
|
197/200
|
Running
|
|
Apr 27
|
Richmond
|
24
|
20
|
248/250
|
Running
|
|
May 5
|
Talladega
|
24
|
37
|
18/122
|
Overheated
|
|
May 11
|
Darlington
|
.
|
.
|
/151
|
DNS
|
|
May 20
|
Iowa
|
20
|
22
|
246/250
|
Running
|
|
May 26
|
Charlotte
|
26
|
22
|
198/200
|
Running
|
|
Jun 2
|
Dover
|
.
|
.
|
/200
|
DNS
|
|
Jun 16
|
Michigan
|
14
|
16
|
125/125
|
Running
|
|
Jun 23
|
Road America
|
.
|
.
|
/50
|
DNS
|
|
Jun 29
|
Kentucky
|
42
|
19
|
196/200
|
Running
|
|
Jul 6
|
Daytona
|
11
|
12
|
101/101
|
Running
|
|
Jul 14
|
Loudon
|
.
|
.
|
/200
|
DNS
|
|
Jul 22
|
Chicagoland
|
12
|
21
|
199/201
|
Running
|
|
Jul 28
|
Indianapolis
|
17
|
30
|
90/100
|
Running
|
|
Aug 4
|
Iowa
|
14
|
13
|
250/250
|
Running
|
|
Aug 11
|
Watkins Glen
|
.
|
.
|
/82
|
DNS
|
|
Aug 18
|
Montreal
|
|
|
/81
|
DNS
|
|
Aug 24
|
Bristol
|
29
|
29
|
244/250
|
Running
|
|
Sep 1
|
Atlanta
|
|
|
/195
|
DNS
|
|
Sep 7
|
Richmond
|
8
|
32
|
109/250
|
In Pit
|
|
Sep 15
|
Chicago
|
17
|
20
|
196/200
|
Running
|
|
Sep 22
|
Kentucky
|
12
|
12
|
200/200
|
Running
|
|
Sep 29
|
Dover
|
|
|
|
DNS
|
|
Oct 12
|
Charlotte
|
|
|
|
DNS
|
|
Oct 20
|
Kansas
|
9
|
31
|
109/206
|
Accident
|
|
Nov 3
|
Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 10
|
Phoenix
|
|
|
|
DNS
|
|
Nov 17
|
Homestead-Miami
|
36
|
34
|
177/200
|
Accident
|
Results
2012
2011: Career-best 11th-place finish at
Texas in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
2010: Made national series debut in
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Won
Snowball Derby super late model race at hometown
Five Flags Speedway, the second woman to do so and
second-youngest winner.
2009: Won Blizzard Series super late
model championship at Five Flags. Won Gulf Coast
Championship super late model series.
2008: Won pro late model division
championship at Five Flags.
* * *
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