Race: N.C. Education Lottery 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: 7 of 25 Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway Date: May 20, 2011
Johanna Long will race the No. 20 Panhandle Grading & Paving Toyota Tundra in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) on Friday, May 20. Coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event will begin at 8:00 pm EDT on Speed and at 7:45 pm EDT on MRN Radio.
Charlotte Motor Speedway – Although this will be Long’s first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Panhandle Motorsports will feel at home at CMS as the team’s shop is located in nearby Mooresville, N.C.
Last Race Recap – Long’s strong run at Dover International Speedway ended a few laps early when the No. 20’s driveshaft broke on lap 191. Despite her 22nd-place finish, the young driver was happy with her debut at the Monster Mile. She led the first laps of her NCWTS career and was competing for her top finish before the mechanical problem arose with nine laps to go.
Teaming Up with Johnny Benson – Former NCWTS championship driver Johnny Benson will again help the No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports team and Long at CMS. Benson first came aboard to work with Long at Dover International Speedway, where he was instrumental in helping the 18-year-old learn the track.
Race Week Appearances – Long is scheduled for several appearances in the Charlotte-area over the next week. She will be signing autographs at Wal-Mart, near CMS, in Concord today, May 19, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm EDT. She will also participate in an autograph signing at CMS tomorrow, May 20, from 2:15 to 2:30 pm EDT in the PlayZone. In addition, Johanna will attend the NASCAR Hall of Fame autograph session on Wednesday, May 25, from 10:00 to 11:00 am EDT.
Keeping Up with Jo – Keep up with Johanna on Twitter at http://twitter.com/johannalong or on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/JohannaLongFB.
Johanna Long on CMS – “I’m really excited about going to Charlotte after coming off of what would have been a good run at Dover. The guys have been working really hard on our truck. It has only been driven once before, at Nashville. I’m really excited about getting back in the No. 20 Toyota Tundra and having Johnny Benson back on board. He helped me out tremendously in Dover, and I can’t wait to work with him again in Charlotte.”
About Johanna Long: At 18 years old, Johanna Long is the youngest driver in the elite NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. After making several starts in the NCWTS in 2010, Long plans to run the complete schedule in 2011 for family-owned Panhandle Motorsports. She began racing at the age of eight, quickly moving from go-karts to Legends cars to a Late Model. She made history, becoming the youngest driver and only female to win a track championship at Five Flags Speedway. She went on to win the prestigious Snowball Derby at the track in 2010. For more information on Johanna, please visit www.JohannaLong.com.
