INDIANAPOLIS-BOUND: Johanna Long and the No. 70 Foretravel Motorcoach Chevrolet team head to historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete in the second NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the track. The ML Motorsports team will utilize chassis No. 61, last raced at Michigan International Speedway in June where the No. 70 team finished 18th.
RACING AT INDY: In the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Indianapolis, Long started from the 17th position and worked her way around the Speedway, Indiana track. Competing inside the top 20, Long started to experience vibrations, forcing the ML Motorsports team to take the No. 70 behind the wall. Working with drive shaft issues, Long was able to get back on track, but finished the event in 30th.
IN THE REARVIEW: Chicagoland: Starting from the 23rd position at Chicagoland Speedway, Long reported that she was struggling to find grip around the 1.5-mile track. On the steamy Sunday afternoon, the Pensacola, Fla., driver worked her way into the 17th position mid-race, but reported that the Chevrolet was extremely loose as she crossed the finish line in the 20th position.
CLOSE TO HOME: The famed Brickyard is just a short trip from ML Motorsports’ headquarters in Warsaw, Indiana. Long, who resides in the greater Charlotte, N.C., area, spent the week at the shop before heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
MEET THE DRIVER: Fans have several opportunities to meet Long this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Friday, July 26, the 21-year-old driver will head to the Chevrolet stage at the track to participate in a Q&A session with fans at 1 p.m. Long will also participate in the Nationwide Series autograph session on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Pavilion at IMS. The session is first come, first serve for fans with wristband distribution beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday in the Pagoda Plaza.
JOHANNA LONG QUOTES:
“I love going to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was such an honor to be able to compete at the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the Brickyard last season. It was surreal for me, because not four years ago my dad and I sat in turns 3 and 4 watching the Sprint Cup Series cars practice, and now I have the opportunity to compete there. It’s such a different track than any other on the circuit, so that took a little getting used to last year. The track is tricky, but I feel like last year I learned what I really needed to get around the track. There is so much history here, and the fans are always awesome so I’m really looking forward to getting back out there this weekend.”
Drivers Choice PR
