Almirola Looks for Redeeming Win at Kentucky

No. 51 Toyota Team Finished Fifth Last Season

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 30, 2010) – Aric Almirola and the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team head to the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway for this Friday night’s 150-lap race looking for a little bit of redemption.  Last year, the Billy Ballew Motorsports team led 19 laps on the way to a fifth-place finish.  They were one of the fastest trucks all race long, but pit strategy didn’t play in their favor in the end.

Almirola and the crew of the No. 51 are looking for the win Friday night, but also to extend their top-10 finish streak. After their sixth-place result last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, the Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota has landed in the top-10 five consecutive races.

Almirola Comments on Kentucky Speedway:

“I’m really looking forward to Kentucky.  We had a really fast truck last year, and we were up front racing for the win.  We weren’t able to seal the deal at the end, but we had a strong run and led laps.  It gives us a lot of confidence going back there and trying to get it done this time. 

“I think we have a pretty good understanding of what we need to do this weekend.  This Graceway Pharmaceuticals team has been strong all year, and now we’re going back to a place where we led laps last year.  It gives us a lot of confidence that we can go out there, race up front and hopefully challenge for the win.  We were close last year so it’d be nice to go back and get it done.

“Kentucky, in the past, has been a pretty rough track.  That’s been the characteristic of the track.  I’ve heard that they have levigated it like they have done to Charlotte in the past.  So, for everyone, it’s going to be a bit of a guessing game. I don’t think anyone really knows what the track conditions will be like.

“We hope it’s smoother, but nobody knows for sure. It sounds like we’ll be the first to know this weekend. That will be fine too.  We’re all professionals and can adapt to the changes pretty quickly.  Hopefully it will make for better racing for the fans.  Either way, our goal will be to put the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota in victory lane.”

Long Scores Top-20 at Chicagoland Debut JOLIET, Ill. (August 27, 2010) –In Friday night’s EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway, Johanna Long proved why she is touted as one of NASCAR’s most promising up and comers. In only her third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start, Long tactfully piloted her No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports-fielded Toyota to a 20th-place finish. It was Long’s second top-20 in her quickly rising career.

Prior to the race, crew chief “Cowboy” Starland laid out a simple game plan. He stressed that the race was all about learning. Starland desired for Long to continue discovering the handling characteristics of her race truck and finding the best grooves to follow around the 1.5-mile track. Long did just that.

Long started the race from the 20th position. She battled a tight-handling race truck in the initial stages of the event. The team fell to 24th-place while waiting for a chance to bring her truck into the pits. The break came on Lap 29, when the caution waved for a spin on the track. During the caution period, the 15 crew changed Long’s tires and topped off the fuel cell. The team also executed an air pressure adjustment to help free up her truck for the ensuing run. She rejoined the field in 25th-place.

Green flag action returned on Lap 35. Long’s truck was still too tight for her liking, but she managed to pick up two positions before the next caution flag waved, Lap 78. The crew performed routine service and made a series of track bar and wedge adjustments to loosen up Long’s Tundra. She returned to the track in 23rd-place.

The race went back to green on Lap 84. She pedaled her way into 22nd-place before the next caution, Lap 125. Starland called Long into the pits for her last stop of the night. The crew made another round of adjustments to loosen up the No. 15 Tundra. Long left the pits in 22nd-place.

On Lap 130, the race went green. Long picked up one more position on the ensuing run. A caution flag waved on Lap 147 and set the stage for a green-white-checkered finish. Long took advantage of the “overdrive” session to claim one more spot. She finished the day back in the 20th spot, but learned more than anyone else in the race.

“Yeah, I felt like I learned a lot today,” said Long. “This track is all about momentum. You have to keep the engine wound up or you just lose all of your speed. Fortunately I had a great crew to teach me. Of course I wish we could have finished better, but considering how many great drivers were in the field, I’m really proud of what we accomplished.”

 “We finished where we started. We stayed out of trouble and finished the race with a clean truck. That was important. I’m anxious for my next opportunity. I felt like tonight was great to learn about the bigger tracks, and I’ll feel more confident the next time out.”

Bristol, Tenn. (August 27, 2010) – Aric Almirola and the No. 51 Zyclara/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team finished sixth in Friday night’s EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at the fast Chicagoland Speedway to extend their top-10 finish streak to five. The team was able to overcome a “loose” handling truck to barely miss out on another top-five. Almirola and the Billy Ballew Motorsports team have now collected an amazing 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts so far this season. They remain second in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship standings as Almirola has a 67 point cushion over third place Johnny Sauter. The team trails leader Todd Bodine by 236 points.

Almirola started the night in eighth, but quickly moved up to fourth in the opening laps. Almirola reported that he was a bit “tight” across the bumps in the track, but was still tracking in the fourth position when the first caution waved on Lap 29. The team came down pit road for four tires and a wedge adjustment to better the handling.

The team came back on the track in fourth position and started the longest green run of the race. From Lap 34 to Lap 78 the race went green and the Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota was just too loose for Almirola to challenge the leaders. But, the team remained calm as Almirola raced to keep the team in the game. They slipped back to 10th, but crew chief Richie Wauters had mapped his plan to get the truck better.

A caution finally waved on Lap 78 allowing Almirola to dive down pit road for the adjustments. The crew adjusted air pressure and wedge and also took four new tires and fuel. They picked up two spots on pit road and Almirola held onto eighth-place until a caution on Lap 124 when the truck of James Buescher spun into the wall. This opened the door for teams to make their last pit stops under the yellow. The leaders came down pit road with most taking only two tires, but for Almirola and the Graceway team to win, they needed four tires and another air pressure adjustment.

They restarted 10th on Lap 129 with 21 laps to go. Almirola, with four fresh tires, moved up to seventh and then fifth when a final caution waved on Lap 147 of the scheduled 150-lap race. This set up a green-white checkered finish. Almirola restarted on the bottom groove of the track and was pinned down stopping his momentum. It took a complete lap for Almirola to get in position to pass again. The final lap he moved back to sixth where he took the checkered. Kyle Busch won the race and was followed by Bodine, Ron Hornaday, Sauter, Justin Lofton and Almirola.

“We were just really loose on that long run in the middle of the race,” said Almirola. “We slipped back and we really needed a caution to come out. But, Richie and the guys made some great adjustments that put us back in a great position on the final restart. We were fifth, and I felt like we had a third-place truck, or even an opportunity to pull something out for the win.

“On that final restart, the bottom just didn’t work for me. I got pinned down there and lost speed. We got back to sixth, but I think we were actually better than that. I’m proud of the guys for sticking in there and getting this Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota another top-10 finish.” Almirola and the team will look to extend their streak next Friday night at the Kentucky Speedway. The race, the 18th on the 25 race schedule, is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED Channel beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Long Excited for First NCWTS Race at Chicagoland

Looking to Rebound after Previous Race Cut Short

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 23, 2010) – Johanna Long will make her third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in this week’s EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. Long will be returning behind the wheel of the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota Tundra to tackle the 1.5-mile race track.

Chicagoland Speedway will be the first mile-and-a-half venue that Long has competed at in NCWTS competition. Long made history this season when she became the youngest female driver to make a NCWTS start. The Pensacola, Fla., native made her debut at O’Reilly Raceway Park this season, where she finished 17^th. She next competed at Nashville Superspeedway and finished 34^th after she was spun out and unable to continue.

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 Comments on EnjoyIllinois.com 225:

“I can’t wait to get back on track. Our last race at Nashville didn’t turn out how we expected. I barely had anytime to race, so I’m looking forward to heading to Chicagoland.  I really enjoyed the speed and pace at Nashville.  I’ve mostly competed at short tracks, so it was nice to get some experience at a larger track. It was really fun wheeling the truck.  I was excited about racing there, but we only got three laps in before I was crashed. I’m anxious to continue learning and developing as a driver, so this will be a great opportunity.

“My guys worked so hard at Nashville and I was disappointed that we didn’t have more to show for our effort. My crew has given me an awesome truck both times I’ve raced with Billy Ballew Motorsports and I’m sure that Chicago will be no different. Hopefully this race will reflect how good this team really is.

“I’ve really enjoyed the past two Truck Series races.  Each one has been a learning experience.  The trucks are a lot different than anything I’ve ever driven, so I’m still getting the hang of them. It’s definitely a challenge, but I’m feeling more comfortable behind the wheel. I’m learning the handling characteristics and getting a better understanding of what the truck needs for the race. Each lap I take is valuable. Fortunately I have a great crew around me that helps speeding up that curve.”