MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 29, 2010) – Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM) announced today that Pensacola, Fla.’s  Johanna Long will make her NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) debut at O’Reilly Raceway Park on July 23. Long will drive the No. 15 Toyota Tundra in the AAA Insurance 200.  It will be Long’s first event in one of NASCAR’s top-three series.

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.

Billy Ballew, team owner BBM, anticipates Long to continue a successful progression as she takes her first step into the NCWTS.

“I’m really excited to have Johanna (Long) in our truck at ORP,” said Ballew. “She’s extremely talented and has been very successful up to this point.  The Truck Series is a great venue for her to grow as a driver.  She’s got all the tools to be successful, and I think this will be a good opportunity for her to develop her talent.”

BBM has a history of opening doors for young, up and coming drivers.  He has fielded winning trucks for young drivers such as Shane Hmiel, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola.  He also helped jump-start stock car career of Brian Ickler, and most recently Nelson Piquet Jr.  Long sees her inaugural NCWTS race with BBM as an opportunity to mature as a driver.

“This is a great opportunity,” Long said.  “Billy Ballew Motorsports has great people and great equipment.  I’m looking forward to working with the team.  This will be my first Truck Series race, so of course it will be an adjustment.  Billy’s guys have been very successful helping other up and coming drivers transition into NASCAR.   I’m really excited to have the chance to learn from them and race with some of the best drivers in motorsports.”

Long tested with BBM last week at Asheboro, N.C.’s Caraway Speedway. The .455-mile paved oval has similar characteristics to O’Reilly Raceway Park and helped prepare Long for the race ahead. The session was Long’s first opportunity to drive a NASCAR race truck. Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 51 BBM truck, was on hand to coach Long as she navigated the track.

Long will test this week at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. Long and her 15 team will test for two days at the half-mile paved speedway.

Although her schedule is not confirmed, Long anticipates racing more NCWTS events with BBM following the AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park as part of a multi-race developmental program.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 25, 2010) – Officials of Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM) announced today that Steve Wallace will return behind the wheel of the team’s No. 15 Toyota of Des Moines Toyota Tundra for the July 11^th Iowa 200 at Iowa Speedway.

Wallace, driver of the No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has driven in two prior NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events, both for BBM.  In his NCWTS debut, Wallace pedaled his way to a fourth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, followed by a 12^th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway in April.

Wallace, the youngest son of Iowa Speedway’s chief designer and racing legend, Rusty Wallace, has enjoyed success at Iowa in the past.  In his two prior appearances there, the younger Wallace won the inaugural ARCA RE/MAX Series event in 2006 and ran among the top-five for the majority of last year’s Nationwide Series event, before being taken out of contention by late-race contact.

“I’m thrilled to go racing with Billy Ballew Motorsports again,” Wallace said. “The Truck Series is a lot of fun and I really enjoy working with the 15 team; we’ve done pretty well in the two races we’ve run together.  I want to thank Toyota of Des Moines for coming on board our Tundra.  They’re a good friend to motorsports and I appreciate their support.  We’ll do our best to get them in victory lane.”

Toyota of Des Moines is no stranger to NASCAR racing. The dealership has sponsored several drivers and has been involved with different racing series. Toyota of Des Moines has previously partnered with Mike Skinner in the NCWTS, Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Camping World West Series and Corey LaJoie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.

About Toyota of Des Moines

Toyota of Des Moines, in Des Moines, Iowa, is the No. 1 Toyota dealer in the State of Iowa. Many of their customers travel in from Omaha, Nebraska – Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Chicago, Illinois and towns in Iowa like Cedar Rapids, Ames, Iowa City, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Council Bluffs, Mason City, Ft. Dodge and Spirit Lake.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 12, 2010) – Nelson Piquet Jr. made a valiant comeback following a late-race spin in the VFW 200 at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway to score his third top-10 finish in only the fourth race of his brief NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career.  The Brasilia, Brazil native steadily improved his 14^th-place starting position throughout the 100-lap event, reaching as high as ninth-place.  Following the restart on Lap 89, Piquet’s No. 15 Qualcomm, ArcSight Tundra slid off Turn 4 and through the infield grass, sending him outside the top-15.  Not about to give up, Piquet showed veteran-like poise and made a mad dash during the remaining eight laps to score a 10^th-place finish.

When the race began, Piquet held his ground until the first caution flag waved, Lap 11. Piquet’s machine was a “a little tight” through the corners, so crew chief “Cowboy” Starland called his driver into the pits for fuel and a wedge adjustment. He returned to the track in 14^th-place.

Green flag action returned on Lap 19.  After taking a few laps, Piquet told his crew, “This truck is awesome.  It’s handling perfectly.”  He blew past two trucks and moved into 12^th-place.  The only thing that slowed him down was the caution flag, which waved on Lap 34 for rain showers over the speedway.  The No. 15 team took advantage of the caution period to change Piquet’s tires and top off the fuel cell. Fortunately the storm didn’t last long and the trucks were back on the track before too long.

The race went back to green on Lap 42 with Piquet in 11^th-place. On the restart, Piquet’s shifter became stuck in between gears.  He fell back to 21^st-place before he was able to correct the problem.  Luckily there was no permanent damage and he returned to running top speeds. Starland reminded Piquet that there was still more than half of the race left to go, and to be smooth, picking up one position at a time.  Piquet followed instructions to the tee. He moved up to the 13^th position by Lap 70.

Starland called Piquet into the pits for a green flag stop on Lap 77.  Piquet reported that his truck “tightened up a bunch” over the course of the last run, so the crew made an air pressure adjustment, in addition to changing the tires and filling the tank full of fuel. He rejoined the field in 11^th-place.

A caution flag halted the action on Lap 83.  Piquet remained on the track and moved into ninth-place. On the ensuing restart, Lap 89, Piquet made contact with the truck running above him and spun down the track. His Toyota Tundra slid through the grass, narrowly avoiding the pit wall. Fortunately, Piquet kept his truck from hitting anything and managed to prevent it from sustaining any damage.  Piquet circled back around the track and brought his truck into his pit stall. The team made a four-tire change and cleaned debris off his grill. He returned to the track with his truck as good as new.

Piquet lined up in 17^th-place for the final restart of the day.  There were only eight laps remaining, but Piquet made the most of them.  One by one, he picked up one position after the other until taking the checkered flag.  He finished in 10^th-place, marking his third top-10 in four events.

“What a crazy day,” Piquet said after the race. “We had an awesome truck this afternoon. It got a little bit tight as the race progressed, but overall, it was strong.  My spotter, crew chief and team made all the right calls and the Qualcomm, ArcSight Tundra kept getting better and better as the race went on.

“I learned so much during the race.  It’s all about momentum at Michigan and how to keep your speed up.  It’s a really fast track and if you don’t hit your marks just right, it costs you huge. I watched what a lot of the other drivers were doing and that helped me a lot.

“We overcame a lot today, a problem with the gearshift and a spin through grass. Fortunately I have a great team and they knew just what to do.  Each time that something happened, everyone remained calm and handled the situation.  We ended up with a good finish.  I look forward to continuing my career in the NASCAR Camping World Series hopefully real soon.”

Aric Almirola and the No.51 Zyclara/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team won Saturday afternoon’s VFW 200 at the sweeping, two-mile Michigan Speedway in a dramatic three-wide pass for the lead in the final 10 laps of the race. The victory is the second win for Billy Ballew Motorsports this season. For Almirola, his second win comes in only 58 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts. It’s the 19th win for Billy Ballew Motorsports.

Almirola and the Graceway Toyota took the lead on Lap 94 of the 100-lap race and held off fellow Toyota competitors Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch for the win in front of an estimated 38,000 fans. The victory is the team’s seventh top-10 and third top-five finish this season. Almirola gained ground in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and now trails points leader Bodine by only 55 markers. Almirola joins a club with Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick as the only drivers the in series to have multiple wins this season.

Starting in the 10th position after qualifying early Saturday morning, Almirola took the rest of the morning to study changing track conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage as the series held final practice sessions. Almirola listened to different team radios to learn more about track conditions as his team put the finishing touches on the Graceway Toyota to make it race ready. The race began at 2:00 p.m. local time with rain showers forecasted for late afternoon. The team, however, only concentrated on getting to the front early. It didn’t take long for Almirola and the team to jump up the leader board and by Lap 30 was up to the sixth position. The team had already made one pit stop to help Almirola fight a slight “tight” handling condition. Crew chief Richie Wauters called for adjustments, but Almirola was still fighting the same condition.

Only moments later on Lap 34 rain moved over the track and forced NASCAR to red flag the event. Drivers were able to get out of their trucks and this gave Almirola and Wauters the opportunity to discuss the handling of the truck and what adjustments needed to be made. After rain moved out and track drying complete, the race was restarted on Lap 42. Almirola wasted no time to get back in the top-five, racing Bodine, Busch, rookie Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday Jr. for the lead. He was able to get to third immediately, but the truck was still tight racing closely to other trucks. Almirola, using smart racing skills, patiently waited for the right time to make his move. The team raced in the fourth or fifth positions from Laps 40 to Lap 70.

The team had one more important pit stop for fuel and final handling adjustments as the laps ticked off. Many teams were hoping to make those changes under a caution period, but instead it was green-flag stops. The No. 51 team came down pit road on Lap 76 for four tires, fuel and a final adjustment called by Wauters. Fate now rested in the controls of Almirola as he returned to the track after quick service on pit road. A late-race caution on Lap 85 for oil on the track helped everyone bunch back up and called for a double-file restart. Almirola lined up fourth behind then race leader Bodine who elected to restart in the second and higher groove. The green waved on Lap 89 and Almirola actually pushed Bodine’s truck to the front. At the end of the lap the Graceway Toyota was in the second spot and challenging Bodine for the lead, but the caution waved one more time as teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. slid through the grass on the frontstretch. The caution came out on Lap 90 and setup an eventual seven lap dash for the trophy. The final restart Almirola lined up on the bottom as Bodine once again chose the high groove. On the start Almirola pulled out first with Bodine at his side. Busch then made a move to make the drivers go three-wide down the backstretch. The drivers diced for position, racing inches apart a top speed. It was becoming dramatic finish with Almirola shuffled into the middle of Bodine and Busch. Showing incredible determination and skill Almirola not only kept his truck clean, but pulled of Busch with five lap to go. Bodine and Almirola dueled for the win, but each lap the No. 51 truck crossed the line first. Almirola leading, Bodine made many moves to pass for the win, but in the end it was Almirola and the No. 51 Zyclara/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team who crossed the line first and captured the checkered flag.

“We struggled at the beginning of the race just being really tight,” said Almirola in Victory Lane. “Dirty air was so bad today. Clean air was so important and we got to the front and we got in clean air and it just was a different truck. It drove great. It was a little bit free where I had fought tight all day, but Richie Wauters (crew chief) and all the guys at Billy Ballew Motorsports – they work their tails off all week long and it shows man. We had an awesome truck. I want to thank Graceway Pharmaceuticals. They stuck behind us and they’ve been a great supporter of ours. I want to thank the fans – what a crowd today. I was doing my burnout there and I seen them all cheering and waving and stuff so that’s cool. That makes you feel good when you come and see a packed house like that. “We struggled just being really tight. We worked on it and worked on it and tried to get it freed up but dirty air was so bad. On those last couple restarts I knew if I could just get to the front we’ll have a different truck and sure enough we got to the front and as soon as we got to the front it was a totally different truck. It drove great. I don’t think I lifted those last 10 laps. My hats off to Billy Ballew (team owner), Richie Wauters (crew chief) and everybody at Billy Ballew Motorsports. Our Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra was awesome today.

“This place you can draft so well, but at the same time I knew if I kept Todd’s (Bodine) nose in dirty air that I could upset his truck. And that’s what I tried to do. I tried to break the draft down the straightaways as much as possible and in the corners I tried to take his lane away so he could get tight. Fortunate enough for us today, that was the key. I didn’t think it was the greatest place to be. I knew we were going to run wide open through the corner and we were either going to crash or we were going to make it out the other side because I knew how important clean air was. I knew that was my only shot to get out in the lead, and if I didn’t get out in the lead then there was no chance of us winning the race. I went down in Turn One and I knew that I was going to run a shorter distance than Todd (Bodine) do I just tried to hold tight on Kyle’s (Busch) door to get him loose, which I did and by the time I got off Turn Two, I was almost clear of Todd. Then when we went through (Turns) Three and Four, I cleared him. I think that was the move of the race as far as I’m concerned for winning the race. Our truck, in dirty air, just wasn’t as good as it needed to be. That was key.”