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Homestead-Miami Speedway – November 18, 2011

- Denny Hamlin (second) was the highest finishing Toyota driver in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

- Hamlin finished runner-up to race-winner Johnny Sauter in an event that was shortened to 119 laps (from 134) due to rain.

- In his most recent start in the Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) No. 18 Tundra, Hamlin picked up the victory at Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 29).

- Timothy Peters (eighth) also registered a top-10 finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

- Other Tundra drivers in the field included David Starr (11th), Dusty Davis (15th), Todd Bodine (16th), Brendan Gaughan (20th), Max Papis (21st), German Quiroga (26th), Miguel Paludo (32nd) and Johnny Chapman (36th).

- The race at Homestead-Miami Speedway marked the 200th race in the NCWTS for the Tundra.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 18 Dollar General / DIRECTV Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 2nd

Are you happy with your second-place finish?

“Yeah, it was good. We didn’t practice that well with the Dollar General Toyota, and we just weren’t all that great during the course of the race. But we did get better as we went, and obviously the last run I was just trying to be patient. I knew I had a truck that could get around Johnny (Sauter), but I just wanted to be patient and wait until later stages of the race, and also to ensure that we kept the third-place guy behind us and tried to use the draft. Strategy didn’t work out. It probably cost us a win today, but they told me one lap before the rain came that it looks like rain is coming, so if I got anything, I’d better go. That was my last-ditch effort on the corner to try to get around him. He slid up and got into us and we got in the wall, and it was one of those things. We were not in a position to really race him that hard anyway.”

How slippery was the race track in turns 3 and 4 when you tried to make the move on Johnny Sauter?

“I didn’t think it was too bad, it seemed, relative to what we had before. But he (Johnny Sauter) slipped up quite a bit, so he was the first one to evidently get to any moisture that was there. I had already committed to run really wide open on the outside — whatever happens, happens. For us, I didn’t think it was that much different. You know, he would probably be a better guess for that. But it was coming down. You could definitely see as soon as we let off the caution it was pouring pretty bad.”

How difficult was the track at the start of the race and what does it mean for the Cup cars if there is more rain?

“It wasn’t too bad. It was relatively similar to what we had in practice because we kept practicing on green surfaces — not much changed. Every time we’d run our practice session, rain would come, so every new practice session was on a green race track. So, I t hink the Cup cars kind of having a clean slate tomorrow should be relatively fine. I thought the track was very consistent from day to night.”

Would you consider doing any additional Truck Series races next year?

“Maybe a few. It definitely wouldn’t be on a triple weekend or anything like that. But I always try to do just one a year. But yeah, I mean, driving these trucks that KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) has just been really good. Those guys put together some awesome race trucks, and I sit in it and I look around and it’s as good as what my Cup car looks like on the inside. They put together some really nice trucks, and obviously they’ve given me, the two times I’ve been in it, two chances to win. Yeah, maybe three or four or something like that, but as long as the schedule all works out. Ain’t going to be on a weekend like this.”

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Service Central, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

DAVID STARR, No. 81 Zachry Tundra, SS Green Light Racing

Finishing Position: 11th

DUSTY DAVIS, No. 15 Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports

Finishing Position: 15th

TODD BODINE, No. 5, International Trucks / Monaco RV Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports

Finishing Position: 16th

BRENDAN GAUGHAN, No. 62 Tire Kingdom / Service Central Tundra, Germain Racing

Finishing Position: 20th

MAX PAPIS, No. 9 GEICO Tundra, Germain Racing

Finishing Position: 21st

GERMAN QUIROGA, No. 51 TELCEL Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 26th

MIGUEL PALUDO, No. 7 Duroline Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 32nd

JOHNNY CHAPMAN, No. 07 ASI Limited Tundra, SS Green Light Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release

JR Motorsports

EVENT – Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)

TRACK – Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

DATE – Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011

TV / RADIO - ESPN2 (coverage begin at 3:30 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 3 p.m. EST)

Aric Almirola

No. 88 Degree Men Chevrolet

“The racing surface at Kansas gets real slick. As the pavement gets older every year, it seems to get slicker and slicker. Grip is at a premium there. We’ll spend most of our practice trying to find the right amount of grip. The Degree Men team will work hard on that. It never really seems like you get it all, but it’s about who has more than the others.

“We’ll be racing a cool paint scheme with our Degree Men Chevrolet. It’s a good looking car, and I really like it. We ran this scheme at Bristol under the lights, and I’m anxious to see how it’s going to look racing in the daytime this week. JR Motorsports has had a lot of success with the Degree Men V12 logo on the hood of its racecars. I’m hoping for much of the same this weekend at Kansas.”

Danica Patrick

No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

“This will be another track for me to experience in a stock car. The good news is Tony (Eury) Jr. and the Go Daddy crew do a phenomenal job preparing our cars for the racetrack. It will take me a few laps to get up to speed but after that we’ll be competitive. I’m familiar with mile-and-a-half tracks and from what everyone says Kansas is very similar to Chicago, so I feel like we’ll be in good shape.

“I’m looking forward to next year. It’s very important that we end this year strong with our Go Daddy car. We certainly can do that. Personally, I think I’ve jumped a small hurdle in the process of being more accustomed to these tracks. By season’s end there will only be a handful of tracks that I haven’t raced on in a stockcar. That will be a big advantage for next year.”

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –

NINE OF 12 FOR DANICA – Patrick will compete in her ninth Nationwide Series race of the season at Kansas Speedway. Her season totals include one top-five and three top-10 finishes. She has led 14 laps on the season and earned an average finish of 16.2. Patrick holds two top-finishes in her last four starts. She returns to NNS action for races at Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

PATRICK AT KANSAS – Patrick will make her Kansas Speedway debut in the Nationwide Series this weekend. In the IndyCar Series Patrick holds six starts at the 1.5-mile facility, earning an average finish of 10.3.

JRM’S INTERMEDIATE PROGRAM – JR Motorsports owns four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 1.5-mile races this season. Drivers Almirola, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Patrick and Josh Wise have all contributed to the tally.

NEW LOOK CONTINUES FOR DEGREE MEN CHEVROLET – JRM’s flagship No. 88 Chevrolet will feature the Degree Men Adrenaline Series paint scheme for the second time this season. The Degree Men Adrenaline Series responds to increases in physical exertion, making it perfect for a hot afternoon of racing. The special paint features gold, black and silver colors with Degree Men logos on the quarter panels. Degree Men V12, part of the Adrenaline Series, will be featured on the hood of the No. 88.

ALMIROLA AT KANSAS – Almirola has four starts at Kansas Speedway across the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series. His best showing came in a Billy Ballew-owned truck in 2010 when he finished seventh. Almirola holds two top-five and four top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks this season with an average finish of 10.2 in those events.

NO. 88 SEASON STATS – The No. 88 team’s season tally now stands at seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, including 10 top-10s in the last 13 races. Almirola is currently ranked fourth in championship points, with the No. 88 Chevrolet eighth in owner points.

NO. 7 SEASON STATS – The No. 7 team holds six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2011. The team occupies the 12th position in owner points. Every driver of the No. 7 this season has scored a top-10 finish. The list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Fellows, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Patrick and Josh Wise.

ALMIROLA AUTOGRAPH SIGNING – Aric Almirola will sign autographs at the JR Nation merchandise hauler, located in the fan concourse area, on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. local time.

JR NATION GREAT GIVEWAY – From Aug. 28 to Oct. 16, 2011, the JR Nation web site, the official fan club site for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports, is giving away a prize a day for 50 days to both new and existing fan club members. All fans must do is log on to www.jrnation.com and click on the register now banner. In addition to the 50 daily prizes, JR Nation is offering a grand prize of an $888 gift card for use in the JR Nation online store. 10 second-place winners will receive an $88 gift card also for use in the JR Nation online store. Daily prizes include autographed memorabilia from Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Josh Wise.

WATCH JRM RACING.COM’s VIDEO SERIES – In a continued effort to be at the forefront of web-based content through its website www.jrmracing.com, the team has added a multitude of videos into its video gallery. Click here to view race preview videos, the “JRM 360” series and more.

- JR Motorsports Press Release

No. 66 5-Hour Energy® Toyota Camry (Steve Wallace) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

· This Week’s 5 Hour Energy Toyota … Steve Wallace will pilot Rusty Wallace Racing chassis RWR-064 in Saturday night’s Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Built new for the 2011 season, this Toyota Camry debuted at Texas Motor Speedway in May, where Wallace finished 17th. The Greensboro, N.C. native has since used this car to record finishes of 16th at Dover International Speedway in May, 21st and 11th, respectively, at Kentucky Speedway Nashville Superspeedway in July. Most recently, Wallace raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at Iowa Speedway.

· Through 25 Races … With 25 races of the 2011 season in the record books, Wallace has accumulated two top-five, five top 10 and 13 top-15 finishes, an average starting position of 13.4 and an average finish of 15.8. Wallace has completed 97.8 percent of the laps contested (4,452 of 4,552) thus far.

· Get to the Points … Wallace is currently ranked eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings, 16 in arrears to seventh-place driver Kenny Wallace. Over the last month, the 24-year-old driver has shaved 50 points off his deficit to his uncle.

· Wallace at Atlanta … In four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Wallace boasts two top-25 finishes. His best result at the 1.54-mile oval is 18th, where he finished in March of 2008.

· Are You Experienced? … In addition to his four previous Nationwide Series starts at the 1.54-mile oval, Wallace has also competed in a Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta. Driving the No. 15 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports, Wallace recorded a career-best fourth-place finish in March of 2010.

· Welcome Aboard … 5-Hour Energy Racing welcomes RaceTrac and Kroger as partners for this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. RaceTrac branding will adorn the TV panel of Wallace’s No. 66 Toyota in Saturday evening’s race, while Circle K logos will be displayed over the rear quarter panels.

· Last Time Out … Hard work and perseverance rewarded Wallace with a 14th-place finish in last Friday night’s Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The finish marked his 13th top-15 result of the 2011 season.

· Rusty Wallace Racing at Atlanta … In 11 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Rusty Wallace Racing boasts two top-10 finishes.

· Rusty Wallace Racing in 2011 … With 25 of 34 races completed thus far in the 2011 season, Rusty Wallace Racing’s three NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded a combined three top-five, 12 top 10 and 27 top-15 finishes. Rusty Wallace Racing Toyotas have completed 9,945 of 10,329 laps attempted, and have been atop the leaderboard for 19 laps with drivers Michael Annett, Jason Bowles, David Reutimann and Steve Wallace.

·Welcome Home, Andy … Transporter driver Andy Taylor is the only native Georgian on the No. 66 5-Hour Energy team. Taylor was born and raised in Waycross, located about 250 miles south of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

· Codespotter … Interested in a chance to win a NASCAR Champion VIP Experience? Go to CodeSpotter.com and enter Steve’s code “SWALLACE” once per day through midnight on September 5th for your chance.

Steve Wallace - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track where we haven’t run as well as we’d like in the Nationwide Series. It’s a fast track with a lot of options, there are multiple lines and a driver can compensate for some handling issues by changing lines. The pavement is worn out, so there isn’t a ton of grip, so you’ve got to hustle the car around the place. It’s just a lot of fun to race there.” – Steve Wallace on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway

About Living Essentials, LLC

Farmington Hills, MI-based Living Essentials, LLC, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in 2 oz. liquid energy shots. 5-Hour Energy is available nationwide at major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass Merchant, Warehouse and Convenience Store classes of trade. Living Essentials sells over seven million bottles of 5-Hour Energy per week. For more information, please visit 5hourenergy.com.

About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary racing history of its founder, Rusty Wallace. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys-driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively-in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. RWR will also campaign the No. 64 Camry in select 2011 events. RWR entries have finished among the top-ten in the Nationwide Series driver or owner standings in each of the last three seasons. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.

- Rusty Wallace Racing Press Release

Monteith, who was preparing to run a Late Model race at Kingsport Speedway, has run a pair of truck races at BMS in recent years, both for owner Billy Ballew. He is hoping to put something together in time for the O’Reilly 200, but added that the deal could extend beyond the truck race.

“We’re talking with some corporate sponsors right now – one of them is going to be here tonight – trying to put something together to run the Bristol truck race and maybe some stuff on the regional/national level,” Monteith said. “To run good tonight would be really good for us with him here.”

- Kingsport Times News

Vision Aviation Racing (VAR) Thumbnail

Race: Bully Hill Vineyards 200

Date: April 22, 2011

Location: Nashville Superspeedway

Justin Johnson

Last Race: After starting from the 26th position at Martinsville Speedway Johnson made his way to the front in no time, mixing it up with the top-10. On lap 137 the bad luck bug bit Johnson for the second race in a row and, after being caught up in an incident that took him and his team out of contention, he went on to finish 31st.

This Week’s Chassis: Chassis No.035 will be running this week in Nashville and has already seen a very active 2011 race season. Johnson ran this chassis at Phoenix International Raceway and Martinsville Speedway where he finished 8th and 31st, respectively.

Making a Ruckus: Johnson competed in the Ruckus House Scholarship Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina during his off week where he rubbed elbows with other athletes and stars, all for a good cause. The Ruckus House Scholarship Foundation benefits high-school graduates or college students who want to pursue a career in education.

Wounded Warrior Project: Johnson’s sponsor, Wounded Warrior Project, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to honoring and empowering wounded servicemen and women. Wounded Warrior Project aims to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in the nation’s history. To learn more about how you can help visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

Justin Johnson - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

What are your thoughts on racing at Nashville Superspeedway?

“It will be my first time racing at Nashville, so I am excited to check it out. But to be honest, I am just excited to have a chance to win that guitar, that thing is awesome. It’s probably the coolest trophy on the circuit.”

We’ll be racing in Music City. Tell me a little bit about your musical taste?

“I like all kinds of music, really I like everything. You can find a range of artists on my iPod, anywhere from Breaking Benjamin, to Akon, to Brad Paisley. I actually taught Brad Paisley how to drive a Corvette when I was working at the Ron Fellows Driving School. He brought his whole band out to the school and then we got to go to one of his shows in Vegas. That was cool.”

This past week you played in a celebrity golf tournament for the Ruckus House and volunteered at the Special Olympics, what do you enjoy most about those sorts of activities?

“I enjoy giving back to the community but I also enjoy being able to doing something different. Your life can get pretty routine working in this industry and it’s nice to get out and participate in those sort of activities. Plus it’s always for a good cause and that makes it even better.”

Vision Aviation Racing (VAR) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Notes

Where’s Dusty: One noticeable difference to the VAR lineup for this week’s upcoming Nashville event will be the absence of Justin’s teammate, Dusty Davis. The No. 15 VAR Toyota Tundra wasn’t able to secure sponsorship that would allow the rookie driver to run this weekend in Nashville. VAR plans to run Davis in a limited schedule for 2011 and is currently seeking partnership opportunities that will put Davis back in the driver’s seat.

Although disappointed that the sponsorship planned for Nashville didn’t quite materialize in time for this weekend’s race, Davis realizes just how important it is to find the right partners for long-term success in NASCAR. “Everyone at Vision has been working really hard to put the right deals together. The team and I just have to be patient while that process takes place. We have some things in the works, it just takes time to find the right fit for everyone,” commented Davis.

Crew Member Spotlight: Berwick, Pennsylvania native, Chris Whitenight moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina area in 2006 to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Whitenight then went to work for Billy Ballew Motorsports as Team Engineer. He continues in that role today for the newly formed VAR where he handles both the No.51 and No.15 teams. Long hours and late nights at the shop are only a part of Whitenight’s dedication to racing as he also races an asphalt modified when back home in the Northeast.

Special Olympics: It was a fiesta at the Boys and Girls Club in Concord, North Carolina this past weekend as the Special Olympics celebrated this year’s games with their annual dance. The Special Olympics organization is dedicated to giving individuals with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports and physical activities that will help promote growth and prosperity among its athletes. Justin Johnson and Dusty Davis were on hand to sign autographs and participate in the fun. “It was awesome to hang out with the Special Olympics athletes at this year’s fiesta dance. We had so much fun. I admire them for their dedication and I was honored to be there,” said Davis.

Meet the Drivers: Be sure to stop by the NCWTS autograph session on April 22nd at Nashville Superspeedway where Justin Johnson and Dusty Davis will be signing from 1:00-2:00PM.

Social Media: Want to be in on all the latest news from VAR? Follow us on Twitter at @VARacing, @JustinJohnson51, @DustyDavis7, and at Facebook.com/visionaviationracing. Don’t forget to visit our website, www.visionaviationracing.com, for driver bios, photo galleries, and much more!

Air Time: Catch all the action LIVE on SPEED starting at 7:30PM/ET on April 22nd, 2011. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio starting at 7:45PM/ET.

Vision Aviation Racing:

Vision Aviation Racing is located near the metro Charlotte, North Carolina area. Still in its early days, the team has already proven to be a winning platform. In 2011, VAR went to victory lane at Daytona in their first ever Camping World Truck Series start with driver Michael Waltrip behind the wheel. Full time VAR driver, Justin Johnson, won the championship in the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series while teammate Dusty Davis finished a strong second. Overall the Vision Aviation Racing squad earned a win percentage of 74% over the 19-race season. 2011 is the team’s first season in the Camping World Truck Series.

Vision Airlines:

Vision Airlines started in 1994 offering aerial tours of the Grand Canyon. Over the past 16 years, Vision Airlines’ fleet expanded to include Boeing 767′s, Boeing 737′s, Dornier 328 and Dornier 228 turbo prop aircraft. Vision Airlines has become one of the premier charter airlines in the United States. The company’s clients include US Presidential candidates, heads of state, countless celebrities, Fortune 1000 companies and some of the world’s most-recognized resorts. The company’s headquarters is located in Suwanee, GA. It also maintains offices in Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY and Miami, FL.

Wounded Warrior Project:

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

- Vision Aviation Racing Press Release

Dusty Davis - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Dusty Davis - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Race: Too Tough To Tame 200

Date: March 12, 2011

Location: Darlington Raceway

Vision Aviation Racing (VAR) NASCAR Camping World Truck (NCWTS) Series Notes

Two Trucks are Better Then One: VAR was originally slated to enter only the No. 51 truck of Justin Johnson for this week’s race in Darlington. Early last week the team decided, based on the performance in Phoenix two weeks ago, to also enter the No. 15 Toyota Tundra with rookie Dusty Davis at the wheel.

Crew Member Spotlight: This week’s crew member spotlight is on VAR Fabricator/Mechanic, Craig Kemp. Kemp, who is affectionately known as ‘Shrek’ around the shop, is originally from Randallstown, Maryland and had his first job in racing by age 16. Kemp has worked for such well known organizations as Bill Davis Racing and Billy Ballew Motorsports, among others. The former dirt car racer was able to achieve one of his highest career goals this year when VAR and the No.15 Tundra went to Daytona victory lane with driver Michael Waltrip. Kemp is a dedicated family man, married to wife Amy and has five children, Ashleigh, Michael, Taylor, Graci and Katie.

Simulated Darlington Stripes: Because NASCAR’s testing policy limits the amount of seat time for rookies, both VAR drivers have been logging as many laps as possible on the egg-shaped oval with the team simulator. Competition Director, Rip Michels commented, “Justin and Dusty have run about 1000 laps at Darlington on the simulator and I think they permanently flat sided the video game truck. They are getting really good and now they get the real Lady in Black this weekend.”

Air Time: Catch all the action Live on SPEED starting at 4:30PM/ET on March 12th, 2011. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio starting at 5:00PM/ET.

Dusty Davis - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Dusty Davis - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

No.15 Vision Airlines / Emerald Coast Resorts Toyota Tundra

Race Notes and Quotes

Last Race: Davis qualified his Toyota Tundra 19th in the 36 truck field two weeks ago in Phoenix and was running in the top-15 when a late race accident kept him from finishing on the lead lap, forcing him to finish 26th.

This Week’s Chassis: Davis will be in chassis number 024 this week in Darlington. Originally part of Billy Ballew Motorsports, this chassis has been driven by Steven Wallace, Johnny Benson, Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin. Brian Ickler also drove this chassis to a pole position and 3rd place finish at Michigan in 2009.

Change of plans: Davis was originally scheduled to run only seven races this season with the next race slated for Nashville on the 22nd of April. A change of plans has Davis in the No.15 seat this weekend in Darlington. The decision was based on the early success Davis showed in Phoenix before the late race accident took away his chance at a top-15 finish.

Davis Quotes:

Originally not scheduled to race again until Nashville, tell me what went through your mind when you heard you would be racing Darlington?

First off, I was really excited to get my Vision Airlines Tundra out in Darlington. My second thought was ‘oh boy’ Darlington is an intimidating track to run as a rookie. It’s going to be difficult to say the least. I have been focusing on the simulator. I have over 300 laps on the simulator this week just trying to get prepared.

Why is Darlington so intimidating for a rookie?

Well, the Lady in Black is a legend. It’s a really difficult track. It’s a mile and a half so you’re going about 180 miles an hour on average and it’s a tight little track. It’s a mile and a half track but it drives like a half mile. You drive right up against the wall and the racing groove is only one to two trucks wide. There is not a lot of room for error. The way you drive it, you are right up against the wall at your fastest points and so you only have about half a foot of error room. If you mess up, you’re going to mess up big.

What are your goals for the weekend?

I would like to say a top-10 but I think realistically a top-15 would be good because that place is so tough and I have never run there before. When we went to Phoenix I really wanted a top-10, and we were on our way there before the wreck late in the race. I had experience there so I was really looking for a top-10, but I would be happy with a top-15 at Darlington.

Vision Aviation Racing

Vision Aviation Racing is a NASCAR race team located near the metro Charlotte, North Carolina area. Still in its early days, the team has already proven to be a winning platform. In 2011, VAR went to victory lane at Daytona in their first ever Camping World Truck Series start with driver Michael Waltrip behind the wheel. Full time VAR driver, Justin Johnson, won the championship in the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series while teammate Dusty Davis finished a strong second. Overall the Vision Aviation Racing squad earned a win percentage of 74% over the 19-race season. 2011 is the team’s first season in the Camping World Truck Series, led by General Manager, Tom Davis.

Vision Airlines

Vision Airlines started in 1994 offering aerial tours of the Grand Canyon. Over the past 16 years, Vision Airlines’ fleet expanded to include Boeing 767′s, Boeing 737′s, Dornier 328 and Dornier 228 turbo prop aircraft. Vision Airlines has become one of the premier charter airlines in the United States. The company’s clients include US Presidential candidates, heads of state, countless celebrities, Fortune 1000 companies and some of the world’s most-recognized resorts. The company’s headquarters is located in Suwanee, GA. It also maintains offices in Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY and Miami, FL.

Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

Emerald Coast Resorts - Unpretentious, breathtakingly beautiful and named the “No. 1 Beach Town in the South” for 14 consecutive years by the readers of Southern Living, Florida’s Emerald Coast is famous for 24 miles of sugar-white sands and emerald-green waters. Year-round, vacationers indulge in simple pleasures – from the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village” and spirited seaside celebrations to challenging holes of golf and 14,000 affordable, Gulf-edge accommodations.

- Vision Aviation Racing Press Release

Justin Johnson - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Race: Too Tough To Tame 200

Date: March 12, 2011

Location: Darlington Raceway

Vision Aviation Racing (VAR) NASCAR Camping World Truck (NCWTS) Series Notes

Two Trucks are Better Then One: VAR was originally slated to enter only the No. 51 truck of Justin Johnson for this week’s race in Darlington. Early last week the team decided, based on the performance in Phoenix two weeks ago, to also enter the No. 15 Toyota Tundra with rookie Dusty Davis at the wheel.

Crew Member Spotlight: This week’s crew member spotlight is on VAR Fabricator/Mechanic, Craig Kemp. Kemp, who is affectionately known as ‘Shrek’ around the shop, is originally from Randallstown, Maryland and had his first job in racing by age 16. Kemp has worked for such well known organizations as Bill Davis Racing and Billy Ballew Motorsports, among others. The former dirt car racer was able to achieve one of his highest career goals this year when VAR and the No.15 Tundra went to Daytona victory lane with driver Michael Waltrip. Kemp is a dedicated family man, married to wife Amy and has five children, Ashleigh, Michael, Taylor, Graci and Katie.

Simulated Darlington Stripes: Because NASCAR’s testing policy limits the amount of seat time for rookies, both VAR drivers have been logging as many laps as possible on the egg-shaped oval with the team simulator. Competition Director, Rip Michels commented, “Justin and Dusty have run about 1000 laps at Darlington on the simulator and I think they permanently flat sided the video game truck. They are getting really good and now they get the real Lady in Black this weekend.”

Air Time: Catch all the action Live on SPEED starting at 4:30PM/ET on March 12th, 2011. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio starting at 5:00PM/ET.

Justin Johnson

No. 51 Wounded Warrior Project / Vision Airlines Toyota Tundra

Race Notes and Quotes

Last Race: Johnson made his NCWTS debut two weeks ago in Phoenix where he was able to bring his Toyota Tundra home 8th after starting 14th.

This Week’s Chassis: Johnson will be in chassis number 032 this week in Darlington. Kyle Busch drove this chassis to victory lane at both Chicagoland Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Wounded Warrior Project: Johnson’s sponsor, Wounded Warrior Project, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to honoring and empowering wounded servicemen and women. Wounded Warrior Project aims to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in the nation’s history. To learn more about how you can help visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

Johnson Quotes:

Why is Darlington so intimidating for a rookie?

You hear all these stories from the veterans that scare you. Then you’re going 180 miles an hour and thinking, oh boy, here comes the corner. You don’t want to wreck your truck the first time out and that makes it intimidating.

What have you learned about Darlington from running the simulator that will benefit you this weekend?

Commitment to the throttle is going to be important. That is what I have learned from the simulator because if you don’t commit to the throttle you end up getting the truck sideways or into a tight condition and it’s hard to get out of it with such a narrow track. You have the apron you can’t use, it’s too flat, and the track is only so wide. Talking to other people I think that you’ll probably have to give and take and just race the racetrack to be successful.

What goals have you set for the weekend?

I just want to come out with the truck in one piece, try to learn a lot and put it in the memory bank for the next time we run there and hope to earn as much respect as I can.

- Vision Aviation Racing Press Release

Vision Aviation Racing / Billy Ballew Motorsports

The team will compete under the Vision Aviation Racing banner. Ballew will keep an ownership stake in the team. Up-and-coming drivers Justin Johnson and Dusty Davis, who both competed in the Super Late Model and K&N Pro Series West divisions in 2010 for VAR, will make their Truck Series debut in 2011. The team will remain supported by Toyota.

- Rotoworld.com

Nelson Piquet, Jr.

AUTOSPORT has learned that the Brazilian will compete full-time in NASCAR next year after taking part in a number of outings this season in the Nationwide, ARCA and Truck Series.

Piquet competed in five Truck series events during the year, kicking off with an impressive performance on his debut at Daytona in February where he finished sixth driving for Red Horse Racing. He did four further outings, scoring two more top-10 finishes at Texas and Michigan, while racing a Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports.

In the ARCA series he made his stock car debut in February at Daytona but his highlight came at Texas where he finished ninth after starting from pole position, racing a Toyota Camry for series frontrunner Eddie Sharp Racing.

- AUTOSPORT

For her first year NASCAR, the youngest competitor in motorsports’ top three elite Series had a strong 20th place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19th. The last race of the Camping World Truck Series season was the seventh start for 18-year-old Long. Earning three top-20 finishes in 2010, Long is actively seeking sponsorship for the 2011 season with Panhandle Motorsports. The goal is to run a full Rookie season and continue to make progress on speedway tracks.

Long Comfortable in Her Own Backyard

A Blizzard Series Champion in late models in 2009, Johanna was the pole-sitter in last year’s Snowball Derby. It will be her third entry into the grueling race, known in the motorsports circles as the “Super Bowl of Short Track” for its history and list of winners over the years. She will compete in the December 4th Allen Turner Snowflake 100, as well as field her Super Late Model car for the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby on Sunday, December 5th. After 22 starts in 2010 in different stock car Series, she’s logged five top-Fives and 10 top-10 finishes – giving her momentum to keep putting knowledge under her belt.

“I’m so excited to be home, in my very own backyard of racing,” said Johanna. “Racing in the Truck Series was awesome this year, and I learned so much from drivers, crews and the tracks themselves. There is such a difference between a Late Model and a Truck, and once I passed that learning curve, it was easier to focus on the speedway knowledge. Now we’re focusing on 2011 plans – but first, the Derby!

Testing…Testing…1,2,3,4 FIVE Flags

Johanna was able to get back into her short track “seat” in the No.10 Panhandle Motorsports car the week prior to the Snowball Derby at her home track of Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. She was joined on track by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan, who caught laps for the day and is making his Derby debut. Pensacola’s own Eddie Mercer and Logan Boyette also tested their Super Late Model cars at Five Flags Speedway that day.

Quick Facts – It’s All in the Numbers

NASCAR Camping World Trucks:

Engine: 358 Cubic Inches

Horsepower: 650-700

Weight: 3,400lbs distributed through a truck bed

Super Late Models:

Engine: 360 Cubic Inches

Horsepower: 500-600

Weight: 2,750lbs distributed through a streamlined car with a wide body

Johanna Long

Panhandle Motorsports is again enlisting the help of veteran crew chief Kevin ‘Cowboy’ Starland at the Derby races this year on the No. 10 car. Starland normally handles the truck chief duties for the No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra for Johanna in the NCWTS. Starland, well-known as crew chief for the No.15 Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM) truck, has the benefit of working with drivers such as Johnny Benson, Steven Wallace & Nelson Piquet, Jr. Long will also be joined in Pensacola by many of her NASCAR crew and friends.

Busy as a Bee:

The hometown fan favorite has a busy week ahead of her, with radio interviews and local appearances beckoning. Johanna locally visited Bob Tyler Toyota-Scion-Suzuki in Pensacola on Tuesday, November 30th, as well as hit the annual Speed51 Beef O’Brady’s night. She will also be on local radio, as well as Sirius XM NASCAR’s Tradin’ Paint on Friday at 12:30pmET.

- Girl Friday PR & Marketing Press Release

Toyota Motorsports

Homestead-Miami Speedway – November 19, 2010

- Kyle Busch won Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season-finale at Homestead-Miami
Speedway. He led six times for 57 laps (of 134) on the 1.5-mile track en route to victory lane.

- The victory enabled Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) to win the 2010 NCWTS owner’s championship in its inaugural season
with the No. 18 Tundra.

- Todd Bodine — who clinched the 2010 NCWTS driver’s championship last week at Phoenix — finished fourth in the Germain Racing No. 30 Toyota.

- Tundra drivers Aric Almirola (fifth), Justin Lofton (seventh), Mike Skinner (eighth), Miguel Paludo (ninth) and Tayler Malsam (10th) also recorded top-10 finishes Friday night.

- David Starr (11th), Craig Goess (12th), Timothy Peters (17th), Max Papis (18th), Johanna Long (20th) and Tom Hessert (29th) were also in the field for Toyota.

- Tundra drivers recorded 15 wins in 25 NCWTS races this season — the most wins for Tundra racers in a single season. The previous mark was 14 wins by Tundra drivers in 2009.

Kyle Busch - Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Finishing Position: 1st

How do you feel after tonight’s victory?

“This is so cool. To come out here and to win in our last race and to do it in the style that we did it — it wasn’t without some excitement, that’s for sure. I can’t thank these guys here enough at Kyle Busch Motorsports — everyone like Rick Ren (competition director) and Eric Phillips (crew chief). Eric made some great race calls today and kept my head on and got me back in the race. I can’t thank Traxxas enough, Toyota, M&M’s, Flexco, NOS Energy Drink, Gillette, Camping World for this series and all the fans. It’s fun to come out here and participate in the truck races. We’re still looking for sponsors to do it some more next year. It’s real tough. Hopefully, we can find some.”

Where does this win rank on your list?

“I don’t know. I’ve lost track. For me, it’s great to be able to get this opportunity and come out here and race in this series, to race with these competitors. Guys like Ron Hornaday and Todd Bodine. Congratulations to Todd (Bodine) on the driver’s championship. Like I said, I can’t thank everybody on this team enough. They do such a phenomenal job. We barely made it to Daytona with a couple trucks. We went through a lot of adversity. These guys worked some long hours this year. They’ve done a phenomenal job for me. I just can’t thank them enough. Thank the SPEED Channel too for helping me with my announcement earlier this year and be able to cover our series as good as you guys do it. Thank you.”

How concerned were you after the contact with Johnny Sauter?

“I was pretty concerned. I just knew that we were gonna be back in traffic and my truck wasn’t great out front. It was really loose. But back in traffic, Eric (Phillips, crew chief) and these guys made another great call to tighten it up, and we were able to have a really good driving truck there at the end to come back up through there. There was a lot of trucks, man. You go back and watch the replay on that second to last restart or whatever it was, I don’t even know where I was. You go out there and you try to get the win and you try to do what you can and hopefully these guys celebrate for a long time. They deserve it an awful lot.”

Todd Bodine celebrates his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, leading Aric Almirola by 202 points with one race remaining. Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Finishing Position: 4th

How does it feel to be a two-time NCWTS champion?

“I never thought that I’d be a one-time champion, let alone two-time champion. I don’t know what to say. It’s because of these guys up on the stage and all the guys back at the shop that (aren’t) here, I appreciate the hard work. It’s hard in a career to be a part of a group that cares as much as this one, and is as good as this one. I’m fortunate now, this is our fifth year together and we’re going strong and I count my blessings every day to be a part of a group like this — that care and want to win and want to run up front and can do it every week.”

What did you guys do different this year compared to last year to win the title?

“We didn’t really do anything different. Last year, we just had bad luck. Wrong place, wrong time. A lot of times, we just weren’t handling well. But, everybody stuck it out. They dug deep, they dug within themselves to build trucks last winter. That is one thing, last winter we went to work and re-did our trucks, re-engineered them. We made them a lot better. All the guys at KHI (Kevin Harvick Inc.) are the ones that put us to that because they raised the bar so high.”

How does it feel to win the championship?

“It’s pretty awesome. Everybody at Germain Racing has done such a great job all year long. Great trucks, Jr.’s (Mike Hillman, Jr., crew chief) done a heck of a job with this team. He’s the backbone. He’s the reason we run like this. I’m proud to be a part of this race team. It’s not often in a career that you get to be a part of this, and we’ve been fortunate now for five years, and have great owners and great guys that work for us, and I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”

What does it mean to have the Germain family put their confidence in this team?

“When three guys get together and decide, ‘We’ve got enough confidence in this race team and we’ve got enough confidence in our driver and we’re going to put the funds behind it to do this,’ that says a lot for the people that work for them and the respect that they have for those people. And it goes both ways. We respect the hell out of them. They’re great guys. They’ve put their heart and soul into this team and this year came out of their pocket. We had Valvoline on board for four races, but they basically came out of their pocket to pay for this season and to be able to come out of here with four wins and a championship, I’m glad we could pay them back with that.”

How important are Mike Hillman (general manager) and Mike Hillman Jr. (crew chief) to this team?

“They’re about as ‘racer’ as you can get. Everybody on this team. Obviously, the Hillmans are the backbone. Mike (Hillman) Sr. (general manager) got this thing going and (Mike Hillman) Jr. came in and took over and he’s done a hell of a job with this team. He does more than just work on this 30 truck. He helps take care of this whole team. It is a family. It’s hard to describe when you get a group of guys together. We all squabble and quarrel and have our differences, but every family does. But, the one thing about this group is if one of them falls down, there’s three of them there to pick him up and brush him off. That’s what it takes to be champions.”

Aric Almirola - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

Finishing Position: 5th

How was your race tonight?

“We had a good truck, it just wouldn’t take off very good. Our truck was really good after about 10 or so laps on the tires and we just didn’t have the speed we needed right at the get-go, which is a shame because that’s what it came down to at the end, was the restarts. I’m proud of my guys. We had a great year. We won a couple races, finished second in the points. It was really, really a great year. We were very consistent. Had a lot of top-fives, a lot of top-10s. I wanted to win tonight bad, though.”

JUSTIN LOFTON, No. 7 visitPIT.com Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

MIKE SKINNER, No. 5 International Trucks / Monaco RV Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports

Finishing Position: 8th

MIGUEL PALUDO, No. 11 Stemco Duraline Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

TAYLER MALSAM, No. 25 Iron Horse Jeans Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports

Finishing Position: 10th

DAVID STARR, No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra, SS Green Light Racing

Finishing Position: 11th

CRAIG GOESS, No. 46 Greenville Toyota Tundra, Eddie Sharp Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 17th

MAX PAPIS, No. 9 GEICO Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing

Finishing Position: 18th

JOHANNA LONG, No. 20 Panhandle Grading and Paving Toyota Tundra, Panhandle Motorsports

Finishing Position: 20th

TOM HESSERT, No. 77 Cherry Hill Classic Cars Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing

Finishing Position: 29th

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release

Panhandle Motorsports

Panhandle Motorsports continues to make “firsts” at NASCAR tracks – this time at the last race weekend of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Camping World Truck Series Ford 200 (NCWTS) under the lights on Friday, November 19th. It’s also the first race at the 1.5-mile oval in the NCWTS for driver Johanna Long.

The start will be her seventh NCWTS race this year, after three starts with Billy Ballew Motorsports where she logged two top 20 finishes – her best at ORP in July with 17th; and three starts with Panhandle Motorsports at Las Vegas, Martinsville and Texas. In all six of her starts, Long has qualified in the top 20 – the fastest coming at Texas Motor Speedway, qualifying 9th & making history as the highest-qualifying female at that track.

Miami Brings the “Heat” – Long Brings the “Chill”

A Blizzard Series Champion in late models, Johanna, first and foremost, looks to continue her Truck education at Texas with a veteran crew. However, noting that she’s following her Homestead-Miami Speedway attempt by racing one of the biggest late model finales of the year – the Snowball Derby -the team felt it would be appropriate to pay homage. The No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra will sport a Five Flags Speedway / Snowball Derby decal for the truck race on Friday.

“I love to race the trucks, it has been quite an education this year – complete with highs and lows,” said Johanna. “After focusing so much on speedway development for me, I can’t wait to get back to a little short track racing. There is just nothing like the Derby – it’s where I came from, it’s my hometown (Pensacola, Fl). I’m happy to showcase the spirit of that whole weekend on my truck at Homestead. I don’t have lucky charms or superstitions, but maybe it will bring a little bit of luck to us!”

Tweet All About It!

A longtime Twitter user, Johanna will be hosting her second “Fan Tweetup” at Homestead Miami Speedway on Friday. Held at the Homestead Miami Speedway Fan Display at the track at 12:30pm ET, she’ll meet and greet with Twitter fans and talk shop. .

Onwards & Upwards for Bright 18-year-old

Hopeful for a Rookie season next year, Johanna is actively seeking sponsors for the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. “This year has been amazing – to be able to get to some of the biggest tracks on the schedule – and I’d love to really show what a full year can do for my development,” she said. While I’ve got to focus on my schoolwork and finishing high school, it’s important to me to follow my dreams in NASCAR. We’ll keep trying – and if you have a company that wants to come on board, give me a call!”

A Cowboy in the Tropics – with Two Indians

Panhandle Motorsports is again enlisting the help of veteran crew chief Kevin ‘Cowboy’ Starland, who will be handling the truck chief duties for the No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra. Starland, well-known as crew chief for the No.15 Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM) truck, has the benefit of working with drivers such as Johnny Benson, Steven Wallace & Nelson Piquet, Jr. He will also be joined at Homestead-Miami by two new “honorary crew members” – Girl Scouts Tropical Florida Council. As part of the partnership with the Girl Scouts through the weekend, the girls will have a chance to learn the ins and outs of being part of a NASCAR crew.

Chassis Info:

No. 20 Panhandle Motorsports Toyota Tundra: Chassis No.02, built by Kyle Busch Motorsports & Triad Technologies. Second track appearance by this chassis – the first being at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September.

Team:

Crew Chief: Kevin “Cowboy” Starland

Chassis: 02

Race: Friday, November 19th, 2010 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Length: 134 laps / 201 miles

Track Layout: 1.5-mile oval

SCHEDULE:

TV: SPEED TV Prerace 7:30pm, Race 8pm CST; Radio: MRN Broadcast, Sirius NASCAR 128

- Girl Friday PR & Marketing Press Release

Billy Ballew Motorsports (BBM)

The No. 51 team has competed at Homestead-Miami Speedway three times. With Kyle Busch at the wheel, they have achieved two top-five finishes. Their best showing came in 2007, when Busch crossed the finish line in second-place.

Almirola has four starts under his belt at Homestead – one Sprint Cup Series start, one Nationwide Series start and two NCWTS starts. His best finish came in last season’s Truck Series race, which he finished in 14th-place.

Almirola will be riding with a new sponsor on his Toyota for the Ford 200. The Riverside Cafe will be supporting the BBM No. 51 team. Riverside Cafe is located in Vero Beach, Florida. The cafe has Live Entertainment 7 nights a week. Happy Hour everyday from 4-7. They also have 20 big screen TVs with ALL of the sports packages. They are located underneath the route 60 bridge right on the beautiful Indian River. For more info please visit our website at www.riversidecafe.com.

Aric Almirola - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

“It’s been a great year for everyone on the 51 team. We’ve won races and contended for the championship. That’s what every driver hopes for. Every time we showed up for a race, I knew we had a chance to win. I want to thank all of the guys on my team for all of their hard work and dedication. They’ve given me awesome trucks all year long. We aren’t going to win the championship, but hopefully we can go out with a win.

“Congratulations to Todd Bodine and his team. Those guys have done a tremendous job this year. Todd’s a great driver and I really enjoyed competing against him. He’s a hard racer and is one of the guys to beat at nearly every track we go to; that’s what made this championship battle so much fun.

“We’re going to make sure we get second wrapped up this weekend. That will end a good season for us and Billy Ballew. We had a lot of good races, a couple of wins and to finish second in the championship isn’t bad at all. I want to do that for the team this weekend. Another good run will do that, and we’re aiming for the win.

“I think you’re going to see everyone going for it this weekend. There’s no reason for anyone to really play it safe or to go into conservation mode. It should be a really exciting race. This is everyone’s last chance to win in 2010 in the trucks.

“We definitely want to end on a strong note. There would be no better way to wrap up the season than to be in victory lane. But, no matter how the season ends, I’ll be proud to have worked with this team all season. Richie and the guys worked hard and did a lot to put us in position to win. I’ll have memories of this season for a long, long time.”

About Billy Ballew Motorsports:

BBM started competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2002 and has had a variety of well known NASCAR drivers over the years. The list includes Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Brian Ickler, John Andretti, Kenny Wallace, Paul Menard, Bill Lester, Geoffrey Bodine, Joe Ruttman and a host of others. It was Shane Hmiel who piloted the No. 15 for the 2004 season that brought Billy Ballew his first win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the team’s 100th start in the NCWTS. Since then Billy Ballew Motorsports has taken 18 more trips to victory lane.

- Breaking Limits Press Release

Panhandle Motorsports

Continuing the Girl Scouts partnership this year, Long will also take on two of the local Girl Scouts – from Girl Scouts Council of Tropical Florida – as “honorary pit crew” members for the team at the Ford 200. Long partnered at each track this year with a local council, speaking about her journey in motorsports, hard work and determination in whatever they choose to do in life. She will also have her “honorary pit crew” members cross the stage with her at driver introductions.
“I’m excited to have the Snowball Derby decal on the truck this weekend,” said Long. “Late models are my roots, my comfort zone and my first love, so it’s nice to be able to showcase the Derby where I’m racing now – the Truck Series.

The Snowball Derby is a tough week of racing, and I look forward to it every year. A lot of people know me from the Derby and the Blizzard Series – so it’s nice to show where I came from in the sport. I’m looking forward to shedding some light on these races, as well as my home track of Five Flags Speedway. Plus, it might give me a little luck going into the weekend!”

Johanna Long

This season she made another major jump in the racing ranks, moving to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Panhandle Motorsport – running a limited schedule this year to gain track knowledge and experience on the Speedways. Her season-best finish of 17th came at Indianapolis Raceway Park. She also has qualified among the top 20 in all six of her previous starts, with a top qualification of 9th at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

“I have such great people around me this year, teaching me so much about the tracks. Plus, it has been really awesome to get support from so many of the veteran drivers, all of whom don’t hesitate to get me in a car to do track walks. I’m really hopeful for a Rookie season in 2011 – it’s time to show what I can do with a full year. We’re looking for marketing partners now, and it’s critical for that to happen. If anyone out there wants to help support our efforts, please be in touch – let’s keep this momentum going!”

ABOUT DRIVER JOHANNA LONG & PANHANDLE MOTORSPORTS:

Johanna Long, 18, is the youngest driver in the elite NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Her career to date has included racing in NCWTS in 2010 with family race team Panhandle Motorsports in Las Vegas, Martinsville & Texas Motor Speedway; as well as three starts with Billy Ballew Motorsports in the NCWTS; and two starts in 2009 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Former Blizzard Series Champion on the Gulf Coast & driver since the age of five, Long has caught the eyes of many top teams over the years as an “up-and-coming” teen driver.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SNOWBAL DERBY:

The Snowball Derby draws the best and brightest Super Late Model teams from all across the land to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. For more information about the week’s events from December 1-5, 2010, visit http://5flagsspeedway.com / or www.speed51.com.

- Girl Friday PR & Marketing Press Release

Toyota Motorsports

Phoenix International Raceway – November 12, 2010

- Kyle Busch (second) was the highest-finishing Toyota in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
(NCWTS) race at Phoenix International Raceway.

- Aric Almirola (fifth), Mike Skinner (sixth), David Starr (eighth) and Justin Lofton (ninth) also posted top-10 results for
Toyota at the one-mile race track.

- Tundra drivers Todd Bodine (12th), Timothy Peters (13th), Tayler Malsam (18th), Steve Park (19th), Tom Hessert (31st),
Jason White (32nd) and Butch Miller (36th) were also in the field.

- Bodine clinched the NCWTS driver championship at Phoenix. He holds a 202-point advantage over Almirola (second)
with one race remaining this season — and 195 points being the maximum available in next weekend’s series season finale
at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

- This is Bodine’s second NCWTS title with Germain Racing and Toyota. He also won the 2006 NCWTS championship.
Other Toyota drivers in the top-10 of the unofficial NCWTS point standings include Peters (sixth), Skinner (eighth), Starr
(ninth) and White (10th) after 24 of 25 races.

- Kyle Busch Motorsports increased their lead over Germain Racing in the unofficial NCWTS owner standings to 120
points with one race remaining in 2010.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 2nd

How was your race?

“I don’t know what the difference was there but the guys gave me a great Z-Line Designs Tundra tonight. It wasn’t the best in the first run. We made a huge swing at it there and got it a lot better in the middle part of the race, then there at the end we just didn’t have enough. The 2 (Clint Bowyer) was the class of the field tonight. It’s unfortunate because they beat us here last year with (Kevin) Harvick driving. We had a great points night tonight. Obviously, there are two winners here with (Todd) Bodine and Clint (Bowyer), but maybe next week will be ours.”

Are you satisfied with a second-place finish?

“We were racing for the win. There in the beginning part of the race we just didn’t have the Tundra we were looking for. In the middle part of the race we got a lot of adjustment built into it. Eric (Phillips, crew chief) did a great job getting it to where we could run in the lead and have a shot probably at winning the race, I thought. The last stop we made some more changes and just missed a little bit. Clint (Bowyer) was the class of the field tonight. He had a great truck. It’s tough to get beat by those guys two years in a row but there’s two winners here tonight in Todd (Bodine) and Clint (Bowyer) and hopefully next week will be our night. I can’t thank Z-Line Designs and all the guys at FlexCo, and everyone at M&M’s, Mars an d NOS Energy Drink. It was a great night for us here. Coming up second is disappointing but we know what the big picture is for next week.”

What do you feel knowing you increased the owner’s championship lead with one race to go?

“We would have liked to have won the race but you take a good truck like this and you run second with it and beat the guys you’re here to beat and we’ll look to next week and try for a win there.”

Does having a 120 point lead in the owner’s title make you feel a little bit better?

“It is what it is, we knew that running well, the points would take care of themselves and it’s good to have that little bit of
cushion going into next week granted nothing happens. We’ll be looking at the banquet on Monday.”

What does the likelihood of winning the owner’s truck title mean?

“It means a lot. Where we started this year and actually not having anything a year ago at this point and coming as far as we’ve come — it means quite a bit to myself and to Eric Phillips (crew chief) and Rick Ren (general manager) and all the families that we have that work for us. All the dedication that they give and the time that they’ve put in this year. When we started, I remember — I think it was December 1st Rick came on, he didn’t start until December 7th because he decided he wanted a vacation before he got involved in starting a race team.

We had three guys working for us up until Christmas and then after Christmas, from December 27th or whatever it was until New Years, we had about seven guys . Then we had 14 guys on January 5th. We came from nothing. We came from redoing trucks from Xpress that we could just get to the race track. We bought some assets from Roush Racing to get to the race track for Daytona. We knew that they had good restrictor plate trucks and we built a lot of our own new stuff. It’s come a long ways and it’s been a lot of hard work but yet there’s still a lot more work to do in order to get fully funded for next year.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports

Finishing Position: 5th

How was your race?

“It was a good night for us. We fought really loose all night. We couldn’t find a good balance for our truck. To have the truck not handle the way we wanted it to and come home with a fifth, I’m proud of that. I wanted to be better than that tonight. We’ve run really good here before and I’m just disappointed we didn’t run any better than that.”

Does a string of 12 top-10 finishes mean anything to you?

“Nah, I’d rather win races.”

DAVID STARR, No. 81 Toyota Tundra, Green Light Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

JUSTIN LOFTON, No. 7 visitPIT.com Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Germain.com Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

How does it feel to be the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion?

“Actually, I wish it felt better. That was such a terrible performance tonight. But, one night doesn’t make a team. And Germain Racing has done a hell of a job all year — so consistent every week. Once in a while you’re going to slip and have nights like this, but we never gave up we kept digging the whole night. And Jr. (Mike Hillman Jr., crew chief) made some adjustments. It just wasn’t there. I’m proud to be part of a race team that can do what we do every week and year after year. We’ve never finished out of the top-four in points. That says a lot about Jr. and the way he operates his team and his guys and all the guys that we have. Just a tremendous effort for five years now and to get number two is validation for number one. So, it’s pretty special.

How special is it to be back on top with this team?

“That’s the deal. I mean, we didn’t have a sponsor, but the Germain brothers decided last winter that we were going to race this 30 truck no matter what. They were going to come out of their pockets to make this happen knowing that we have a team that can go out and win races, run up front and win championships. They knew that they had that kind of team. They put that commitment, that trust in Jr. (Mike Hillman Jr., crew chief) and Sr. (Mike Hillman, general manager) and myself and all these guys that we can go out and get it done.

So, for them to have Germain.com and Germain Motor Company on this truck — that makes us proud. We had Valvoline on here four times this year and we were really proud to represent them — they have been so good to our sport and been a great partner for Germain and Germain Racing.”

How does it feel to clinch your second NCWTS championship?

“It’s pretty awesome. It’s a little disappointing because our performance tonight was terrible. We just really missed it. It shows the character of this team all year long to never give up. We knocked up a lot of top-fives and that’s what really did it for us.

We have four wins, which is great, but the top-fives and consistency of this team and how hard these guys work every week — that’s what got us here to this point. We did this without a sponsor. We have Germain Motor Company on the quarter panels, but that’s three guys (Germain brothers) that care about their team and love the people that work for their team. They made that commitment to fund this out of their pockets. Knowing that getting a sponsor was a big question mark, they made that commitment to this team and those guys to come out and do this for us.

They knew we could win this championship. We have a great team. All the guys back at the shop and TRD and everybody at Triad are doing a great job with the motors. We’ve got an incredible race team. It’s a shame we don’t have a sponsor on here. We have something going into the winter with and a little momentum here. It’s been a good year — can’t complain. I want to say hi to my daughter Ashlyn, I know you’re watching pumpkin, I love you.”

How does your team have a never say die attitude?

“That’s exactly right. The first five races we got top-five finishes, but we really didn’t have good race trucks. They were
driving terrible. (Mike Hillman) Jr. (crew chief) figured out how to make them drive and then we got that consistency and got that momentum. Along the way we had a lot of good luck. I forget where it was, we had a flat tire coming down pit road and the caution comes out — saves our lap. The spin and win at Kentucky — we’ve had good luck and those types of things that along with good performance and hard work you’ve got to have good luck. We had it this year. My buddy (Ron) Hornaday, he’s had the worst luck all year and tonight is another example. You’ve just got to have good luck. We did that. The old adage is you make your own luck and this team has done a great job all year doing that.”

What does this win mean to your team?

“Germain Racing has done such a great job. All the guys at the shop and the motor shop and the guys on the road crew. (Mike Hillman) Jr. (crew chief) has led this team to another championship. It shows his leadership skills and how good a person he is. We have a never give up attitude — that’s what brought us to this point and got us here. We never give up. We’ve been down and we’ve been laps down and come back and win races. We don’t give up and I’m proud to be the guy that drives this Toyota Tundra for a great race team.”

MIKE SKINNER, No. 5 International Trucks / Monaco RV Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports
Finishing Position: 6th

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Finishing Position: 13th

TAYLER MALSAM, No. 25 Exide Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports

Finishing Position: 18th

STEVE PARK, No. 46 VanDyk Boiler Corp Toyota Tundra, Eddie Sharp Racing

Finishing Position: 19th

TOM HESSERT, No. 9 Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing

Finishing Position: 31st

JASON WHITE, No. 23 GunBroker.com / RMEF Toyota Tundra, Gun Broker Racing

Finishing Position: 32nd

BUTCH MILLER, No. 07 ASI Limited Toyota Tundra, Green Light Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release