About Carl Long

Carl Long is an independent NASCAR owner/driver who has competed off and on in the top 3 NASCAR series for the past 10 years. Though he has often struggled to find funding and competitive equipment, Carl has passionately pursued his quest to race in NASCAR.

Carl is the proverbial David verses the Goliaths of NASCAR, fielding his own cars out of his own shop without the big mega sponsorship dollars that many NASCAR teams enjoy. While he has struggled to gain solid competitive footing in NASCAR, he is admired in and out of the garage for his commitment to racing.

Long has worked as a mechanic in the NASCAR garage as well and is employed by Front Row Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series.

His 2009 season has been tougher than usual, with his #46 team failing to qualify for any of the races he has attempted. In May, he arrived at Lowes Motor Speedway in order to compete in the Sprint All Star Shoot-out. It was during technical inspection prior to this race that NASCAR officials found his Ernie Elliott built engine was oversized by 0.17 inches of displacement. This violation led to a 12 race suspension, a $200,000 fine against crew chief and the loss of 200 driver points. Currently, he has the distinction, thanks to this penalty, of being last in the Sprint Cup points standings with a total of minus 200 points.

Quotes from Carl Long:

"Big Bill [France, NASCAR founder] and Bill Jr. ruled the sport like a father -- at the end of the day they took care of their family. These guys don't care. They don't have any heart. Basically, it seems like they don't care about the sport, they just want to make a dollar. I truly have a sour taste of the management in our sport. They've forgotten the roots of how this sport was created, and who are the people buying the tickets, sitting in the stands. The people in the stands are me."

"I am very disappointed in NASCAR's decision. I am not arguing that the size NASCAR measured is big. Ernie Elliott says this happened because of distortion from heat. Allow me the .17 for expansion or show me metallurgy that states how much a block can change at extreme temperatures. Then take this hole in the rules and make engine companies sign the inspection sheet and take responsibility. Fix the rule! Engine builders can argue with NASCAR and their engineers instead of leaving drivers, owners, and crew chiefs to explain properties of cast iron, nickel, and the growth due to heat. We have the option to appeal to the national board in Daytona. I am trying to overcome my emotions versus the facts. After today's hearing, I have lost all faith in the way the appeal system works."

For more information on Carl Long,
please check out these links:

Carl Long Official Website

Carl Long on Wikipedia

Carl Long Career Statistics