Kyle Petty chooses Johanna Long as “the most disappointing what-ifs” of NASCAR

Johanna Long is the inaugural Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series Champion.


Kyle Petty chooses Johanna Long as “the most disappointing what-ifs” of NASCAR

Kyle Petty and Johanna Long

Motorsport is a male-dominated sport regardless of the discipline or championship. A handful of female racers are made at the pinnacle of the racing, and only a few stand out compared to their male counterparts. The lack of proper funding and resources has been the primary reason for the downfall of many female racers, and it’s the same for NASCAR.

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Danica Patrick might be the only female racer who achieved stardom similar to her rivals in NASCAR, and she was fortunate enough to compete in cars capable of winning. Though Patrick failed to race on the high level as she did in the open-wheel races, she proved that they could produce solid runs with the right equipment.

Many before or after Patrick haven’t had that luxury until now with Hailee Deegan, who is chasing her maiden win with a Championship winning side, ThorSports, in 2023. Johanna Long is one of those female drivers who had the potential to pursue greatness but failed to do so due to a lack of proper resources, according to ex-Cup racer Kyle Petty.

A NASCAR fan in his Tweet pointed out that if Johanna Long had the best equipment under her disposal, she would have been a top contender in the Xfinity series. He Tweeted, “Johanna Long will always be one of the most disappointing what-ifs for me. She had so much talent and did well despite poor equipment, but she could never stick around in the top 3 series. I think she would easily be a top Xfinity driver right now had she gotten a good ride,”.

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Kyle Petty came across the tweet and replied, “I also believe,”. King’s son might be right, as the argument that she will do great in a better-equipped car has always been there in her arcing days. She has an unpatrolled legacy in motorsport as she is just one of two women to win the iconic snowball derby and has produced some impressive runs during her time with ML Motorsports No:71 team.

Johanna raced in NASCAR for five seasons, from 2011 to 2015. Her first National series season came in 2011 with Billy Ballew Motorsports and Panhandle Motorsports scoring, where 11 top 20s from 24 races. In her three years at Xfinity, she raced for ML, Mike Affarano Motorsports, and a sole race for Obaika Racing. She scored 18 top 20s for 42 starts.

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Fans on Twitter agree with Kyle Petty

Johanna Long
Johanna Long

Most of the fans on Twitter are convinced, just like Kyle Petty, that Johanna deserved a solid ride and a good team. They pointed out that it’s always money that talks in NASCAR, and if long had half of Danica Patrick’s support, she might have had a better career than the Motorsports legend.

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