Pounding Mill, VA(August 20, 2012) — Adam Long came into Friday nights Tri-Cities Tennessee State Championship 150 at Kingsport Speedway expecting to be the driver to beat and when the night was over, he left with two trophies in hand.
The Tri-Cities TN State Championship 150 consisted of twin 75-lap, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Car races on the 3/8 mile concrete bullring. Long’s day at Kingsport Speedway was solid right from the start of practice and continued on to qualifying, where the young driver posted a blazing fast lap of 15.192 seconds, which at the time was a new track record. Even though, Long’s track record wouldn’t last long as another competitor knocked him off the pole, Long would qualify second, just six hundredths off the pole.
With an invert of the top three, Long would keep his starting position and from his outside front row start would quickly emerge as the leader. After grabbing the lead right from the start, Long withstood challenges from the pole winner throughout the 75-lap race. Despite a last lap charge that gave the fans a thrilling side by side finish, Long picked up the first win of the night, exactly the start he was hoping for with a win by as slim of a margin as 0.130 seconds.
“I just don’t know what to say,” said Long after the race. “These guys worked hard all day getting this car better and I just gotta thank my guys for giving me a car good enough to win tonight. This is the best the car has been here, I just hope we have something for them in the second race.”
For the second race the invert was a four, putting Long in the fourth starting position, but soon after the start of the race, he would move up to second position as the front row got together in front of him. Now up to second, Long settled in during a long green flag run and as the laps clicked off it looked like he would finish the night in second. Long would find himself in the top spot soon as the leader would have engine problems and would make his way down pit road.
With Long in charge of the field, the young driver would go unchallenged to the checkered flag during a long green flag run to the finish. One win was special, but a second trip to victory lane would solidify Long’s status as the “King of the Concrete Jungle” and for his effort claimed a wrestling-like championship belt, one of the coolest trophies in racing.
“I won it,” proclaimed Long in victory lane after his second win of the night. “We didn’t have the car to beat in this race and the leader had pulled us by several car lengths before he had his problems. I don’t know we were there at the end and we won the race that’s all that matters.”
The victories were Long’s second and third wins of the season after picking up his first career win back on June 8th and with the wins coming in the season finale, he certainly put Kingsport Speedway on notice that he would be one of the drivers to beat next season.
Long is supported by Tru-line Pipeline, Inc., CNX Gas and Hedgecock Racing Enterprises. For more information on Adam Long Racing, please check out the team website at http://www.adamlongracing.com/ or follow them on twitter @adamlongracing.