John Long Jr.
About Me
I began racing Junior Dragsters in 1997 at the age of seven. Above all the wins and championships, my junior career taught me character. I learned how to win but stay humble, how to lose and keep my head up, and the value of practice, hard work, and dedication.
When my Junior Dragster days came to an end at sixteen, I moved into bracket racing with a 2001 Camaro. In 2007, my first year out of Juniors, I won two track championships as well as the NHRA Division 4 High School Championship. My racing schedule slowed between 2009 and 2011 while I earned an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Technology from Texas State Technical College. After graduating and finishing my ’68 Camaro, it didn’t take long to jump back into a full race schedule. Since 2011, I’ve traveled and raced across the country — from Ohio to South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
In 2017, I decided to take a new path in my racing career. Over the 2016–2017 off-season, we converted the same 2001 Camaro — the one I won the NHRA Division Championship with back in 2009 — into an IHRA-legal Pure Stock car. Competing in Stock Eliminator had always been a lifelong dream of mine. The tight rules make it difficult to compete without a big budget, but with an open mind and a proven car, we were ready for the challenge. At the final IHRA event of the season at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio, we earned enough points to finish tenth in the world.
In 2018, as IHRA changed their format, we made the move back to NHRA and began competing in Super Street. In my first year in the class, I finished fourth in Division 4, won our third race out, reached the quarterfinals at the AAA Texas Fall Nationals, and received the NHRA Division 4 Rising Star Award.
More recently, the roles have started to shift — I’ve found myself turning wrenches for someone else in addition to my own racing. My wife, Krista, has uncovered a natural talent behind the wheel and is now a seasoned Drag-and-Drive competitor. Together, we’ve completed multiple Drag-and-Drive events across the country, from Colorado to Florida. I’m excited to keep pushing forward, exploring new sides of this sport, and seeing just how far we can go.
Accomplishments
OVER 250 SINGLE EVENT WINS
7X TRACK CHAMPION
4X TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER UP
12X NHRA E.T. FINALS QUALIFIER
2X NHRA RACE OF CHAMPIONS QUALIFIER
2007 NHRA DIVISION 4 HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPION
8X IHRA E.T. FINALS QUALIFIER
2017 #10 IN THE WORLD IHRA STOCK ELIMINATOR
2017 #3 IN IHRA DIVISION 4 STOCK ELIMINATOR
2018 #4 IN NHRA DIVISION 4 SUPER STREET
2018 NHRA DIVISION 4 RISING STAR AWARD RECIPIENT
2019 #8 IN NHRA DIVISION 4 SUPER STREET
2019 #7 IN NHRA DIVISION 4 SUPER GAS
Classes I Compete in
Stock Eliminator
Super Street
Super Gas
Super Comp
Bracket Racing
Index Racing