For the first time since being banned by NASCAR officials from competing in any Cup Series race, this former South Boston Speedway Champion will be seen on the raceway as early as this Saturday for the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Back in 2009, NASCAR Cup Series participant Carl Long was booted from participating in Cup Races after officials determined that his engine exceeded size parameters by 0.17 cubic inches. This was the car intended for the Sprint All-Star qualifying race in Charlotte. After kicking him out of the garage, officials fined him $200,000 – the biggest fine ever handed out (at the time).
According to a new article by Tom Jensen of FOX Sports NASCAR, Long’s inability to pay the entirety of the fine forced officials to ban him from participating in Cup Series races. Long did, however, compete in other NASCAR-sanctioned series like XFINITY, Nationwide, and the Camping World Truck Series.
Now, an official from the racing organization has confirmed to the news outlet that Long has been approved to compete in the Cup Series again.
“We do know that he has satisfied all necessary requirements to compete,” the official said to FOX Sports.
Furthermore, a GoFundMe page has been established to help Long gain crowd-funded sponsorship for this Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway. The campaign, called ‘Carl Long Motorsports Sponsorship’, gives a brief and friendly description to visitors.
“Carl Long is trying to gather sponsorship to run in the upcoming Cup race in Kansas! It has been nine years since Carl has run in Cup. Can you help? Help spread the word!”
The unexpected announcement surely has many in the industry talking and it will be interesting to see how he performs this weekend.
Watch the news clip below that covered his ban in 2009 and let us know what you think about his return in the comments below.