NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Official Kim Lopez Johnson. (CloseFinishes.com Photo)

When the green flag waves over the Smith's Las Vegas 350 this evening at 9 pm Eastern on SPEED, another milestone for women in NASCAR will have been conquered. Kim Lopez Johnson will be the lead Official Starter located in the flagstand at the start/finish line. Johnson will become the first female in a NASCAR national series event to tackle one of the most demanding positions for any official NASCAR inspector.

Johnson, a Queens, New York native, had never been to a race until a few years ago after following her father to North Carolina. She landed a job at a local Auto Parts store and a friend would take her to her first NASCAR Cup Series race. Johnson was hooked. When she found out she could be an official NASCAR Inspector, she jumped at the opportunity. Three years later, Johnson will be a part of NASCAR history from her perch in the flagstand, arguably the best seat in the house.

The sudden passing of longtime NCTS official starter Dennis James back in July would have NASCAR seeking a qualified successor. Going back to Gateway International Speedway and again at New Hampshire last weekend, NCTS officials Bryon Dopkins along with Kimberly Maria Lopez Johnson served as James' replacement, both waving the silks in practice with Dopkins, a veteran ASA short-track official starter from Wisconsin, handling the race day duties at those two truck series events.

Both on and off the track, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series has a history of innovative approaches to NASCAR competition that typically yield historical results. Much of that direction comes from Truck Series Director, Wayne Auton, who decided to put Johnson as the lead official on the flagstand in Las Vegas this weekend. Auton and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series gets much of the credit for yet another breakthrough for the racing sanction and to Johnson for proving to all race officials that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

Tune into SPEED at 8:30 pm EASTERN for the Smith's Las Vegas 350 Setup pre-race show at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. MRN and XM Satellite will carry the race live on participating stations. TruckSeries.com will continue to have complete event coverage throughout the race weekend.

- John Close, CloseFinishes.com contributed to this story.