Though on the track things appear normal with the #10 car, all year long the driver of the car, Nick Joanides, has been at a big disadvantage over the rest of the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series contingent. At an average event, most of the competitors can refer to their notes from previous races and more or less know what will happen to the set-up in the race. But the Joanides team has not had the luxury that the veteran teams have been enjoying.

The inaugural event at Irwindale changes all that. Since this will be the first time the NFSWS cars will take to the 1/2-mile track, there will be no past notes to refer to. It is now a matter of setting up the car and making an educated guess on how the track conditions will change in the race, something the Joanides crew has done all year long.

Team: JSI Motorsports Car #: 10
Driver: Nick Joanides
Owner: Van Swearingen, Tom Joanides

RacingWest: What are your impressions of the facility by either seeing it or hearing about it?
Nick Joanides: The facility appears to be awesome, they did a great job making it the nicest short track probably in the country.

RW: What do you expect from the fans at Irwindale Speedway? Will they know the SWS drivers or not?
NJ: Probably not, NASCAR short track racing is new to that area, so most of the fans are probably still learning about the support. Although I'm sure several of the diehard Saugus fans will be there!

RW: How has your team prepared for this new track?
NJ: Since this is our first year in the series, every track is like a new track for us, so far we've been fast everywhere we've gone, so hopefully that will continue, we just need to get our luck to change and get some better finishes.

RW: Being that Irwindale is new and smooth and shocks play a big part in the balance of the cars, what will your plans be for shock combinations soft, stiff? Will you start with a set up from another track that has similarities?
NJ: Unfortunately, I know nothing about shocks, Jackson Race Cars maintains the car and since we have been consistently a top five car in speed, I'll keep my mouth shut and maybe learn about shocks some other time.

RW: Did you have time to take advantage to utilize the test days at the new track and what did you think?
NJ: No, unfortunately open testing was at the same time our trailer was broken into with our equipment stolen. I am happy to report however that the police did catch one of the thieves and his being ordered to pay restitution.

RW: What changes do you regularly make between practice, qualifying and the race? Will this new track be any different?
NJ: Not too many, we may loosen or tighten the car according to how much colder it gets from qualifying to race time, other than that, our car stays pretty neutral all day.

RW: Rumor has it there are 3 groves and typically to win you must start up front, can any car win from the back with three groves?
NJ: I've watched a couple of races there, and it appears that the middle groove is the fastest, so it may be tough to pass. The late model races there have shown that as well. So I would personally prefer to start up front, but if guys like Germone, Kanke or Inglebright want to start back there, I won't complain!

RW: Does it work better for your team to race in LA as opposed to other destinations on the SWS?
NJ: Considering the track is only about 30 minutes away from us, we love it!

RW: Will your team be doing any special promotions for sponsors during this weekend?
NJ: Jackson Race Cars and Swearingen Classic Car Rentals really came through for us after the accident at Bakersfield, I personally thought we were done for the season, but they wouldn't let that happen, so Swearingen will be promoted on the hood with Jackson on the quarter panels.

RW: Where can the fans find you for autographs?
NJ: I'm sorry to say for the fans we'll be at home, however I'm happy to say for myself and the team, that we'll be at home in the comfort of our own beds!

RW: How has your team progressed this year? Are you on track with your goals?
NJ: Our team performance has been awesome, however our luck has been horrible. We got spun while in the top five at Tucson with only a few laps to go, broke a valve at Phoenix, 3rd lap accident at Cajon, crashed at Mesa while challenging for third and broke an oil pump in Vegas in practice after posting the 7th quickest time on old tires.

RW: What do you see as most challenging about Irwindale Speedway?
NJ: Nothing new, like I said before, all tracks are new for us, so this is just another track. I'm sure we'll be quick and competitive, hopefully we can get the darn monkey (or Gorilla) off of our back.

Source: RacingWest
Posted: 5/15/99