JOANIDES WINS TWO NASCAR SUPER LATE MODEL MAINS AT IRWINDALE

Source: Tim Kennedy
Date: 04/21/2008

SLM 1st 50: Joanides, who raced for years in the NASCAR Elite Division touring series for several teams, said he has raced in only 25 SLM races at Irwindale. Driving one of two Speed Wong Racing SLM cars, he finished second to series 2008 champion Rip Michels three times last season. Joanides won the first 50 by 40-yards (2.093-seconds) over early leader Chris Johnson (# 50 TCR 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo). Joanides made his winning pass on the inside during lap 20 as their cars slammed together hard side-by-side, moving Johnson up the track. David Ross, driving his new Jackson Race Cars-built 2008 Chevy, finished third, 6.619-seconds behind Joanides. Charles Price, the SLM point-leader/two-time winner, started first and finished fourth. He later told the media his car was too tight during afternoon practice, so they changed the stagger and it was too loose during the evening. Scott Conaway placed fifth. Fifteen of 22 drivers finished with ten drivers on the lead lap.

SLM 2nd 50: Joanides jumped into the lead from pole position as outside front row starter Andrew Allen got loose and spun across the starting line. The ensuing melee involved cars of Ross, Travis Thirkettle, Linny White (driving Ross' back-up car). Conaway veered left, but the back of Allen's car caved in his right side door. He continued and finished eighth as 13 of 17 drivers finished. Conaway moved from fourth to second in points, 24 behind Price. Price, 21, trailed by three-quarters of a straight at lap 25 and finished 50-yards back (2.290-seconds) in a 28-minute race showed by three caution flags for spins. Dan Moore, Stephen Peace and Kevin Thompson occupied positions three through five at the conclusion. Ross restarted after the opening lap snafu at the starting line. H was running fifth on lap 3 when a mechanical failure at the right front sent his car into the crash-wall. A shock absorber rolled down the track to the infield after the hard impact. Heavy damage resulted, but Ross climbed from the car uninjured.

SUPER STOCKS: Fastest qualifier Bryan Harrell started his 1977 Chevy Camaro fourth in the Vista Paint Super Stock main event, which was scheduled for 35 laps on the half-mile. The 21-minute race had four caution flags, including one on the lap 34 white flag lap following a two-car crash at the crash-wall between the third and fourth turns. Officials called the race complete after 33 laps in the interests of time and for track clean-up work. The Camaros of Curtis White and Julianne Seeley were towed to the pits but the drivers escaped injury. Harrell trailed early leader Kenny Brown for four laps and then used an inside pass in turn four to lead from lap 5 to the finish. Brown trailed by 15-yards (0.594) after 33 official laps. Gerrit Cromsigt, a 1999 Late Model Series driver during the inaugural season at Irwindale, finished third in the No. 14 Camaro that he bought from former owner/driver Eric Sunness after racing it in the season opener March 29. With his children in college and his home construction business slow these days, Cromsigt decided to race again. He started from pole position as the fourth fastest qualifier in a 19-car field and finished third. However, his Camaro was disqualified in technical inspection of the top finishing cars. The crew said their car was too wide after they put in an extra wheel spacer. Cromsigt was dropped from the official finish order. Greg Crutcher, the last winner, Rich DeLong III and Larry Cerquettini finished third through fifth respectively as nine drivers finished without becoming involved in backstretch and turn three-four mishaps during the final lap. Runner-up Brown, with a pair of seconds in the two races this year, is now tied for first in 2008 points at 96 with Crutcher, who has finishes of first and third.

LEGENDS: For the third consecutive Legend Cars feature at Irwindale, a first-time teenage winner kept five-time Legends track champion Tom Landreth from scoring his 37th main event triumph at the track. This week fifth fastest qualifier Ryan Partridge, a 19-year old veteran of Legends, truck and SLM racing, started second and led all the way in the scheduled 30-lap race on the third-mile. Landreth started third, took second on lap three and pressured Partridge closely every lap, but he trailed by 0.104 at the finish. Partridge drove one of three Speed Wong Racing-owned replica 1934 Ford coupes in the race. He had won two Legend main events in recent seasons with his family-owned car. The race became a timed race after 28 laps when a two-car collision and another incident in the second turn caused the fifth yellow flag of the race. Rookie Ryan Reed, 14, started fifth and finished third, 0.359 behind the winner. Reed had won the second Legends race this season on April 5.Touring Indiana-resident Jimmy Hansen, 18, won the season opener March 22. There were 18 of 21 starters on the track when the yellow and checkered flags flew simultaneously. Point leader Landreth, with a third and two seconds this year, extended his point advantage from six to 16-points over Speed Wong Racing's Matt Hart, the seventh finisher Saturday.

BANDOLEROS: The five division, six main event program began at 7:00 p.m with a 20-lap race for six D & D Construction Bandolero drivers on the third-mile. Andrew Porter, 13, led the first three laps from his outside front row starting berth. The quick qualifier/pole starter Aaron Anderson, 12, shot to the front and led the final 17 laps. He won by 40-yards (2.876 seconds) over Porter. His sister Aubrey Porter, 12, trailed in third place, 7.230-seconds behind the winner. Lexi Moore, 9-year old daughter of SLM driver and Bandolero Series sponsor Dan Moore, placed fourth. Ricky Schlick, aboard his No. 24 car painted like his idol Jeff Gordon's NASCAR Cup car, finished fifth. Newcomer Mikael Lovas followed in a 9:50.927-timed race with one caution for a double spin by the two young ladies in the second turn as they battled for third position.

FIGURE 8: Point leader/2007 series champion Steve Stewart, from Long Beach, led all 20 laps of the ten-car Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 main that concluded racing at 9:56 p.m. The fastest qualifier started from pole position and beat second quickest qualifier "Barefoot" Billy Ziemann by 4.181 seconds. Third starter Jay Henson dueled with Ziemann closely all 20 laps, but he finished ten yards behind the runner-up. Only the first three finishers completed all 20 circuits. "Dirty Harry" Kuenniger, Jerry Toporek and Gerrit Cromsigt were the only other finishers. The 6:42.839 race had one red flag of three minutes to remove Sean Hansen's stalled car near the X intersection. Fastest qualifiers in late afternoon time trials were Anderson (Bandoleros), Michael Springer (Legends), Harrell (SS), Joanides (SLM) and Stewart (F-8). Hard charger award winners selected by race control officials were 16-year old former ASA Speed Truck driver Randal King, in his rookie SLM season. He came from 18th to tenth in the first SLM 50, and Kevin Thompson in the second SLM 50. Paul Howard (SS) also was recognized at the finish line for racing from 16th to eighth.

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