IRWINDALE, California -- "Slick" Nick Joanides led 39 of 40 laps in the NASCAR Auto Club Late Model Series in the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale feature event Saturday. It was his third victory in the last four ACLM main events. More than 4,000 spectators watched Joanides continue his impressive "career year" on family night. Staff from the TV show "Deal or No Deal" were present also to recruit contestants for the popular NBC-TV program. His third ACLM feature victory in ten events this season moved Joanides from second place into a first place tie at 442 points. Co-leader and season-long point leader Andrew Myers began the year with five consecutive ACLM feature triumphs. Myers retains the top spot on the point chart based on the NASCAR tie-breaking system. He has five feature triumphs to three for Joanides.
Joanides is attempting to accomplish something at the ten year old speedway that no one has come close to doing. The former NASCAR Elite Division touring series driver driver from Woodland Hills has won seven of 11 NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Model TS@I features in 2008 and leads SLM points by 16. Joanides is pursuing the unprecedented feat of winning championships in both of the track's Whelen All-American Series top series at the track—the SLM and late model titles. No driver at the half-mile Irwindale track has ever won both the SLM and late model division titles. Remarkably, Joanides hopes to win both driving championships in the same season.
The 37-year old ACLM winner drove the Loyd McGhee-owned J & M Construction/Mr. Crane Chevy Monte Carlo. Joanides started second and trailed pole-starter Travis Irving closely for one lap before going to the inside leaving the fourth turn on lap two and making his winning pass. He won by 35-yards (1.564-seconds) over fastest qualifier Tim Huddleston, whose Justice Brothers High-Point Distributing Chevy took second spot from Irving on the fourth lap. Irving held on for third place, 3.258 seconds in back of the winner. It was his first podium finish and bettered his career-best feature finish by two positions. Irving drove his No. 85 CHP/Great Central Transport Chevy. With 23 late models present, Mike Johnson started eighth and finished fourth in his Monte Carlo in a 22-car field.
Beau DeBard, a 21-year old 2007 season USAC Ford Focus Midget Series graduate from Reno, made his first ACLM appearance on the Irwindale half-mile. The Ron Sutton Winner's Circle driver development program participant won two USAC FF Midget features last year, including one on Irwindale's third-mile driving the No. 42 Sutton FF Midget. He has raced the No. 18 Bill McAnally-owned late model this season eight times in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at the three-eighths mile All American Speedway in Roseville, north of Sacramento. With a one race rental of one of Huddleston's High-Point Distributing late models, DeBard subbed for fellow USAC driver Ryan Kaplan, who competed in an open-wheel midget race elsewhere. DeBard drove Huddleston's HPD No. 51 2008 Ford Fusion, the only non-Chevy in Huddleston's six-car ACLM fleet.
Following two rounds of early afternoon practice sessions, DeBard set fifth fastest qualifying time during 4:00 pm time trials. He started second in the six-lap trophy dash for the six fastest qualifiers, missed a shift at the start and fell to third. Nevertheless, he raced to a close third place in a strong field of past feature winners. DeBard, nicknamed "The Bobot", won the 2007 Skip Barber National Scholarship Shootout in Sebring, FL. A year earlier, he won the championship in the NCK 125 road racing kart series with six victories in seven races. He began winning kart races and championships at age 15 in 2002 in Junior 80 shifter karts. Huddleston's "blue crew" six-car ACLM team this year has seen impressive races by USAC FF Midget series graduates Kaplan, Jace Meier, Benny Moon and now DeBard. All of these open-wheelers have NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup as their ultimate goals in racing. Racing team owners Sutton, McAnally and Huddleston are facilitating their chances of realizing their racing goals.
Myers, the second fastest qualifier, started third in a four-car inverted start. He ran fourth to lap eight when DeBard passed the series point leader. Johnson moved by both Myers and DeBard on a lap 22 restart following the only caution of the 21-minute race. Mike Varela, Lindsey King, rookie Miles Copenhaver and 2001 SLM track champion/16th starter Sean Woodside completed the top ten. Eighteen of 22 cars on the grid finished; 17 drivers completed all 40 laps. The lap 22 incident between the first two corners involved four cars and sidelined two of them. Eighth place rookie Colin Fleming, the June 21 feature winner, got tapped by ninth place Brandon Loverock, who drove Gerald Lair's Chevy for the second time. Fleming spun out in the inside groove and got hit by 12th place Logan Henson and Travis Motley. King spun out of tenth position to avoid her spinning teammate Fleming. She resumed in her position after the caution with approval of race control staff. The Fleming and Henson cars were too damaged to continue. Motley's car resumed but was the only car lapped at the finish.
SUPER TRUCKS: In a ten truck inversion, Joe Herold came from seventh starting position in a 22-truck King Taco Super Truck field to second on the opening lap. He made an inside pass exiting turn four and dropped Mason Britton to second on lap 4 following the only yellow flag of the 18-minute race. Herold led the final 37 laps on the half-mile. Britton and second quickest qualifier/ninth starter Connor Cantrell battled closely for second to the final lap. Cantrell used an inside pass leaving the second turn to pass Britton for runner-up honors. He trailed former Elite Division Southwest Series feature winner Herold by 0.392, with Sacramento-based Britton third, 0.504 back in his career-best finish at Irwindale. Cantrell cut four points from the point lead of fourth finisher Pat Mintey, Jr. (366-354) with six races remaining on the TS@I schedule. Paul Brennan, Todd Cameron, Dana Higgins, rookie Grant Hebner and fastest qualifier/rookie Rod Johnson, Jr followed in a tight pack. The fifth through ninth place drivers finished within 1.529 seconds of each other. Twenty of 22 starters finished and 16 drivers completed every lap.
ASA SPEED TRUCKS: The touring ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series had 12 trucks on the grid with a four-truck inversion. Fastest qualifier and series point leader Darren Young, from Gilbert, AZ, led from lap 3 to the lap 50 checkered flag. He held a straightaway lead for the final 15 laps and won by 7.177 seconds on the half-mile. Todd McLauchlan, winner of the two prior ASA features at Irwindale this season, finished second. Pole starter Jason Black led the first two circuits and earned third, 8.926-seconds behind the winner. Dallas Colodny and Jeff Catlin were fourth and fifth, with 14-year old Donny St. Ours sixth. All 12 starters finished the all-green flag race in a time of 17:19.203. Nine drivers ran all 50 laps.
PURE STOCKS: Thirteen drivers participated in the 30-lap pure stock main on the third-mile. Point leader Chad Kelly, from fourth, led laps 1 and 3, but Mike Colato, Jr led lap 2 and 4-30. He won by 20-yards (1.323) seconds) over Kelly. Justin Good, 18-year old fastest qualifier Tommy Agosta, from 12th in the fully inverted lineup, and Dave Foster completed the top five. The 14-minute race had two caution flags. Eight of the ten finishers ran all 30 laps.
DEMO DERBY: Seven American sedans/station wagons took part in the $2,000 demolition derby on the watered infield. Dan Pachella outlasted David Smith for the $1,000 first place award. Runner-up Smith received $500. It was Pachella's third consecutive TS@I demo derby victory, although he had to share the May 24 demo derby first place award with co-winner Bill Altfather. Third place Mike Atkinson, from Upland, received $350 for third place in a yellow taxi. The Ford Gran Victoria cab even had its rooftop "taxi" sign lit during the demo derby crashing and bashing. The taxi bore the number 25 and had the logo "1st National City Yellow Cab" on the doors. The real taxi was impounded at Jan's Towing from the nearby city of Covina as an unlicensed or "bandit taxi" and went unclaimed. Jan's Towing sent it to the TS@I demo derby for its final fare. Altfather and Robert Rice finished fourth and fifth in the final money-paying positions. The final checkered flag of the night fell at 9:28 pm.
Three six-lap trophy dashes went to Young (ASA trucks), Kelly (pure stocks) and King (ACLM). Pole starter/sixth fastest qualifier King led the first three laps, lost the lead to inside-running Irving on lap 4, and then recaptured the point exiting turn four on the outside a lap later. She won her first ACLM trophy dash by 0.074 over Irving. Hard chargers selected by race control officials were: Dennis Arena (Super Trucks), Harry Michaelian (PS), rookie Jamie Bennett (ASA trucks) and Robert Rice (ACLM). Fast times by series were: Agosta's 68.358 mph (pure stocks), Johnson's 90.072 mph (Super Trucks), Young's 89.807 mph (ASA Speed Trucks), and Huddleston's 94.167 mph (ACLM).
PIT NOTES: Last week TS@I Race Director Lester Boyer disqualified July 12 Vista Paint Super Stock feature winner Greg Crutcher after the post-race technical inspection of the top five finishing cars. Inspectors found valve springs in his Camaro to be out of compliance with track rules. His car was disqualified from first place and he received no money or points from the July 12 race. The penalty dropped Crutcher from first to fourth in series points and gave Bryan Harrell the victory and VPSS point lead. Additionally, the track pulled Crutcher's engine and retained it. Boyer sent the camshaft out for independent evaluation to ensure it was part of the approved spec or sealed engine package for the series. Boyer added that if the camshaft is found to be a non-conforming part, Crutcher will be disqualified for the season and all of his accumulated points and victories will be stricken from track records.
