IRWINDALE, California — Nick Joanides continued his outstanding Toyota Speedway at Irwindale 2009 season Saturday by taking both NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Model feature victories in front of about 2,000 spectators. His double triumphs gave him six victories in the nine races run this season. The 2008 AC Delco SLM track champion also has won two of the seven mains in the Auto Club Late Model Series this season. His latest achievement has him ranked fourth nationally in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Weekly Racing Series with an estimated 2,000+ drivers competing at various NASCAR sanctioned tracks. Joanides drove the Loyd McGhee-owned Mr. Gasket No. 71 Chevy Monte Carlo to the twin triumphs, giving him 25 total (in SLM and late model divisions) at Irwindale since 2006. All but one of his victories have come since he joined forces with McGhee. The winner said his first victory came in 2006 in a late model and nearly all of his feature victories have come in the last two years.
Among those giving credit to Joanides, a 38-year old Woodland Hills resident, were the track's all-time feature winner Rip Michels, who has 57 Irwindale feature trophies in three series. Michels, a four-time track champion (three in the SLM class) finished a close second (-0.086) in the first 40 and third in the second 40. He told the crowd, “That was fun racing. My hat is off to Nick and his team. They've found something and are hard to beat this year.” Michels continued that in past SLM seasons one driver and team such as Greg Pursley, Van Knill or himself have been dominant for a season.”We will just have to work harder to catch up to Nick and his team,” Michels added. Joanides said his car was perfect all night, especially in the second 40. He started alongside pole starter Michels in that race with an inversion of two cars. He chased Michels' Ford Fusion for the first 17 laps in exciting side-by-side, nose-to-tail racing most of the time. On lap 18 Joanides made a clean inside pass through the third and fourth turns. All teams used the same tires in the second 40 that they ran as new tires in the first 40 lap race.
The other feature winner on the progressively banked half-mile was fastest qualifier/pole starter Rod Johnson, Jr., 19-year old son of Irwindale's 1999 SLM champion. It was his second straight King Taco Super Truck main event victory in six races—all contested over 40 laps—and the third of his two year truck racing career. He won the 2008 series rookie of the year title. Winners on the third-mile oval were first-time feature winners at Irwindale. Legends point leader Brandon Toy, a 17-year old second year Legends driver from Bakersfield, raced his No. 75 coupe hard all 35 laps for his initial main event triumph. He had to pass Ryan Reed, 15, twice (on laps 9 and 31) to secure his hard-fought victory. He led laps 31-35 and beat Reed by 0.413. Bandoleros rookie Christian McGhee, 10, won his first main by leading only the final lap (lap 20). He edged Lexi Moore, 10-year old daughter of SLM driver Dan Moore, by 0.199. The winner entered the final lap in third place, but the first two cars made contact and spun out. Rookie Ryan Cansdale, 10, had led all the way and was trying to win his seventh consecutive feature in race nine this year. Second place Aaron Anderson, 13, made contact in turn two, spinning both leaders.
The final race of the six main event evening was a nine-car Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 race on the third-mile infield. Steve Stewart, a three-time series track champion (2005, 07 and 08), started fourth and led the final 18 laps to win by one length over pressing Rod Proctor, the third starter and 2004 series track champion. “Barefoot” Billy Ziemann, the track's first Figure 8 champion, led the first two laps, but he slowed about lap 10 and dropped out on lap 12 to finish last. The eight-minute race had one red flag to remove a stalled car at the X intersection.
1ST SLM MAIN: The late afternoon qualifying session fastest qualifier on the first of two laps received pole position in the first 40 with an inversion number of one. The second timed lap determined starting positions for the second 40 and the inversion number was two. Joanides set fast time on both laps. In the first 40, pole starter Joanides trailed outside front row starter and second quickest qualifier Alex Haase, a 19-year old Las Vegas Legends and SLM veteran, for 19 laps. Then he passed Haase on the inside in three-wide racing exiting turn four and led the final 21 laps. Haase, a Kyle Busch Foundation driver making his first start this season at Irwindale, drove his family-owned black No. 51 Ford Fusion. The teen has been racing stock cars on the East Coast this season and plans to make additional SLM twin features this year. Michels started third and passed Haase for second on lap 24 with an inside move from turn four to the starting line. Dan Moore started ninth in his No. 9 Ford Fusion and charged to third place, passing Haase on lap 39 on the outside in the fourth turn. Haase settled for fourth, with David Ross fifth. Danny Gay (from 6th), Luis Martinez, Jr. (from 5th), Travis Thirkettle (from 8th), now 17-year old Bear Rzesnowiecky (from 12th), and David Beat (from 11th) completed the top ten on the scoring pylon. Sixteen of the 20 starters finished and all ran 40 laps in a 17-minute race with one caution flag for debris. Haase ran the quickest lap of the race at 18.419, with Joanides' 18.437 and Michels' 18.490 next fastest laps of the first 40.
2ND SLM 40: In the fifth of six main events Saturday, Michels led the first 17 laps despite intense inside groove pressure from second starter Joanides. On lap 18 Joanides made an inside move through the third and fourth corner to take the lead without contacting Michels' car. He then pulled away to half a straightaway victory margin (2.379 seconds) . Third starter Haase reversed his late-race slide in the first 40 and passed track-master Michels for second position on lap 27 with an outside move on the backstretch. “It was my best main event finish here at Irwindale and about my tenth super late model race here,” Haase told the media. Michels settled for third in his green No. 12 Ford Fusion, 1.057-seconds behind Haase. Ross finished fourth and Rzesnowiecky fifth. Moore, Gay, Martinez, Thirkettle and out of retirement SLM veteran Todd Southwell (from 19th in Dennis Furden's No. 43) completed the top ten. Sixteen of 20 starters finished; 15 drivers completed all 40 laps in a 15-minute race with one caution flag on lap 4 for a solo spinner. Haase ran the fastest lap of the race (18.544 or 97.066 mph) on lap 5. Joanides' 18.562 (96.972 mph) on lap 3, and Michels' 18.568 (96.941 mph) on lap 3 were the next fastest laps, showing how close the top three drivers lap times were.
SUPER TRUCKS: Fast timer R. Johnson started from pole position and battled second starter Todd Cameron closely in a multi-truck lead pack for the first ten circuits. Cameron led the first ten laps and lap 12. Johnson led lap 11 and 13-40 and won by 0.768 over 2007-08 series champion Pat Mintey, Jr, who passed Cameron on lap 17. Second generation racer Jeff Peterson, 19, took third on lap 30. Cameron retained fourth to the lap 40 checkers. Ron Peterson started next to his son in fifth and finished fifth. Mason Britton came from eighth and took sixth on lap 39. Grant Hebner settled for seventh, with Dennis Arena, Ryan Partridge, and past California Lottery winner Kenny Smith rounding out the top ten. All 16 starters finished, with only two trucks lapped during the final seven laps in a 13:39.160 all-green flag race. Cameron ran the fastest lap of the event at 20.122. Mintey's best lap was 20.148 and Johnson's top lap was 20.158. All three drivers ran their quickest lap on their second circuit.
LEGENDS: Fastest qualifier Darren Amidon started second with a two-car inversion. However, the two-time TS@I winner this season never held the lead this week. He dropped out of third place on lap 8. Chad Schug led the first two laps from pole position in the borrowed No. 85 coupe. Third starter Ryan Reed led laps 3-8 and 10-30. Consistent/assertive Brandon Toy made inside passes into the first turn to lead lap 9 and lap 31 to the lap 35 checkered flag. Reed settled for second (-0.413) with Mark Iungerich, a 63-year old flip victim in turn four during his last race, third, 8.451-seconds in back of the winner. Jordon Hyland and Cory Miles completed the top five, with 13 of 17 starters racing at the end and ten drivers on the lead lap.
BANDOLEROS: The Briggs & Stratton-powered cars for youngsters ran a pair of main events Saturday and one at 7:15 pm during Friday night 5:00 to 9:00 pm open practice. McGhee's first victory in the 7:45 pm main Saturday came with his father Loyd receiving live lap by lap reports on a cell phone from his SLM/late model driver Joanides, who was watching his protege from the pit grandstand. McGhee missed his double SLM triumph by Joanides and his son's first Bandolero win because he was in Idaho on business. Christian's Bandolero carries No. 71 and is painted yellow and black as is his dad's SLM car driven by Joanides. Runner-up Lexi Moore, 10, finished one length back for her best result this year. She was the runner-up in TS@I Bandolero 2008 final point standings. Blake Dunkleberger, 13, was third, with Chancellor Tiscareno, 12, fourth, and Jeff Gordon-fan Ricky Schlick, 13, fifth in a 13-car field. The 11-minute race had one yellow flag.
The second Bandolero main of the weekend took place Saturday afternoon just before practice started at 2:00 pm. Eleven cars started and rookie Ryan Cansdale, a 10-year old Laguna Beach resident, won his sixth consecutive main. He beat Mikael Lovas, 11, by 4.023-seconds in a 12-lap, 7:51.04 timed race. Rookie Brett Scoggins, 8, was third, 15-seconds back for his best result to date in his colorful No. 46 painted to resemble the 46 car from the “Days of Thunder” movie. The first Bandolero main event of the busy weekend had 13 starters at 7:15 pm Friday. Rookie Cansdale (No. 37) won a 19-lap race by 0.285 over Aaron Anderson, in a preview of their Saturday night battle for the lead on the final lap that resulted in their collision and simultaneous spins. McGhee finished third Friday, with Dunkleberger and Tiscareno fourth and fifth in a 10:29.228 race.
OUTLAW FIGURE 8: The Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 nine-car, 20-lap race concluded racing Saturday at 9:40 pm. Stewart withstood repeated passing attempts by fellow second row starter Rod Proctor and won by one length (0.271). Proctor ran the fastest lap of the event at 19.275. Stewart's best was 19.344, the third fastest lap of the race. The two leaders were the only drivers on the lead lap at the finish. Tony Curtis was third, one lap down, as were Jerry Toporek, Sean Hansen and Harry Kuenniger. Six of nine starters finished the 8:06.918 race.
Hard Charger $100 gift certificate winners were: SLM 1st 40 – Rzesnowiecky (12th to 9th); 2nd 40 – Moore (11th to 6th); Legends – Rick Clark (14th to 7th), KTST – rookie Ryan Schrank (15th to 14th). Fast time honors went to: SLM – Joanides – 18.085 on lap 1 and 17.982 on lap 2; KTST – Johnson – 19.882; Figure 8 – Ziemann – 18.836, and Legends – Amidon – 16.659. The fastest Bandolero qualifiers were Aaron Anderson Friday at 18.691, plus Cansdale's 18.730 at 1:45 for the 2:00 race and Cansdale again with 18.674 at 3:45 for the Saturday 7:45 pm race.
