Joanides finally gets Late Model victory

By Keith Lair, Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 06/07/2008 11:33:38 PM PDT

IRWINDALE - It was only a matter of time.

Nick Joanides has won five of eight Super Late Model races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale this season. But the Woodland Hills resident has been without a Late Model victory. At least until Saturday night.

He took the lead with nine laps to go in the 40-lap Automobile Club of Southern California feature race and held the lead for his first victory of the season.

"I wanted this one more than any of those Super Late Model races," Joanides said. "We finally got one of these things."

He's been close with four second-place finishes in the seven Late Model races this season.

And in front of approximately 2,500 fans, he had to do it against Tim Huddleston, who won last week, and Andrew Myers, who won the first five races this season.

"I got tired of finishing second," he said. "It's hard getting back by these guys because it's harder to pass in these cars. I had to work on Tim and then had Andrew right behind me."

Joanides got the lead coming out of Turn 4. It looked like he and Huddleston touched, but they didn't.

"It was pretty cool," Huddleston said.

"We did a pretty good slide job there. We measured twice and cut once on that one."

Huddleston called this season's field the strongest ever: Myers, who kept the points lead with his third-place finish, and Joanides have extensive NASCAR Touring series races.

"It was a lot of hard green-flag racing," Huddleston said.

JOANIDES WINS SUPER LATE MODEL TWINS-AGAIN

IRWINDALE, California– Five racing series competed Saturday on a pair of TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale tracks—three series on the half-mile and two on the third-mile. About 2,500 fans watched Nick Joanides,36, make the pass of the night and get past race-long leader Tim Huddleston on lap 31 to win the 22-car, 40-lap Auto Club Late Model feature. He drove Loyd McGhee's No. 77 J & M Construction Chevy Monte Carlo to his first ACLM triumph this year. The Woodland Hills resident won three ACLM races last season in the same car from August to November after he took over the ride in mid-season. 

Two-time ACLM champion Tim Huddleston, trying to secure his second victory in a row, started second in his High Point Distributing Chevy Monte Carlo. He out-accelerated pole starter/series rookie Miles Copenhaver at the green flag. He led the first lap over third-starter Joanides, a five-time 2008 AC Delco Super Late Model winner, and fastest qualifier/fifth starter Andrew Myers, who won the first five ACLM features this year. The three late model veterans engaged in a three-way battle for all 40-laps and pulled away from the fourth place driver. Following the the second caution flag for a solo spin on lap 31, Joanides made his winning move. At the green flag Joanides dived to the inside entering the first turn and pulled even with leader Huddleston exiting the second turn. At turn four Joanides completed his pass for the lead by a few feet from turn four to the starting line. Both drivers told the media there was no contact between their cars during the close competition. Joanides beat Huddleston by ten yards (0.624) and Myers was 15-yards behind the runner-up (0.844). Mike Johnson came from ninth to finish fourth, 2.437-seconds behind the winner. Myers saw his current point lead shrink from 40 to 36 points over Joanides after seven of 17 scheduled events.

Series rookie Ryan Kaplan, 21, came from tenth starting spot to earn fifth in the No. 51 Huddleston "blue crew" Monte Carlo. He missed the last event at TS@I to race a USAC Midget in the Anderson, Indiana "Night Before the Indy 500" and dropped from fourth to seventh in ACLM points. Kaplan, the leading rookie in ACLM points, climbed from seventh to sixth in points. Kaplan's fellow rookie and Huddleston teammate Colin Fleming, who had a late race tire rub, Travis Irving, Copenhaver, Sean Bennett and Daniel DiGiacomo completed the top ten. Only one of 22 starters failed to finish. All 21 finishers completed 40-laps in a 22:22.241-clocked race. There were three yellow flags for spins or debris. The top three ACLM finishers came to the press box. Winner Joanides said, "I wanted this one more than any of those Super Late Model races. I finally got one of these." He has finished second in four of the seven ACLM mains this year. "I got tired of finishing second." Huddleston voiced his belief that this season has the strongest ACLM field ever. He added, "Coming up to lap cars you notice how fast even lapped cars are moving this season."

Racing started with a pair of six-lap trophy dashes for the six fastest qualifiers with a black and white California Highway Patrol car, lights flashing, pacing the field. In the fully inverted ACLM dash, 19-year old Lindsey King and rookie Copenhaver started in the front row. King led lap one and Copenhaver led the final five laps to win his first trophy dash by a foot (0.012) over inside challenger Joanides. Myers, King, Fleming and Huddleston followed in a 1:57.033 race. 

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