JOANIDES MAKES IT LOOK EASY WITH 7TH WIN!
(06-28-08) Eighth to first in six laps! It might have looked easy, but according to Joanides, it was anything but. On a warm day where forward bite was difficult to obtain for most teams, Joanides posted the fastest qualifying time for the ninth time in eleven races this season in the J&M Racing AC Delco Super Late Model with Jackson Race Cars. Nascar officials were thinking big when it came to the invert. The invert wheel included only 6, 8, 10 & 12, meaning the best Joanides could hope for was the 6th starting position. He spun an eight.
Early in the season, on a much cooler track, Joanides had come from as deep as the sixth position to win. However, over the past several races, due to less than optimal track conditions, the most any car has passed has been four cars on average. No driver had come from further back than sixth to win all season. With an all rookie front row, Joanides was hoping to survive the first lap and score at least a top five finish.
 |
From the
drop of the green flag, holes opened up and Joanides quickly filled
them. On lap one, he went three wide to the outside of Travis Thirkettle and Jason
Patison who were battling for sixth. A lap later, he dove three wide to the inside
of Scott Conaway and David Ross, taking the fourth position. A corner
later, he took third from Dan Moore. On the fourth lap he passed outside
pole sitter, Randel King and set his sights on the leader. Two laps
later he made the move to the inside of his former teammate, Brian Wong and
officially led the seventh lap. The two battled cleanly, side by side for several
laps before Joanides finally cleared him on lap ten. Wong nearly took
away the win, getting hard into the rear of him on lap 11. Joanides was
able to save it after a long slide and maintain the lead. The contact
allowed Thirkettle to take over the second position and close in on the
lead.
Thirkettle charged from his fifth place starting position and began to put pressure on Joanides, who was running in the high groove, hoping to save the tires. The two battled side by side until a caution flag flew at lap 18. After discussion with his crew, Joanides realized the outside line was not the best groove of night. On the restart he spent a few laps searching for a faster line and found the very bottom groove to his liking. He pulled out to a two to three car length advantage and was able to maintain it to the finish for his seventh win in the last nine races. "I know everyone said it looked easy, but it really wasn't" said Joanides. "With everyone battling for position in the first few laps, holes opened up and we were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and take advantage of each one of them. We could have very easily ended up fifth if the holes hadn't opened up like they did". "There wasn't a lot of grip in |
|
 |
||
 |
||
| the race
track, but the Jackson's did a great job making changes to the car
and they obviously did a much better job than everyone else
adjusting to the track conditions, these guys make me look like
a hero".
The team would like to offer a special thank you to the 28 NMC Group, Inc. employees that made it out to the track to witness the win. "Without the support of our sponsors, we wouldn't be able to do what we do" said Joanides. "It's especially fun when the hardworking employees get to make it out to the track and be part of what we're doing. It was a great night and I'm happy they were able to share the excitement with us!" With their win, the team slightly extends their point lead to 16 over Travis Thirkettle. They also take over the lead for the best average finish in the California Regional Standings. SEE VIDEO ON THE "VIDEOS" PAGE |
||
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
