Source: Tim Kennedy
Date: 07/28/2008

IRWINDALE, California – Nick Joanides made Toyota Speedway at Irwindale history Saturday by leaving the speedway as point leader of the two premier NASCAR Whelen All-American Weekly Racing Series—the AC Delco Super Late Models and Auto Club Late Models. He drove Chevy Monte Carlos owned by Loyd McGhee and sponsored by J & M Construction/Mr. Crane in both series. More than 3,000 spectators attended the five series, six main event action-packed racing event on Auto Club Night. Joanides won the first of two SLM 40-lap features for his eighth series victory this season and finished second in the following 40-lap race to first-time SLM winner Matt Hicks, 21. Joanides increased his SLM point lead from 16 to 24 points after 13 races. Hicks made his fourth event this year because his team had to replace a blown engine and install a new body after earlier races. His first SLM triumph came after four feature trophies in a Legends car on the third-mile and eight feature triumphs in a King Taco Super Truck on the Irwindale half-mile. All of his racing equipment is owned by his father Matt, who also serves as his spotter.

ACLM: The late model main had the major dramatic turns of the entertaining evening. Rookie Colin Fleming. 24, started from pole position and led the first 22 laps over third starter Mike Johnson and his boss Huddleston, who was running a close third. On lap 23 Fleming's Chevy spun out low after contact from Johnson's Chevy. Race Director Lester Boyer checked via radio with officials around the track and after receiving their input sent both Fleming and Johnson to the back of the field. They worked back to 10th (Johnson) and 11th positions by the checkered flag. Huddleston avoided his spinning protege and assumed the lead for the lap 23 restart. Point leader Andrew Myers, who passed King on lap 16, was second and King third. On lap 26 Myers' No. 15 slowed on the backstretch and leaving turn four the rear end and transmission of his Eugene Dewberry Chevy erupted into a huge fireball. He slowed further and pulled onto the pit entrance road near the first turn. He stopped without injury as the flames at the back of his car were extinguished. A ten-minute red flag ensued for track clean-up. King inherited second position but had to fight off determined third place Daniel DiGiacomo for runner-up honors. Third place DiGiacomo trailed King by 20-yards (-1.026). King moved from sixth to fifth in ACLM current point standings that show 52 drivers with 2008 points.

Brandon Loverock, in his third race aboard the No. 25 Gerald Lair Chevy, came from 12th starting spot to edge seventh starter Travis Irving by 0.016. Miles Copenhaver, a teenage ACLM rookie, finished a career-best sixth and moved from 14th to 13th in points. Sean Bennett, Mike Varela, George Atkinson and Johnson completed the top ten. Eighteen of 20 starters finished and 17 completed all 40 laps. Fastest ACLM qualifier Joanides started fifth and was sixth on lap 14 when he slowed leaving turn four with an ignition switch problem. He circled the track slowly on the inside of the half-mile and lost two laps as he diagnosed his problem while circulating the track. Joanides later said he had to stretch from his reclined seat to hold the ignition switch in place with his left hand and steered only with his right hand. Nevertheless, he ran competitive laps in mid-pack and completed 38 of 40 laps. Coupled with his twin-40 lap SLM races, Joanides ran 118 out of a possible 120 laps. "My arms are worn out," he told the media. "One time I let go of the switch and the ignition shut off again." Despite finishing 18th in the 20-car field, Joanides emerged from the race with a two-point lead (458-456) over Myers, who placed 19th because of the rear end problem and fire that sidelined his car. Remarkably, Huddleston's 50-points for his victory pulled him into a second place tie with Myers at 456 points, only two digits behind leader Joanides. Only seven ACLM races remain in the most competitive ACLM 18-race season. Johnson, despite his lap 23 penalty to the back of the field, ranks fourth with 430 points.

1ST SLM MAIN: Joanides, also the fastest SLM qualifier, started sixth and became the third race leader in a 21-car field. Stephen Peace, from the pole, led the first four laps. Third starter Andy Allen paced laps 5-12 as Joanides dropped Peace to third on the sixth lap. With Allen running the outside groove and Joanides occupying the inside groove they battled closely for three laps. Joanides made an inside pass on lap 13 and took the lead as they lapped newcomer Gail Chase on both side of his car. Joanides then opened a 30-yard lead by the lap 40 checkered flag and won by 1.133 over Allen. The all-green flag race took 12:50.220. Dan Moore, Travis Thirkettle (from 14th) and Peace finished third through fifth respectively. David Beat, Bear Rzesnowiecky, a mid-teens charger from Las Vegas, Matt Hicks, David Ross and Kevin Thompson rounded out the top ten. Eighteen of 21 cars finished and 12 drivers ran all 40 laps in the third main event of the six feature evening.

2ND SLM MAIN: Hicks led the final 38 laps of the 40-lap race from the pole in a 19-car field. Allen ran out front for the first two laps. The 17-minute race had one caution flag on lap 10 for a crash involving teens David Ross and Randel King. Joanides came from seventh starting position in the inverted starting lineup. He passed Moore for second place on lap 14 on the inside exiting turn four. He closed ground from 30-yards to 20-yards behind leader Hicks by lap 25 when they began lapping slower cars. Hicks cleared cars quickly, but two lapped cars got together directly in front and cost Joanides some time and he trailed by 40-yards at the white flag lap. He trailed by half a straightaway (2.996 seconds) at the finish of the final main of the night. Joanides fastest lap was 18.931 and Hicks' best lap was 19.024. Joanides told the media "I had to pass six cars in the first race after the invert and a car at the start of the second race missed a shift and dropped me back to tenth, I managed to pass 8 more cars in the second race, but just had to use up the tires too much between the two races",  Thirkettle came from 12th grid position to finish third, 4.981-seconds behind first-time SLM winner Hicks. Completing the top ten were Moore, Allen, Beat, Peace, Toni McCray, in her career-best TS@I performance, rookie Luis Martinez, Jr. and visitor Duane Hunt, Jr from Tucson. Fifteen of 19 drivers crossed the finish line and ten of them ran all 40 laps.

Fastest qualifying speeds by division were: Joanides – 94.409 mph (ACLM), and Joanides – 97.906 mph (ACD SLM).

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