JOANIDES
CLINCHES WITH TENTH WIN!
(09-06-08) After starting off the season with two sub-par finishes that left them 72 points out of the lead, Nick Joanides and his J&M Racing Team with Jackson Race Cars have been on a tear, posting 17 consecutive top 3 finishes in Toyota Speedways premier AC Delco Super Late Model Division. The streak includes 16 top two finishes with 10 wins. Joanides took the point lead following the ninth race of the season and never looked back.
Saturday
night had twin races on tap. Joanides posted the fastest qualifying time
for both races, marking the 14th time in 16 qualifying
sessions. With the invert, Joanides started the first event in the
fourth position. Travis Thirkettle (2nd in points) was
awarded the pole position. With a 36 point lead entering the race,
Joanides was thinking points. He took over the second position on lap 7
and chased down Thirkettle for the lead. The two cars battled cleanly
over the final 20 laps with Thirkettle holding on to win by just 0.153
seconds.
Joanides
lined up fifth for the second race after another invert. On lap one,
third starter Jason Bowles made contact with pole sitter Dan Moore,
causing him to spin. Joanides darted to the infield to barely avoid
contact. Thirkettle was not so fortunate. He was collected in the
accident and received damage to the front of his car and fell 9 laps
down making repairs, all but locking up the title for Joanides. With no
more points to worry about, Joanides wasted no time getting to the
front. He restarted in the fourth position and took over the lead on lap
2. He opened up a comfortable margin and cruised to his 10th
win of the season. The win gave him a 70 point lead with one race
remaining. With 50 points being the maximum that can be earned in a
single event, he has clinched the 2008 Toyota Speedway Super Late Model
championship.
The
championship is the first for both Joanides and first year Super Late
Model team owner Loyd McGhee. Championships are nothing new to chassis
builder Jackson Race Cars, having won countless titles in their 30+ year
history, including the 2006 SLM title. The Jackson’s have managed,
crewed and maintained the cars all season.
Unofficially,
the team is still in contention for the Nascar Regional California State
Title. Results and points are not final until Nascar completes it’s
review, but as the points currently stand, if Joanides wins this
Saturday and the track has a full field of 25 cars, he will be in
contention to claim the title by up to 3 points.
The
team is also in contention for the tracks Auto Club Late Model title.
After leading the standings for four consecutive weeks, Joanides
suffered from an overheated engine in the last race and now trails
leader, Tim Huddleston, by just two points with three races remaining.
This
Saturday, the team will be competing in both divisions, where they will
officially claim the SLM crown and attempt to regain the Late Model
point lead. The teams long time sponsor, Mr. Crane, has a suite for the
night. Team owner’s, Fullmer Concrete company, will also have 200
employees in attendance. The team would also like to thank all of their
sponsors for making this run at multiple championships possible: J&M
Construction, Santa Rosa Developers, Western Concrete Pumping, White Cap
Construction Supply, NMC Group, Ahern Equipment Rentals, Kramer &
Lawson, Malins Pools and Performance Motorsports.
Photo courtesy of Marv Keller at www.marvsphotography.com
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