IRWINDALE - Nick Joanides is at it again.
The Woodland Hills driver is two-for-two in the
regular season. After winning the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Super
Late Model regular-season opener last week, he won again on Saturday
night, taking the Automobile Club of Southern California Late Model
series opener in front of approximately 5,000.
"Two in a row; I'm surprised," he said.
"We weren't even supposed to here in the Late Model.
"It's amazing and it surprised me. I knew we were
capable of winning, but actually doing it are two different things.
Two different cars, two different divisions and we came out on top on
opening night on both. You can't ask for anything better than
that."
Joanides took advantage of an additional 10 laps. The
race had been scheduled for 40, but shortly before the green-flag
dropped, track competition director Lester Boyer made it a 50-lapper.
Boyer asked the teams if they wanted to go the extra 10 laps as they
were entering the track.
Joanides passed Andrew Myers with five laps to go for
the win.
Last season, Joanides led both series until the final
weeks. Saturday night was more of the same: Joanides, Tim Huddleston
and Andrew Myers battling for first and finishing the same way.
"The names don't change, just the dates on the
calendar," Huddleston said. "That's all that's different.
All three of our cars we literally put in the corner (in the winter)
and came out and did the same thing."
Myers, of Carlsbad, who led by 10 car lengths at the
35-lap mark, faded down the stretch, suffering from extremely loose
handling over the last eight laps. Huddleston, of Agoura Hills, who
has won three of the last four series titles, passed Myers with a
lap to go to take second.
"The 40-lapper would have been more conducive to my paycheck," Myers told Boyer.
