Irwindale, CA., Sept. 2 - Veteran Nick Joanides won the first main event of his career at the half-mile Irwindale Speedway Saturday in a classic, fan-pleasing battle for more than half the 40-lap Auto Club Late Model feature. The 35-year old Woodland Hills resident took command on lap 38 and led the final three laps of the 21-car race on 1st Centennial Bank Night. He won by 0.587 and earned $1,000 for his No. 10 Loren Borenstein Racing Team, also a first-time winner at IS. Eight advertised monster trucks helped lure an estimated crowd of 4,800 spectators, despite the NASCAR Busch Series Fontana 300 on live television. The behemoth trucks qualified individually, held side-by-side bracket races and a finale free-style exhibition. Bounty Hunter won the bracket event and shared free-style honors with Iron Outlaw.

The ACLM feature had a multi-car crash at the green flag for lap one. Second starter Sean Bennett's No. 4 Pontiac broke the transmission and he slowed at the starting line with the green flag waving above him. Fourth starter Jason Bowles piled into the back of Bennett's car and lost seven laps in the pits removing front fenders. He returned and finished 18th. IS rookie Kevin Callahan, from Bakersfield, also spun in the first turn as cars scattered to avoid other cars. He returned and finished fifth. On the restart Mike Johnson, who won the August 29 twin 40-lap features, moved up from outside row three to outside row one. He shot past pole starter Chris Johnson in the first turn and led the first 37 laps.

The top four drivers ran in close formation, high and low, during the final 22 laps. They traded second through fourth positions several times. Joanides passed Chris Johnson for second place on lap 12. Thirkettle took second from Joanides on lap 25, but Joanides retook second on lap 27. With the four leading cars no more than a few feet apart and running together two-wide lap after lap, Joanides shot to the inside of leader Mike Johnson from the second turn through the fourth turn and took command for good on lap 38. A lap later Thirkettle took second from Johnson and Huddleston took third on the backstretch in tight quarters. Johnson's Chevy bounced off the backstetch wall and continued in fourth place.

First-time IS winner Joanides beat series point leader Thirkettle, a seven-time 2006 winner, by 0.587, with Huddleston, a three-time winner, 1.054 seconds back, and M. Johnson, a two-time winner, fourth-1.369 seconds back. Thirkettle increased his point lead by two points to 27 (648-621) over Huddleston with the series finale on September 23. Interestingly, the first four finishers Saturday are the first four drivers in 2006 ACLM point standings. Eighteen drivers finished the 19:22.193-timed race, slowed by one caution for a two-car spinout on lap four. Candace Muzny, 26, finished her IS-best tenth and on the lead lap.

Jubilant winner Joanides said, "I was holding off Thirkettle the whole way. I knew if I went low they could go by me high, but it was time to win. I don't think I got faster. They got slower and came back to me." He then praised his Jackson Race Cars chassis, crew chief Tony Jackson and M & R Racing Engines. He thanked his car owner Loren Borenstein, who had a suite for the evening. Joanides said he has raced in the Winston West Series and won two NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Series victories at Bakersfield's Mesa Marin (1999) and at Madera Speedway (2001). "I almost won a Southwest Tour race here at Irwindale too, but Frank Moronski won it," he added. Last season Joanides flew to Elite Division Midwest Series races where he had a season-long ride. He finished in the top ten in 2005 points and made the third annual $500,000 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale as a Midwest Series representative in the 40-driver field.

Fastest qualifier/runner-up Thirkettle told the media, "I did everything I could to get around him (Joanides). He deserved to win." Third finisher Huddleston told the enthusiastic crowd, "How about that race. You could throw a blanket over the first four cars."

Fastest Qualifiers: Late Models-Thirkettle's 18.694 (96.288 mph) out-qualified second best M. Johnson's 18.807 and Joanides' 18.842, with 21 qualifiers.