Nick Joanides Online

The 2008 season was what appeared to be a once in a lifetime type of season. The team was nearly flawless in their premier division Super Late Model Championship run and fell just short of an historical double championship as they also competed in the Late Model division, missing that title by just 8 points. Duplicating such as season appeared bleak when sponsorship funding was far more limited and the return of three time champion and all time win leader, Rip Michels. With no funding for the Late Model, the team planned to sell the car. Championship hopes appeared bleak heading into the 2009 season. Instead, driver Nick Joanides and his J&M Racing/Jackson Race Cars team shattered virtually every Super Late Model record on the way to their second consecutive championship. And in a true case of "it was meant to be", they made history and captured the Late Model championship as well. In total, they won four 2009 championships. FULL STORY

Nick Joanides' victory in the Nascar Auto Club Late Model season finale was voted the second best California motorsports race in all of 2009 by long time motorsports writer Tim Haddock.

"#2. NASCAR Late Model season finale at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale: Nick Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills, became the first driver in the history of the track to win the Super Late Model and Late Model championships in the same season. Joanides won the Late Model season finale, only his third win of the Late Model season. It was in the Super Late Model class that Joanides truly dominated. He won 14 races and finished in the top five in all 22 Super Late Model races. Joanides also won the NASCAR Whelen All American Series California State championship and landed a NASCAR Nationwide Series seat at Memphis Motorsports Park." CLICK HERE FOR FULL LIST BY TIM HADDOCK

(11-07-09) - In the final race of his 43 race 2009 schedule, Nick Joanides had high hopes to win the Las Vegas Open Comp Super Late Model event. Nick and his J&M Racing/Jackson Race Cars team hovered between first and third through each of the practice sessions that took place over two days. In qualifying, Joanides missed the top spot by just one one thousandths of a second to take second. The line up however would be determined by the finishing order of the ten car dash. The dash was inverted, putting Joanides ninth on the grid for the ten lap race. He moved up to the fifth position at race end to earn the fifth starting spot for the 200 lap main event.

Joanides and the team were confident with the car, however they were forced to carry an additional 150 pounds over all other competitors due to what Las Vegas officials determined was a superior engine in the car. Dyno results show that it does have a 20 horsepower advantage, making the 150 pound penalty pretty steep for such a small engine advantage. In the end, the 150 pounds would prove costly. That much extra weight is hard on tires and a distinct disadvantage in a long 200 lap race. At the start, Joanides quickly moved up to the third position and was in close contact with the leaders. As the laps wore on, the weight began to take its toll as he dropped back to the fifth position at the 100 lap break. On the restart for the second half, the top two cars made contact, Joanides checked up and was hit from behind, dropping him back to the seventh position. He was able to work his way up to a second place finish at the checkers. It was his 22nd top two finish in 24 races for this series. The winners car was impounded and later found to have illegal heads, however officials chose to allow him to keep the win.

(10-23-09) - Nick Joanides had high hopes to make his Nationwide series debut at Memphis Motorsports Park, but Nascar's qualifying procedure of locking in the top 35 teams in the point standings proved costly. FULL STORY / SEE ESPN2 COVERAGE ON THE "VIDEOS" PAGE

(10-17-09) - CIRCLE K RACING - Nick Joanides is ready for the next step. The California native has had an historic 2009 year thus far, claiming the NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Model Championship, the NASCAR Auto Club Late Model Championship, the NASCAR California State Championship, the Lucas Oil Slick Mist Championship and second runner-up honors in the NASCAR National Championship points.

Joanides will make his Nascar Nationwide Series debut at the Memphis Motorsports Park on October 24th in the #31 Rick Ware Racing entry.

“We have watched Nick closely this year after winning last year’s Super Late Model title and runner-up in the California State Championship. He has a ton of talent and is a great person as well. With his recent stats of 36 wins, 94 Top 5’s and 108 Top 10’s in his last 113 races, there’s not a hotter young talent out there than Joanides”, stated Rick Ware.

Joanides and RWR are looking forward to a successful debut and future together. M3 aka Matthews Mobile Media will be the primary sponsor for the event as the organization looks for potential sponsorship for Joanides in 2010 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. FULL STORY

JOANIDES WRITES HISTORY AT IRWINDALE WITH DUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!

(10-03-09) - By Keith Lair - IRWINDALE - The Late Model title was an afterthought.

The goal for Woodland Hills' Nick Joanides and La Verne's Loyd McGhee was to win a second consecutive Toyota Speedway at Irwindale ACDelco Super Late Model series title and contend for a NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series championship.

Joanides did both, winning the track title for his car owner and finishing third in national points.

But what Joanides did on Saturday night, in front of 5,000, may have been more impressive than winning another Super Late title. Joanides became the first driver to win two track titles in the same year. He finished a safe fourth in the first Twin 40 race and then got the victory in the series finale to take the Automobile Club of Southern California Late Model series. The two divisions are the track's top series. SEE VIDEO ON THE "VIDEOS" PAGE / TIM KENNEDY STORY / KEITH LAIR STORY / ED HOLLOWELL STORY

(09-26-2009) – 2009 Super Late Model Champions, Jackson Race Cars, J&M Racing and driver Nick Joanides finished the season just like they started it, leading 99 laps in the 100 lap Super Late Model season finale.

With a fresh motor and setup in the car, the team completely dominated the weekend. They posted the quickest

time in practice and backed that up with a pole qualifying run. After an invert for the start of the race, Joanides quickly took the lead from Rip Michels on lap 2 and went on to pull out to nearly a straightaway lead. Their quickest lap was more than 2 full tenths of a second quicker than the second fasted time of the night. “Tonight was all Jackson Race Cars, a monkey could have driven this thing, it was on a rail” said Joanides. It was their 14^th win, 20^th top 2, and 22^nd top 5 finishes of the 22 race schedule. The win marked their fifth consecutive win in 100 lap special event races.

Next week, the team will head back to the track one more time in hopes of wrapping up an historical double championship, a feat that has never been accomplished, let alone in the same season. They lead the Late Model standings by 34 points with twin races remaining. KEITH LAIR RACE STORY / TIM KENNEDY RACE STORY

JOANIDES CONTINUES TO EXTEND LATE MODEL POINT LEAD

(09-19-09) IRWINDALE - Driver, Nick Joanides, in the J&M Racing/Jackson Race Cars Auto Club Late Model extended their point lead once again from 26 to 34 points over defending three time Champion Tim Huddleston with two races remaining. With only a $10,000 budget for the entire season, the team has done an incredible job at getting the most out of their dated equipment. Saturday night was a Twin main event night. Joanides qualified 6th and 8th for the two races. Joanides moved up to finish in the 3rd position in the first race. In the second race, Joanides put on a tough battle for the second position on the bottom of the race track during the closing laps. The tires however were worn out after nearly two full races and he was unable to complete the simultaneous pass of the 2nd and 3rd place cars. Joanides settled for the 4th position.

JOANIDES PICKS UP THIRD 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP, ONE MORE STILL UP FOR GRABS!

(09-12-09) IRWINDALE - Driver, Nick Joanides and his J&M Racing/Jackson Race Cars team scored two top 5 finishes Saturday night to pick up their third championship of 2009. Having already clinched the California State Title two weeks ago, Joanides entered the event with a commanding lead in the track standings for the AC Delco Super Late Model Division. With the two top 5 finishes, Joanides won the title by 88 points over former three time Champion and all time win leader, Rip Michels. Their finishes also earned Joanides the championship in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist Super Six program. Joanides ended up third in the final National Standings, which score points for more than 3,000 drivers across the country. Points for the National Standings are based solely on car count with points awarded in reverse order at 2 points per car. A drivers best 18 races are counted toward the final standings. Their 28 point deficit means that if just one more car had shown up at Toyota Speedway throughout the season, Joanides' total would have increased by 36 points to 849, giving him the title with 8 more points than Champion Phillip Morris' 841 point total. Furthermore, Joanides ran 7 fewer races than the eventual national champion, yet still scored more wins and top 5 finishes. Joanides also ran 24 fewer races than the second place driver. In total, the team competed in 21 races with 13 wins and 21 top 5 finishes. Their win and top 5 percentage were the highest in the nation. Only twice this season did they finish out of the top 2 positions. Joanides and his team will head back to the track next week for twin races in the Auto Club Late Model Division, looking to increase their 26 point lead with four races remaining.

JOANIDES EXTENDS LATE MODEL POINT LEAD

(09-05-09) IRWINDALE - Driver, Nick Joanides, in the J&M Racing/Jackson Race Cars Auto Club Late Model extended their point lead from 16 to 26 points over Mike Johnson with three races remaining. Forced to run old tires again due to the tracks tire rule, Joanides fought hard for a sixth place finish. Tim Huddleston, previously second in points, wrecked again for the second consecutive week. His 14th place finish allowed Mike Johnson to take over the second spot.

Joanides Moves up to Second in National Points with Twin Wins

JOANIDES CLINCHES CALIFORNIA STATE TITLE WITH TWIN WINS, STILL IN CONTENTION FOR NATIONAL TITLE.

(08-29-09) IRWINDALE - Nick Joanides and his J&M Racing, Jackson Race Cars team picked up their 12th and 13 wins of the 19 race old AC Delco Super Late Model season Saturday. The wins clinch the California State championship for Joanides and keeps them in contention for the National Championship with two weeks remaining in the season. The wins brought Joanides' Irwindale total to 32, to move him into a tie for 5th on the all time win list after competing for only the past three years at the 11 year old facility. Their 13 wins tied Joanides with 2004 National Champion Greg Pursley for the most point race wins in a single season. Their 19 consecutive top 3 finishes breaks their own record of 17 set last year. Joanides also swept twin races for the fifth time, surpassing all time win leader, Rip Michels for that feat.

JOANIDES BACK ON TOP OF LATE MODEL STANDINGS, CURRENTLY LEADS FOUR SEPARATE CHAMPIONSHIP RACES!

(08-22-09) IRWINDALE - After a two week absence, Nick Joanides returned to the top of Auto Club Late Model Standings. He holds a 16 point cushion over reigning champion Tim Huddleston with four races remaining. Joanides also currently leads the AC Delco Super Late Model Standings by 78 over all time Irwindale win leader Rip Michels, also with four races remaining. As well as leading the two division standings, Joanides also leads the Lucas Oil Slick Mist Standings by 20 points over Danny Gay with one race remaining and leads the Nascar Whelen All American Series California State standings over Jason Romero of All American Speedway. There are four races left to score points toward the National and State standings. Joanides is still in contention for the National title.

JOANIDES WINS NUMBER 11, EXTENDS POINT LEAD

(08-15-09) IRWINDALE - Nick Joanides picked up his 11th win Saturday to extend his point lead over Rip Michels in the Ac Delco Super Late Model Standings. The race was also the fifth of six races in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist points race, where Joanides has won four of the first five races. The win also extended his point lead in the Nascar Whelen All American Series California State standings and kept him in contention for the National title.

Christian McGhee scored a 4th place finish in the Bandolero division, his 11th top five finish in thirteen starts this season.

JOANIDES PICKS UP 10TH WIN, WHILE MCGHEE GETS HIS 2ND

(08-01-09) IRWINDALE - It was a productive Saturday night for Nick Joanides at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

The veteran driver won one 40-lap NASCAR ACDelco Super Late Model race and was second in another as he added to his points lead with solid efforts. TIM KENNEDY FULL STORY / STEVE RAMIREZ FULL STORY

(06-06-09) By TIM KENNEDY - IRWINDALE, California - A night of near caution-free racing Saturday had four of five main

events run under the green flag all the way after original or restarts during the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Salute to Father's Day. NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Model point leader Nick Joanides earned a belated present three days after his birthday on Wednesday. The Woodland Hills resident won his second consecutive SLM twin-40 lap victories, proving his double dip two weeks earlier was not a fluke. His twin victories Saturday gave Joanides eight triumphs in 11 SLM features this season. He also has two victories in eight Auto Club Late Model features this season giving him 27 career TS@I feature trophies—all earned since late 2006. Joanides is now tied for ninth place with Bryan Harrell on the list of all-time feature winners at the 11 year old track Interestingly, 26 of his 27 trips to victory lane have come since August of 2007 when he first climbed aboard the Loyd McGhee-owned Mr. Crane backed Jackson Race Cars built Chevy Monte Carlos in the track's two premier Whelen All-American Weekly Racing Series divisions (ACDelco Super Late Models and Auto Club Late Models). FULL STORY

(06-20-09) By KEITH LAIR - It's hard enough to win back-to-back races. It's even harder when the races are on the same night.

Saturday, in front of approximately 3,500 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Nick Joanides won his second consecutive AC Delco Super Late Model series Twin 40 races. The sweep tied the Woodland Hills resident with Rip Michels of San Fernando for most Twin sweeps. FULL STORY

JOANIDES AND MCGHEE PULL J&M RACING HAT TRICK

(06-06-09) By ANDY VILLANUEVA - Irwindale, California - An estimated 2,000 fans braved the wind and threatening rain clouds for one of the most exciting nights of racing.

Nick Joanides swept the Twin 40's in the AC Delco Super Late Models while J&M Racing team owner’s son, Christian McGhee, became a first time winner in the Jan’s Towing Bandolero division Saturday night, making J&M Racing a perfect three for three on the night. FULL STORY

(06-06-09) By TIM KENNEDY - IRWINDALE, California — Nick Joanides continued his outstanding Toyota Speedway at Irwindale 2009 season Saturday by taking both NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Model feature victories in front of about 2,000 spectators. His double triumphs gave him six victories in the nine races run this season. The 2008 AC Delco SLM track champion and current 2009 point leader, also leads the current point standings and has won two main events in the tracks Auto Club Late Model Series this season.

Bandoleros rookie Christian McGhee, 10, son of Nick Joanides’ SLM & LM owner Loyd McGhee, won his first main event by leading only the final lap (lap 20). He edged Lexi Moore, 0.199, giving J&M Racing a hat trick on the night, winning all three races they competed in on the night. FULL STORY

JOANIDES TAKES FIRST AND SECOND IN TWIN RACES

(05-02-09) By TIM KENNEDY - IRWINDALE, California — Toyota Speedway at Irwindale hosted its premier AC Delco Super Late Models Saturday in twin-35 lap features during NASCAR Whelen All-American Weekly Racing action on the progressively banked half-mile. The five division, six main event program attracted about 2,000 fans on USG-Family Night for races on the half and third-miles and on the Figure 8 course. Danny Gay, 35, won the first AC Delco SLM 35 after starting fourth in an impressive 22-car field that had a three-car inversion based on qualifying times. The second SLM 35 had a straight-up starting lineup based on finishing positions in the first 35. Point leader Nick Joanides, who traded the lead three-times with Gay and chased him home in the first race, started second and led all 35 laps in the second event. Gay scored his first career victory at Irwindale. Joanides' triumph was his 23rd at TS@I, tying him with Dean Kuhn for 10th place on the track's list of career main event winners at the 11 year old track. FULL STORY

JOANIDES WINS, LEADS STANDINGS IN TWO SERIES

(04-25-09) By TIM KENNEDY - IRWINDALE, California — It was Southern California Auto Club and Indian Guides Night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Saturday and members in attendance watched a pair of NASCAR Auto Club Late Model 40-lap main events on the banked half-mile. In a strong field of 28 cars, Travis Irving started third and won the first 40 over a pressing Nick Joanides in a relatively clean, 36-minute race with four cautions. Joanides, driving with a chipped bone in his right hand from an on-track incident last week, led all 40 laps from second starting slot in the second 40. That race had cars crashing, angry drivers, rough driving penalty and three yellow flags in a 39-minute contest for 24 starters who survived the first 40 with cars still intact. FULL STORY

JOANIDES CONTINUES WINNING WAYS

(04-18-09) By ED HOLLOWELL - Nick Joanides won his third out of four super late model main events this year as he started fourth and took the lead from Dan Gay on lap 20 after a near miss on lap five when Luis Martinez Jr. banged fenders with him. Martinez dropped out with a flat tire and Joanides complained his car became very tight and that he hurt his right hand. After the race Nick could not move his index finger on that hand and fears it may be fractured.

Despite the bad hand and steering problems Joanides ran off to a good lead. Bear Rzesnowiecky, a sixteen year old teammate of Joanides from Nevada running at Irwindale for the third time this year quickly passed Gay for second and followed Joanides closely for the rest of the race but never really challenged for the lead.

Adding 40 pounds to his race car didn’t make Joanides any slower. After he won two of the first three races of the season, track officials decided to add 40 pounds to the drivers who race Chevrolets. Joanides, the reigning Super Late Model champion at the track, drives a Chevrolet. Not that it helped the Ford drivers much. Dan Moore of Burbank was the highest finishing Ford driver in the race. He was fourth, nearly 7 seconds back of the winner. "I have to thank the Ford guys for all their whining, I think the 40 pounds actually balanced our car better" said Joanides.

One last dramatic moment came on the last lap as Joanides ran in traffic and Rickey McCray spun in the final turn. “I figured I could get there first and even if I got hit I was planning to go sliding across the finish line.” said Joanides. Cars swerved but no one else was caught up with McCray.

It was Joanides 21st win at Irwindale, all coming since 2006 and all in late models and super late models.

FLAT TIRE SLOWS JOANIDES

(04-11-09) After winning three of his first four races, including the season opening Auto Club Late Model event, Joanides looked to continue his hot streak. The late model division has a two tire per race rule and the team decided to start the tire conservation early in the season and ran four used tires for the event. This proved costly in qualifying as Joanides posted his worst qualifying effort in more than two years with a 12th place run.

From the drop of the green flag, Joanides hit the apron of the race track with three wide passes and climbed as high as the fourth position. The race was extended from 40 to 50 laps. Joanides was running fifth when the caution flew at lap 40. He apparently ran over some debris during the caution and cut the right front tire. Once the green flag flew, he quickly realized there was a problem and struggled to hang on. Joanides was able to survive to a 9th place finish.

JOANIDES OUTDUELS MICHELS IN IRWINDALE FEATURE

(04-04-09) By KEITH LAIR - Super Late Model racing fans had to wait 27 laps for the first showdown of the 2009 season.

That would be Nick Joanides against Rip Michels at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in the track's signature ACDelco series; the winners of the last two titles. Michels is the all-time win leader at Irwindale with 57 victories.

It did not happen on opening weekend two weeks ago, and it took the series' third race of the season, the second Twin 25 on Saturday night, for the two drivers to be running 1-2. Joanides, from Woodland Hills, and Michels, from San Fernando, both passed Scott Dodd of Mira Loma on the second lap. But it wasn't much of a duel as Joanides easily pulled away for his second victory of this season, and the 20th of his career at Irwindale in just over two seasons. FULL STORY

JOANIDES AT IT AGAIN IN FEATURE RACE

(03-28-09) BY KEITH LAIR - Two cars, two divisions, two opening nights, two different 33 car fields....One Winner!

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.

"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." , said Joanides. FULL STORY

JOANIDES GOES ALMOST WIRE-TO-WIRE FOR WIN

(03-21-09) BY KEITH LAIR - IRWINDALE - The second decade of racing at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale began Saturday night like the first one ended; with Nick Joanides leading the ACDelco Super Late Model series points standings. The Woodland Hills resident won the 100-lap race on Saturday night, leading all but the first lap. FULL STORY

(01-24-09) Nick Joanides and Mother Nature have not gotten along well as of late. Joanides headed into the season finale of the Auto Club Late Model Division at Toyota Speedway with a chance to win the championship. Rain began to fall at lap 25 of the 100 lap event. The race was run to halfway under caution to make it official, ending any chance he had to overtake Huddleston for the championship. FULL STORY / SEE VIDEO ON THE "VIDEOS" PAGE


Recent Stats!

*LAST 87 RACES (With J&M Racing)*
RACES	WINS	TOP 3'S	TOP 5'S	TOP 10'S	AVG. FINISH	DNF'S
87	34	68	75	83	1.8	2

*LAST 105 RACES*
RACES	WINS	TOP 3'S	TOP 5'S	TOP 10'S	AVG. FINISH	DNF'S
105	36	81	91	100	2.5	3