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Irwindale, CA., June 28, 2008- .Fastest qualifier Nick Joanides increased his NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Model point lead from 12 to 22 points Saturday. He started eighth, charged into the lead on the seventh lap and won the 50-lap feature in a 21-car field on the banked, half-mile Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The former NASCAR Elite Division touring series veteran captured his seventh SLM main event in 11 races this season in front of more than 4,000 spectators. The Woodland Hills resident also has second and third place SLM finishes this year and a victory in the Auto Club Late Model Series as well. Joanides drove Loyd McGhee's J & M Construction/Mr. Crane 2008 Chevy Monte Carlo.
Two-time SLM winner Travis Thirkettle started fifth and reached second on lap 10. He could not catch Joanides, despite the only caution flag on lap 20 for a two-car collision in turn one that involved rookie Dennis Furden and Toni McCray. Both cars were towed to the pits. Thirkettle's National Papers 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo trailed by a steady 15-yards during the final 20 laps and finished 0.718 in back of Joanides. Grand National West driver Jason Patison, the 27-year old second fastest qualifier, started seventh in his second SLM race of the ;year in the ex-Keith Spangler Ford Fusion. He reached third position on lap 18 in his E-3 Spark Plugs/Dixie Chopper Lawnmowers No. 17. Patison trailed Thirkettle by five yards for the final 30 laps and settled for third place, 0.974 behind the winner. It was the second consecutive race all three drivers finished on the SLM podium.
Afterwards, Joanides told the press, "I was concerned because I had to start eighth. I was surprised that all those holes opened up and I was able to come from eighth to third so quickly (by lap 4). I can't believe we came through so quickly. The tires are good for only about the first ten laps. I love racing these (SLM) cars. They have more horsepower than the late models." Thirkettle, who got blocked by traffic during the early laps, agreed with Joanides' assessment. Both drivers raced in the top two Whelen All-American Weekly Racing Series at Irwindale. They agreed that it is tougher to pass cars in the late models because they don't have enough horsepower. Thirkettle added, "You definitely win these races in the early laps." Patison, with a second and third in his two SLM races dluring June, said he is looking forward to more SLM racing and to the Camping World Grand National West 200-lap race on Friday, July 4.
Pole starter Brian Wong, son of the Speed Wong Racing team owner, started from the pole as eighth fastest qualifier. He led the first six laps and finished a SLM career-best fourth, 2.440-seconds behind Joanides. SLM rookie/ASA Speed Truck veteran Randel King celebrated his 17th birthday Saturday with his career-best SLM performance also. The high school ;honor stludent from Riverside started second as seventh quickest qualifier and finished fifth after battling veteran SLM drivers all the way. His best SLM result had been a pair of seventh place finishes. King solidified his eighth place ranking in SLM points (302) after 11 races. Fellow teenager Luis Martinez, Jr. is the second highest rookie in points (240) and ranks tenth currently.
Rounding out the top ten were Scott Conaway, who passed Dan Moore on lap 49, and Burbank resident Moore. Teenager Bear Rzesnowiecky, an ASA Speed Truck veteran from Las Vegas, made his SLM debut at Irwindale. He came from tenth on the grid to finish an impressive eighth, 9.451-seconds behind the winner, Veterans David Beat and Charles Price, driving the No. 98 usually driven by Rickey McCray, followed. Seventeen of 21 cars finished and 15 drivers completed all 50 laps in a 24:46.789-timed race with one caution flag.
SUPER TRUCKS: Fastest qualifier Connor Cantrell, 17, started sixth in his Cantrell-aire/Hollywood Rentals 2006 Chevy Silverado. He led only the last few inches of the 40th and final lap of the King Taco Super Truck main. Cantrell edged past the 2008 Chevy S-10 of series point leader Pat Mintey, Jr., who started third and led lap 4-39 on the half-mile. Cantrell scored his fourth main event triumph in seven races this year in the ;fastest of three truck series that race at TS@I. Front row starter Joe Herold, a one-time 2008 feature winner and former Elite Division Southwest Series feature winner, led the first three laps and finished third. He was 30-yards (1.615-seconds) in back of the dueling leaders. Rookie Grant Hebner (-2.544 seconds) and Sacramento resident Mason Britton (-3.624 completed the top five in the 18-truck field. Only one truck failed to finish and 14 drivers navigated all 40 laps.
Cantrell took third on lap 8 and passed Herold for second on the inside on the front straight during lap 17. He was 25-yards in back of two-time 2008 main event winner Mintey at lap 20. Cantrell began reeling in Mintey and was ten yards back at lap 27, five yards back at lap 30, and one length back during the final five circuits. On the final lap Cantrell went to the outside entering the third turn; he stayed even with Mintey through the final two corners and onto the front straight to the finish line. Their trucks made side-to-side contact about 15-yards from the waving checkered flag and Cantrell's hood buckled a bit. However, the former INEX Legend cars main event winner on the third-mile kept his foot planted firmly on the throttle and inched ahead literally by 0.024 of a second officially at the finish line. The all-green flag race took only 13:39.671. Both drivrers said they enjoyed the close racing. Mintey told the appreciative crowd he will win the next time. Cantrell, who had a non-finish worth only 12 points in the third race of 2008, cut two points from Mintey's 18-point lead and now trails by 16-points (322-306) after seven of 14 scheduled races. Mintey was the KTST series 2007 champion, while Cantrell was the KTST 2007 rookie of the year and 2005 INEX Legend Series rookie of the year at Irwindale.
MINI STOCKS: Jacob Rogers, 18, won his first Justice Brothers Mini Stock 35-lap main event on the third-mile by leading the final eight laps in his family-owned 1970 Ford Pinto.He was the beneficiary of a mechanical problem that sidelined his older brother Tyler, the lap 3-28 race leader in another 1970 Ford Pinto, as he maintained a ten yard advantage. "My brother would've won that one for sure. But we'll take it how we get it," the new winner and second-year mini stock driver told the crowd on lthe PA microphone. Pole starter Rich Garver led the first two laps in his 1980 Toyota Celica. He lost second to the eventual winner on lap 22 when he drifted high entering the third turn.Garver closed in during the late stages to make it a contest and trailed by 0.213 at the checkers. Fastest qualifier Dennis Croasmun started fourth in his 1972 Pinto and finished third, 0.939 from first place. Kevin Bernhardt and Richard Altman completed the top five in their Pintos in the 18-car field. Ten drivers ran all 35-laps and 13 drivers finished the 18-minute race that had two yellow flags. Point leader Daryl Scoggins' Pinto was in fourth place on lap 32 when he pulled off the track with another broken rear end. His 24 points for 14th position dropped him from first to second in JBMS point standings. He had entered the race four points ahead of Garver, who now leads Scoggins by 20 points (280-260).
BANDOLEROS: Quickest qualifier Aaron Anderson, 12, started last (10th) and led the final four laps of a 20-lap D & D Construction Bandolero race. It was his fifth victory in six races at Irwindale this season. He also has set fast time at all six events. Teen Misty Balser led the first five laps and finished second. Andrew Porter, 14, led laps 6-16 'and finished third in his Briggs & Stratton-powered No. 43, a number he uses in tribute to his racing grandfather Kenny Smith. Al Simpson, 11, and Lexi Moore, 9, followed. Nine of ten drivers finished the eight minute race on the third-mile oval.
DEMO DERBY: A season-high ten cars took part in the $2,000 demolition derby on the watered-down third-mile infield. Dan Pachella won his second consecutive demo derby and the $1,000 first place payoff in a big American-made sedan. He split the May 24 demo victory with co-winner Bill Altfather. Second place ($500) went to James Altman. Jack Steiner was third ($350). Tom Tucker and Adam Ditto finished fourth and fifth for the final money-paying positions. Two drivers were disqualified for hitting other cars in the drivers-side door, which is against the rules. One of those hard hits produced a ten-minute red flag to assist the No. 20 driver whose car received the hard hit. Joe Myers walked to the ambulance and rode to the hospital for precautionary medical tests and observation.The final checkered flag flew at 9:37 pm.
The first race at 7:10 was a six-lap trophy dash for the six slowest SLM quali9fiers. Jobe Spyres started fourth, took the lead on lap two and beat Matthew Hicks by 0.295. First lap leader Jeff Eshleman was third, with Stockton-based Ross Strmiska fourth, rookie Dennis Furden ;fifth and Toni McCray sixth. Hard charger award winners, selected by race control officials, were: (ST)--Dennis Arena (P 13 to P 8), (MS)--Rod Schmitt (P 11 to P 6), and (SLM)--Hicks (P 16 to P 13).
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