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Irwindale, CA., June 20 – 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 birthday present three days after his 39th 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 track Interestingly, 26 of his 27 trips to victory lane have come aboard Loyd McGhee-owned Mr. Crane backed Chevy Monte Carlos in the track's two premier Whelen All-American Weekly Racing Series divisions-- SLMs and late models.
With fathers and children 15 and under admitted free for Father's Day weekend, an estimated 3,500 spectators watched personable Joanides repulse intense pressure from Rip Michels all the way in both 40-lap mains on the progressively banked, half-mile. Michels set the fastest qualifying time during late afternoon time trials on both qualifying laps. Drivers' first timed lap set starting positions for the first 40 and their second qualifying lap set starting positions for the second 40. Michels started fourth in the first main and fifth in the second feature. Joanides started second in both races. He departed the track with a 64-point lead (544-480) over Michels, who remains winless this season despite strong showings all season in the SLM series.
A pair of truck series also raced on the half-mile. Past Irwindale winners continued their recent domination. Dalton Kuhn, 17-year old son of past track champion and 23-feature winner Dean Kuhn, led all the way from the pole in a 35-lap South West Tour Truck Series race. It was his third victory in three TS@I events this season for the traveling truckers who also have raced once in Las Vegas and San Bernardino. “This is my fifth win this year in five races,” Kuhn told the crowd from the finish line as he accepted his first place plaque. Fastest qualifier Rod Johnson, Jr., 19-year old son of the 1999 NASCAR SLM track champion, started eighth and led the final 32 laps of a 40-lap King Taco Super Truck main event. He won by three-fourths of a straightaway (4.900 seconds) over 31-time Irwindale super truck winner Ron Peterson.
The only race on the third-mile track this week was a classic Justice Brothers Mini Stock 35-lap race. The event had three leaders and seven lead changes in the most entertaining race of the season for the four-cylinder cars. The Ford Pinto-dominated series had a six-car inverted line-up based on qualifying times. Third starter Daryl Scoggins, a 36-year old LAPD police officer, led laps 3-7, 18, 23-27 and 35. Fifth starter Jacob Rogers led laps 8-17, 19-22 and 28-34. On the final lap, Scoggins tapped leader Rogers, who got loose, corrected and trailed Scoggins across the finish line by ten yards. It was Scoggins' fourth consecutive feature victory. He apologized to Rogers and told the crowd during finish line interviews of the top three drivers, “I did not mean to get into him like that. That's not the way I drive. I'd rather have finished second than win that way.” Rogers agreed it was not intentional. “I have no idea how I saved it,” he added.
1st SLM 40: In the first feature of the night, fourth quickest qualifier/pole starter Luis Martinez, Jr., 19, led the first lap over fellow front row starter Joanides. On lap 2 Joanides shot past Martinez on the outside from turn four to the starting line to take command for good. Michels came from fourth slot to pass Martinez on lap 3 and began his pursuit of friendly rival Joanides. On lap 12 two back-markers looped and caused Joanides to slow and pull to his left exiting turn four after his spotter told him about the yellow flag. Michels shot past Joanides leaving the fourth turn on the outside, but because of the caution flag he had to return to second place for the resumption of racing. With Joanides running the outside and Michels using the inside groove, they were seldom more than a few lengths apart. Michels Hot Rod Hobbies Ford Fusion closed in more tightly on Joanides during the final three laps. On lap 39 in turn four his right front tapped the leaders' left rear and got Joanides' Chevy loose. “Nine out of ten drivers would have spun out in that situation,” the winner told the media. “It was definitely dirt tracking. It was the most mad I've been after winning a race.” He and Michels later traded banter in the press box. They clearly respect the driving talent of each other and enjoy beating their primary championship rival.
Joanides beat “the king of Irwindale” (with 57 feature triumphs) by 0.197. Martinez logged his second third place finish this year and was 2.370 seconds behind the winner. The second year SLM driver finished a career-best second in March on opening night. Travis Thirkettle, Danny Gay, Bear Rzesnowiecky, Dave Beat, David Ross, 18-year old rookie Mackena Bell, from Carson City, NV, and Jeff Eshleman completed the top ten. Bell's ninth was her career-best TS@I finish in her tenth start. Fifteen of the season-low 17-car field finished and 14 drivers completed all 40 laps in a 15:09.722-timed race that had only one brief caution on lap 12.
2nd SLM 40: The final race of the speedy program Saturday concluded at 9:12 pm. Joanides out-dragged pole starter Ross and led all 40 laps. Michels came from fifth to third on lap 3 and reached second on lap 12. The top three—Joanides, Michels and Martinez—ran closely again in a near duplicate scenario to the first 40. The all-green flag race took 12:432.846. Michels again tried a white flag inside move to pass Joanides, but he trailed by 0.211 this time. Michels told the media, “The lapped car on the inside (leaving turn four on the final lap) didn't cost me the win. I didn't have enough to get by Nick. When things are going your way you have good luck. Right now things are just clicking for Nick. They have their stuff together this year.” He said starting in the front row twice makes winning twin races easier.
SWT TRUCKS: With 17 SWT trucks present, 15 trucks took the green flag. A crash at the conclusion of the opening lap involved the two fastest qualifiers. Christian Copley and FQ Jeff Williams made contact at the starting line and both trucks spun to the first turn infield. Williams' truck made contact with the huge tire attenuator marking the third-mile crash-wall and ripped up the right front fender of his truck. Both drivers pitted and returned at the back of the field for a complete restart. Drivers then ran 35 green laps in 16:17.745. Kuhn opened a 40-yard lead by lap 5 and extended it to three-quarters of a straight by lap 30. He maintained that advantage to the lap 35 checkers and had three lapped trucks between him and second place Ronnie Davis, Jr. at the finish. The runner-up trailed by 5.858 seconds officially. Copley charged his way through the field to third place, 9.025 seconds back. David Timewell, Jim Satterfield and Williams (minus his right front fender and hood) were the only other drivers on the lead lap and placed fourth through sixth. All 15 drivers finished.
KTST: The King Taco Super Truck race had three leaders in a 14-driver field and four lead changes during the 40 laps. Ron Peterson started third and led the first four laps and laps 6-8. Pole starter Mason Britton nosed in front of Peterson by a fender on lap 5 with an inside move. Fastest qualifier Johnson came from eighth grid spot to third by lap 7. He was second a lap later and first from lap 9 to the end. His Chevy S-10 had half a straightaway lead with ten laps remaining and won by three-quarters of a straight (4.900 seconds) over the senior Peterson, who edged Britton by 0.002. Point leader Pat Mintey, Jr. started and finished fourth, 5.940 seconds in back of the winner. Peterson's son Jeff was fifth in his No. 38 Chevy S-10. Only one driver failed to finish and all 13 drivers on the track ran 40 laps.
MINI STOCKS: Scoggins victory pass, for which he apologized, highlighted the best race (passing-wise) of the night. The competitive lead battle resulted in a rapid 10:20.948 contest. All 13 drivers finished and six drivers ran all 35 laps on the third-mile. FQ Dennis Croasmun took his Pinto from sixth to fourth by lap 11 and inherited third place on lap 28 when Kevin Bernhardt got loose and looped into the infield, losing four positions. Richie Altman and Ron Schmitt's Pintos trailed Croasmun.
The first race of the night at 7:05 was a four-lap trophy dash for the four slowest KTST qualifiers. Ryan Partridge (11th quickest) came from fourth to lead every lap over 12th-14th FQers. He shot to the inside in the second turn on the opening lap and passed all three trucks in a daring move aboard Steve Latina's No. 48 Dodge truck. Hard charger $100 gift certificate winners were: (KTST) – Ryan Fortier; (JBMS) – Ron Schmitt; (SLM) - 1st 40 – Rzesnowiecky, and 2nd 40 – Gay. Fastest qualifiers were: (SLM) – Michels both laps (L 1 – 18.155 (99.146 mph) and L 2 – 18.192; (KTST) – R. Johnson, Jr. 19.896 (90.470 mph); (SWTT) – Williams – 20.158 (89.295 mph); (JBMS) – D. Croasmun – 17.278 (69.383 mph).
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