By Tim Kennedy
(Irwindale) – Nick Joanides won his second consecutive 2010 NASCAR Super Late Model feature in a 50-lap Toyota Speedway at Irwindale race Saturday in the No. 71 Loyd McGhee-owned Mr. Crane Chevy Monte Carlo. The series welcomed Pepsi One as the new sponsor replacing AC Delco. Joanides, a 39-year old real estate appraiser from Woodland Hills during the week, scored the 36th feature victory of his career at Irwindale.
He tied retired late model 2002-03 champion Todd Burns for fourth place on the list of all-time feature winners. The Joanides/McGhee team earned $1,250. The double 2009 track champion (SLM and Auto Club Late Model) said his team needs sponsors to continue and will only race one series this season. The fifth-fastest qualifier and trophy dash winner led all 50 laps in front of about 1,500 spectators on a chilly night. The third weekly TS@I event this season competed with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race telecast live on FOX-TV from Phoenix from 4:00-8:40 pm PDT.
Other winners on the progressively banked half-mile were: Jeff Williams in a 35-lap Southwest Tour Trucks race, and Luis Martinez Jr., 20, in a 25-lap Langers Juice S2 event. Third-mile main event winners were: Dennis Croasmun in a 35-lap Justice Brothers Mini Stock race and Chad Schug in a 35-lap Legends main with recently announced series sponsor Echo Outdoor Power Equipment on-board for the first time. Past track champion “Barefoot” Billy Ziemann, who shuns shoes, won the 20-lap Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 race that concluded on-track action at 9:39 pm.
PEPSI SLM: With 14 cars present,13 drivers took the green flag and reeled off 50 all-green flag laps in 15:37.000. A wait and see attitude by some car owners concerning the new spec engine and the poor economy contributed to the lowest SLM car count in track history. Joanides, the fifth quickest driver during afternoon time trials, earned pole position by winning the six-lap King Taco Six Pack Trophy Dash from his outside front row starting spot. He led all but the first lap of the dash. Joanides led all 50 laps of the feature by a steady 30 to 40 yards and had 1.578 seconds over runner-up Ryan Reed, 16, at the finish. Reed, the son of past NASCAR driving star Mark Reed, was thrilled with his second place run in just his third SLM race. He was the 2009 Legends track champion.
Sergio Pena, a 17-year old rising star in NASCAR, finished third in his first-ever SLM race. The then 16-year old driver from Winchester, VA led many laps and finished a close second to NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano in the January 30, 2010 Toyota All-Star Showdown Grand National 225-lap feature. It is the premier NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national short-track race of the year. That event was his first race at Irwindale and his debut in a GN stock car. King Taco Restaurants owner Luis Martinez, Sr. Position One Motor-sports provided the No, 03 Chevy that Luis, Jr raced last year. Luis, Jr. and “Serging” Sergio are friends from their karting and Formula Renault racing days. Sergio also raced late models in 2009 near his Virginia home. Pena, a polite, personable driver who reminds people of Logano at the same age, started fifth and ran third all 50 laps after challenging Reed for second for the last half of the race. Pena has a K & N Grand National East ride this season as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. His dad accompanied him on his return visit to TS@I. Pena said he will return to race in Irwindale three or four more times this season. “This is my favorite track by far. It feels like home to me. I have fun racing here and the competition is so good.”
Randel King, 18, drove a second Position One Chevy (No. 30) and finished a close fourth after starting second. The 2008 SLM rookie of the year and 2009 S2 track champion challenged Pena and Reed during the closing laps. Pena finished 0.164 in back of Reed and King was only 0.222 in back of Pena. The cars of Joanides and Pena used standard engines from past seasons while the cars of Reed and King used the TS@I newly approved for 2010 spec or crate engines from General Motors. Teams using spec engines must add 75 pounds of lead placed strategically on the underside of their cars. Rounding out the top ten (all ran 50 laps) were: Vision Airlines teammates Justin Johnson and Dusty Davis, Ryan Partridge, Scott Dodd, the Vision AL third driver Jimmy Parker, Jr and David Beat. Twelve of the 13 starters finished. Fastest qualifier Partridge lost his No. 88 Eshleman Racing Chevy in a trophy dash crash and sub-drove the team’s No. 33 car qualified by rookie Tommy Contino, who switched to the team’s No. 55 ride.
SW TOUR TRUCKS: A ten truck SWT Truck Series field employed a full-field inversion. Fastest qualifier Jeff Williams came from ninth to almost lead all 35 laps. He was second on the back bumper of lap 1 leader Ed Cutler and took charge on lap 2 in his Ford F-150. The 20-minute race had two caution flags, including one on lap 31 that reduced Williams’ lead to 35-yards at the finish. The real battle was for second place. Mike Zimmerman took second position two laps before the checker after dueling Neil Conrad for the position closely from the fourth lap. Zimmerman, also in a Ford F-150, improved his career-best finish by one position. Conrad drove a Chevy. Brady Helm and Cutler completed the top five with six of the eight finishers logging all 35 laps.
LANGERS S2: All six cars used a fully inverted start and ran 25 laps. Second quickest qualifier Luis Martinez, Jr, 20, drove his dad’s rebuilt No. 77 that a rookie crashed during practice at the opening race two weeks ago. He started fifth and led every lap in defeating FQ/SLM veteran Travis Thirkettle, the sixth starter and sub-driver of the No. 97. Thirkettle, 31, trailed by 1.938 with rookies Roman Lagudi and David Busby next across the line. Kendell Lopez, from Missouri, started on the pole and was spun in the third turn by her HPR rookie teammate Dylan Lupton. Both restarted, but Lupton parked on lap 10. All five finishers ran 25 laps in a 16-minute event. While accepting the trophy, winner Martinez told spectators, “You can rent and drive this 77 car in the next race for $3,500.”
MINI STOCKS: Ten Justice Brothers Mini Stock competitors ran a 35-lap main on the third-mile track. Front row starter Kevin Bernhardt put his Ford Pinto into the lead and paced the initial 14 laps. Then pole-man Dennis Croasmun (No. 46 Pinto) made an inside pass on the backstretch and took the lead entering the third turn. Series 2009 champion Daryl Scoggins, the fastest qualifier (a NTR), came from seventh grid position in his Pinto and was third on lap 8. Then a lapped car forced him wide on the front chute and cost him three positions by the first turn. Scoggins charged back to second place by lap 21 and waged a close battle with Croasmun to the end before settling for second, 0.240 back. It was Croasmun’s second ever main event triumph and his first 2010 start. His first feature win came in 2006. Jacob Rogers (Pinto) backed up his season opening victory with a third place this week. Richie Altman and Dustin Morgan followed. Nine of ten drivers finished the 11-minute race that had one caution flag. Six drivers completed all 35 laps.
ECHO EQUIPMENT LEGENDS: The popular, competitive TS@I Legend Car Series welcomed its first series sponsor—Echo Outdoor Power Equipment. Seventeen cars took the green flag with a four-car inversion in place. Pole starter Mark Borchetta, chasing his first feature victory, led the first 19 laps. On lap 20 third-starter Chad Schug took the lead on the inside exiting the second turn and stayed there. Point leader Brent Scheidemantle took second a lap later and retained it to the conclusion. He trailed Schug by 0.598. FQ/fourth starter Mark Iungerich passed Borchetta for third place on the final lap. Borchetta and 2007 track champion Darren Amidon followed. All 15 finishers ran 35 laps in a 19-minute event with three yellow flags.
OUTLAW FIGURE 8s: The Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8s seven-car field was reduced to six when pole starter/four-time F8 track champion Steve Stewart scratched. Willem Voesten led the first two laps before “Barefoot” Billy Ziemann came from the back row to lead the final 18 laps. He won by a solid three-quarters of a lap (11.494 seconds) and earned $1,000 from the $2K F8 purse. Andy Schoening enjoyed his Irwindale best second-place. Sean Hansen was third, 47 second behind the winner. Jerry Toporek, down a lap, was the only other finisher.
A six-lap King Taco Six Pack Trophy Dash for the six fastest SLM qualifiers had a fully inverted starting lineup. The finishing order set the first six starting positions in the feature. FQ Partridge, 21, was still sixth in the Eshleman 88 on lap 5. The cars of Justin Johnson and Scott Dodd, battling for second, tangled, resulting in a four-car crash exiting the fourth turn. Johnson spun and Partridge’s car suffered extensive front end damage when it rammed the left side of Johnson’s Vision AL No. 90 next to the crash-wall. Reed stopped behind Partridge and Dodd spun to the inside groove. Only Partridge’s car had to be towed to the pits; he started the main in the team’s No. 33 ride. Joanides led lap 2 to the conclusion and beat Randel King, the only other finisher in the checkered race.
Fastest Qualifiers: (Half-mile): SLM—Ryan Partridge, 17.943 (100.318 mph); SWT Trucks—Jeff Williams, 19.868; Langers S2—Travis Thirkettle, 20.384; (Third-mile): Legends—Mark Iungerich, 16.789; Mini Stocks—Daryl Scoggins, 16.922 (70.843 mph)–NTR — old TR 16.927 (70./822 mph) by Brian Johnson on 5/26/07; Outlaw Figure 8s: Steve Stewart, 19.217. See TS@I website for complete racing results and point standings in all divisions.
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