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	2009 AC Delco Super Late Model Champion
	2009 Auto Club Late Model Champion
	2009 California State Champion
	2009 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Champion

DOMINATE NIGHT FOR JOANIDES, JACKSON RACE CARS & J&M RACING TEAM!

(06-26-2010) - With severe budget constraints over the past two years, many teams had surpassed the performance of the J&M Racing's seven year old chassis. Although driver, Nick Joanides, was able to win two of the first seven races and lead the points heading into the eighth event, it was always a struggle to keep up with the newer equipment out there. After nearly two years of making virtually no changes to the car, team owner Loyd McGhee stepped up and approved some much needed upgrades. Jackson Race Cars worked tirelessly through the past two weeks, cutting up the chassis, widening the tread-width, tuning up the engine, among other things. Their efforts paid off in a big way as they put on one of the most dominating performances seen in quite some time in the ultra competitive Auto Club Late Model series. 

Joanides set the pace in his only practice session. After having not won a pole in this series in more that two years, he surprised the field as the last car to qualify with a pole position run. A roll of the dice set the invert at six cars, lining Joanides up on the outside of row three for the start of the race. From there, he wasted no time getting to the front. He took the 5th position on lap 1. He made a three wide pass to the outside on lap 2 to take over the third position. He quickly closed on the top two cars and made an inside pass for second in the 1st and 2nd turns on lap 4 and then took the lead on the same lap through turns 3 and 4. Joanides quickly pulled out to a straightaway lead. Two caution flags slowed the action, but neither were enough give Joanides a challenge as he easily pulled out to large leads after each restart. The win allowed him to extend his point lead heading into the Fourth of July weekend event next week, where the track puts on one of the most spectacular fireworks shows anywhere in California.

WILD, WILD NIGHT LEADS TO TWO WINS IN THREE RACES AND NEW POINT LEADER!

(05-29-2010) - What was supposed to just be another routine twin main event in the Auto Club Late Models at Toyota Speedway turned into a night wilder than Nick Joanides could have ever imagined. 

Joanides' friendly Super Late Model rival, Rip Michels threw down a challenge for Nick on Friday Night. After Nick did not respond, Rip brought his challenge to the press in an effort to get Joanides to respond. 

The challenge? To run in the tracks new "SKID PLATE" division race. These cars are every day front wheel drive cars, however the rear tires are removed and replaced with steel plates. These cars produce an incredible fireworks show and something of a demolition derby as sparks fly from the steel plates and with cars spinning every lap. With a "no yellow" rule, there is carnage all over the place. FULL STORY / TIM KENNEDY STORY

PLUG PULLED ON JOANIDES' SUPER LATE MODEL!

(04-27-2010) - Toyota Speedway will have a first time Super Late Model Champion in 2010 as the plug is pulled on 2 time defending champion, Nick Joanides’ Super Late Model program. Joanides instead will look to repeat as Champion in the Auto Club Late Model Series. FULL STORY

LATE ENTRY JOANIDES A WINNER AGAIN!

(04-17-2010) IRWINDALE, CA - That was no ghost in the yellow and black No.77 late model at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Nick Joanides promised that he would not be racing in any more Automobile Club of Southern California series races this season. So who was the winner in front of 2,000 on Saturday night? No one other than the reigning series champion, who had to hold off Rod Johnson Jr. of Canyon Country in the final five laps of the 50-lap main event. FULL STORY

JOANIDES PERFECT IN 2010!

(04-10-10) - Nick Joanides won his second consecutive 2010 NASCAR Super Late Model feature in a Toyota Speedway at Irwindale race Saturday in the No. 71 Loyd McGhee-owned Mr. Crane Chevy Monte Carlo, making him a perfect two for two. The series welcomed Pepsi One as the new sponsor replacing AC Delco. Joanides, a 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, despite competing at the track full time for just three years. The double 2009 track champion (SLM and Auto Club Late Model) and 2009 NASCAR Whelen California State champion said his team needs sponsors to continue and will only race one series this season. The fifth-fastest qualifier and trophy dash winner led every lap in front of about 1,500 spectators on a chilly night. The second weekly TS@I event this season competed with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race telecast live on Fox at 4:30 PM. FULL STORY

Joanides Extends Streaks With Opening Night Win!

(03-27-10) - After staring a career worst 12th, driver Nick Joanides methodically worked his way to the front and won the season opener at Toyota Speedway for the second consecutive year. The win was also his seventh consecutive in 100 Lap special event races. By winning on opening night, the reigning two time champion extended his streak on top of the point standings to 34, far eclipsing the previous record of 17. The win was quite eventful as Nick narrowly avoided a major accident to keep his hopes alive (see video in full story)  TIM KENNEDY STORY.

Joanides Ranked Fourth in Nascar's First Power Ranking

Why he’s here: Had five wins, three seconds and a fifth in final nine races in Super Late Model season at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) and finished third in the national standings. Also won the Late Model title at Toyota Speedway. In total, won 17 races with 38 top five finishes in 42 starts. FULL STORY

Record-Setting Joanides Plans Triple Duty In Toyota Showdown

(01-12-10) - NASCAR.COM - Nick Joanides was California’s dominant force in NASCAR Late Model racing in 2009. He is the reigning NASCAR Whelen All-American Series California state champion, and was ranked third nationally. With momentum growing, he’ll look to continue that momentum on his home turf in less than three weeks.           FULL STORY

JOANIDES RACE VOTED 2ND BEST OF 2009

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

JOANIDES CONCLUDES HISTORICAL SEASON (2009 RECAP) 

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

JOANIDES COMES UP SHORT IN VEGAS 

(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.

START AND PARK TEAMS PROVE COSTLY FOR JOANIDES 

(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

JOANIDES JOINS RWR FOR NATIONWIDE SERIES DEBUT

(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!

JACKSON RACE CARS DOMINATES AGAIN!

(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.

Nick Joanides picked up his 12th and 13th victories in the AC Delco Super Late Model division at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) this past weekend. Jon Kuchta

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.  

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