NASCAR Late Model driver has good start to season.
Valencia’s Logan Henson posted a solid seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Late Model season opener at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. He said before the race he wanted to finish in the top five, but avoided some nasty wrecks and was able to get his stock car racing season off to a good start.
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Nick Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills, won the Late Model race at Irwindale. It was his second win in as many weeks. Joanides won the Super Late Model season opener last Saturday night.
It wasn’t such a great start for Santa Clarita’s Rich DeLong III in the NASCAR Super Stocks season opener. He burnt up his clutch two laps from the finish of the race and finished ninth out of 10 cars that started.
DeLong was running in the top three for most of the race and challenged for the lead at one point, but dropped off the pace as the race winded down.
It was a disappointing start to the season for DeLong, who was the runner-up in the Super Stocks standings at the track last year. Larry Cerquettini of Redlands won the Super Stocks race.
Canyon Country’s Tommy Mason made an impressive debut in the Classic Stocks division at the track. He was spun out early in the race and drop to the back of the field. But he rallied back for a sixth-place finish in the 11-car field. He didn’t fare so well in the figure 8 race later in the night, finishing last.
Ken Michaelian of Lawndale won the Classic Stocks and figure 8 races.
Go to www.haddockinthepaddock.com
for video interviews of Henson, DeLong, Mason and Joanides from Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.