Chevys to carry extra weight at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

Rip Michels is one of the few drivers in the NASCAR Super Late Model division who drives a Ford at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The Chevrolet drivers will have to add 40 pounds to their cars for the next Super Late Model race.

The drivers who race Chevrolets in the NASCAR Super Late Model division at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will have to add 40 pounds to their cars the next time they race at the track.
The decision was made Saturday night at the track and at least one Chevrolet driver was not happy with it.
Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, the reigning Super Late Models champion at the track, said the Fords and Chevrolets that race at the track are as equal as they can be. Of the top six cars that qualified for the races at Irwindale, three were Fords, three were Chevys. The six cars were separated by .05 seconds.
Joanides said there is no doubt the Fords have more horsepower, which is why the Chevys were given a weight handicap for the past three races. The Chevys have been 40 pounds lighter than the Fords at the track for the season opening Super Late Model race, the Showdown race in January and the race Saturday night.
Now that the Chevys will carry extra weight, it will give a definite advantage to the Fords, Joanides said. Two of the top Ford drivers in the Super Late Models are Rip Michels of San Fernando and Dan Moore of Burbank.
Michels has won more races than any driver in Irwindale history and the Super Late Model championship in 2007.
For a video interview with Joanides on the decision, click here.
For comments from Michels, click here.