Nick Joanides

Nicholas Joanides (June 17, 1970 – December 5, 2025) was an American professional stock car racing driver who last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series West, driving the No. 77 Toyota for Performance P–1 Motorsports. He also competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, ARCA Menards Series East (when it was the NASCAR Busch East Series), and the now-defunct AutoZone Elite Division Southwest & Midwest Series in the past.

In 2009, Joanides became the first driver in the history of Toyota Speedway at Irwindale to win championships in the top two premier divisions, and he did so in the same season. 2009 saw Joanides win the NASCAR AC-Delco Super Late Model Championship, NASCAR Auto Club Late Model Championship, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series California State Championship, and the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 Championship. He ended up third in the NASCAR All-American Series National standings. In total, Joanides competed in 42 races and scored seventeen wins, 33 podiums, 37 top fives, and 41 top-ten finishes.

On October 17, Joanides announced that he would be joining Rick Ware Racing for his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Memphis Motorsports Park on October 24, 2009.

Joanides retired from full-time racing following the 2010 season. He came out of retirement late in 2015. Through the first 35 events, posted fifteen wins and 26 top-five finishes. In 2016, an engine failure in the third event of the 2016 season resulted in a 32 point loss. Joanides would go on to finish second in the final point standings, 24 points shy of the championship.^{[citation needed]}

Joanides returned to Performance P-1 Motorsports in 2018 for a part-time schedule in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, scoring a top-five finish at All American Speedway in Roseville, California.

Joanides returned to the team in 2021 for a one-race deal in the 4th of July weekend race at Irwindale Speedway, posting the team's only top-ten finish of the season.

Joanides had one scheduled start in 2022 for Performance P-1 Motorsports in the March Race at Irwindale. With no other race on his schedule, Joanides was called by team owner Lowden Motorsports late in the afternoon to fill in for their driver, who was suffering from food poisoning. Joanides arrived just before the race, with no practice, qualifying or power steering, brought home The Hard Charger award by passing the most cars in coming from last on the grid to finish eleventh. On September 17, 2022, Joanides entered his first Spears SRL Pro-Late Model Series race and came away with the win. He nearly backed it up a year later, falling just short to finish second in the same event.

In 2023, Joanides competed in five of the first eight ARCA West series races for No. 77 PP1M Team. On September 25, 2023, it was announced that Joanides would drive the No. 71 Ford owned by himself, beginning at All-American Speedway, the site of his career best ARCA West Series finish.

In 2024, Joanides got up to full-time with Jan's Towing Racing. Joanides posted two top-fives and five top-ten finishes. He also won his first and only Pole Award at Irwindale Speedway on July 6. Joanides would miss the final four races of the season due to health issues, but returned for the exhibition race at Irwindale Speedway in December.

In 2025, Joanides made three starts for PP1M and the No. 77, getting a best finish of fourteenth at Madera Speedway.

Joanides died on December 5, 2025, at the age of 55.

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)