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By Michael Jaworecki
Photo: James Gilbert/ARCA Racing
This weekend Andy Jankowiak heads into his 3rd year of competition in the ARCA Menards series. This weekend he is back at the Worlds Center of Speed, Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 200. Andy, fresh off a win in Atlantic City at the Indoor Racing Series is ready to run the first of 10 ARCA Menards Series races in the KLAS Motorsports #73.
Always a fan favorite with his occasional Tuxedo fire suit, winning Modifieds and 3/4 Midgets plus mostly a driver that is humble and always looks like he is having fun. At every race Andy is always surrounded by family and friends at the track plus a dedicated set of crew members that help Andy work on the cars at the shop and at the track.
This being the third season together with the “Buffalo Crew” and the added experience gives Andy the confidence that he can do well the season opening Daytona race. “We will need to draft to get up font and with our relationship with the Gibbs team and all of the single car teams entered we should have the drafting help we will need”
It’s always a treat to talk racing with Andy and I got the chance as he was driving south from Charlotte to Daytona. Pre-race tech, photo shoots, practice where he was fourth fastest and Fridays qualifying where he qualified fifth fastest for Saturdays 200-mile race.
The one thing we talked about was how the ARCA deal started and where it’s going. ” In 2020 I took my whole 2020 racing budget plus my life savings, and I bought a car from Ken Scrader Racing. We had a few sponsors and had no idea where it was going. If I tried doing this again one hundred times, I don’t think we could accomplish what we have done again.”
This season Andy will be less involved in the owner’s side and more on the driver and prep side. Kevin Lapierre and his company Dak’s Market has taken a bigger ownership role along with racing veteran Andy Seuss. The support of those two people has taken pressure off Andy.
Most of the races entered this year are the Super Speedways. In addition to Daytona, Talladega, Kansas, Michigan and Charlotte are on the schedule. Returning to tracks for a second or third time should help Andy improve his finishes. Watkins Glen is also back on the schedule, past issues in practice and the races have kept Andy from getting too many laps on the only road course he has ever run. ” Learning to down shift better will be a plus too”.
Asked about what follows Daytona Andy says in addition to the 10 ARCA races he will attempt to run the entire ROC schedule. Although there is one conflict where Andy will be at Talladega on April 22nd with the ARCA Menards Series but that same night is the rescheduled 2022 Race of Champions. The Talladega race will roll off at about 12:30 while the ROC show starts at 6:00PM, a private jet company would be a welcome sponsor for the team. Hopefully when the full ROC schedule there are no additional conflicts.
Andy always talks about his sponsors and how their dedication to him and his team is so appreciated. Original Daytona sponsors OneRail and Mike Sells Golf Cats.com will be on the car for his third Daytona race. Florida Safety Systems, Automotive Consultants Yukon Creek Sportsman Club, Planter Bo Direct and others not only lend financial support they attend many of the races and provide moral support.
Andy rolls off 5th on Saturday and with another season of experience, a sold race car and a little luck Andy J could find himself winning his first ARCA Menards series race.
Catch the race on FS1 at 1:30 with the green being dropped at 1:47.
