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Andy Jankowiak Fights Off Power Steering Issues to Get a Workout
By Mike Twist
Rain, heavy traffic and an intense workout – those could be things in the daily life of a typical American worker. All three were also the stories of the race for KLAS Motorsports and driver Andy Jankowiak on Friday for the General Tire 150 NASCAR ARCA Menards Series race at Phoenix International Raceway (AZ).
Friday’s rain showers that hit the track in the Arizona desert were not typical, or particularly welcome to the team. Practice and qualifying were rained out leading up to the race. The field was then set per the ARCA rulebook based on 2024 Owner Points. Since it was a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series West tour, more cars than usual were entered into the field. This left the #73 KLAS Motorsports entry with a starting position of 28th.
Starting deep in the field with a car that had not been practiced was a challenge that Jankowiak and the team accepted. By lap seven, Jankowiak had moved up into the 18th-position and forward progress was made throughout the first half of the race.
Unfortunately, a part failure left Jankowiak without power steering as the race continued on. Turning a heavy stock car at race speeds without power steering leads to a heavy workout, and did not do much to make the car faster. By the end of the race, Jankowiak was settled into the 14th finishing position.
Phillips 66 Lubricants and Whelen Engineering were the primary marketing partners for the Phoenix race.
The KLAS team was also supported at Phoenix by Acacia Energy, Automotive Consultants of Ithaca, Dak’s Market, Florida Safety Systems, RJP Motorsports and Yukon Creek Sportsman Club.
The team will head next to the famed Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina for the ARCA Menards Series East event there on April 19th.
