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— Giglio, Timmerman, Novoa, Leaty, and Dieter also claim wins —
Williamson, NY (May 29, 2026) — Friday night saw six different winners at Spencer Speedway for its 71st Annual Season Opener, but one stood out above the rest: Andy Jankowiak.
Jankowiak is no stranger to winning races, doing so in the NASCAR ARCA Menards series on April 25, 2026, and at Lancaster Motorplex on May 26. Three days later, he won at Spencer — his first RoC win at the track since 2022.
Jankowiak started fifth for the 35-lap feature, and moved into third going down the back straightaway on Lap 8, before settling into the single-file line going around the ½-mile paved oval.
Lap 17 saw Joey VanLare spin on the backstretch, drawing the caution. On the restart, Jankowiak jumped into second coming out of Turn 2, bumping Evan Rygielski into third.
Rygielski wasn’t deterred, though. He took to the high side to try and get by Jankowiak to get his spot back, going side-by-side down the back chute, but Jankowiak was able to hold on.
A tangle caused the caution flag to be thrown once again, and when Rygielski slowed down, something happened: he died in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. He had to be pushed back to the pits, resulting in losing third place.
With no pressure on him from behind, Jankowiak sailed right up to the side of Eddie Hawkins to go side-by-side all throughout the corners and straightaways, before Jankowiak let off a little bit.
On Lap 26, Jankowiak gave Hawkins a nudge coming down the frontstretch, letting him know that he was still there. This time, however, he gave it his all, and took over first on the bottom coming out of Turn 4 with eight laps to go.
Jankowiak held on to come out ahead of the 20-car field.
“[I] time-trialed terrible and backed it up in the heat barely making the redraw,” said Jankowiak. “But we threw the sink at it and started changing springs and it woke up for the feature.”
Jankowiak was also very appreciative of his team for helping him get into Victory Lane.
“If life has taught me anything these past few weeks it’s very simply that no matter how big the win, when we look back on things it’s really about the people and these moments we share while chasing these races. Proud of my guys.”
Additional winners for the 71st Season Opener:
Wilbert’s U-Pull It Four Cylinders: Blake Giglio (Williamson, NY)
Wilbert’s U-Pull It Crown Vic/Super Six: Ashley Timmerman (Williamson, NY)
Race of Champions Street Stocks: Dustin Novoa (Buffalo, NY)
Race of Champions 602 Sportsman: Austin Leaty (Williamson, NY)
Race of Champions Super Stocks: Jason Dieter (Lake View, NY)
The Race of Champions “Family of Series” returns to Spencer Speedway this Friday night, June 5, 2026, featuring:
● Race of Champions Modifieds
● Race of Champions Super Stocks
● Race of Champions 602 Sportsman
● Wilbert’s U-Pull It Crown Vic/Super Six
● Wilbert’s U-Pull It Four Cylinders
Full unofficial results and more:
Spencer Speedway / https://www.rocmodifiedseries.com/schedules/event/645360
About the Race of Champions: The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Primary marketing partners include Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, FX Caprara, Airport Collision, Waddell Communications, Image X Design, Sherwood Racing Wheels, DirtTrackDigest.com, and Speed Sport. The 76th Annual Race of Champions will take place in 2026, continuing its legacy as the second-longest consecutively run auto-racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500. For more information, contact; Race of Champions Media at media@rocmodifiedseries.com
Follow us on Twitter; Instagram and Facebook; @RoCModSeries or visit our website: www.rocmodifiedseries.com *eof
