Andy Jankowiak first ARCA Menards Series victory at Talladega
- TSN MOTORSPORTS INSIDER
- Apr 26
- 2 min read
A bold move from Andy Jankowiak around the outside of Cleetus McFarland and Gus Dean at Talladega Superspeedway propelled him to his first career ARCA Menards Series victory on Saturday afternoon.
Amidst the chaos of the situation, Jankowiak stayed in the throttle, not knowing the overtime attempt was just one lap.
When reality did set in, the emotions quickly overwhelmed Jankowiak, who has worked tirelessly during the 2020s to find sustainability on the ARCA Menards Series platform. Jankowiak initially did this through his own program before becoming the primary driver for KLAS Motorsports after they purchased the operation.
Every sacrifice Jankowiak made to keep his dream alive culminated in the most cathartic moment of his career so far, a moment he initially couldn't believe was real.
“I thought there was one more lap,” Jankowiak said. “The radio was super staticky. I’m still waiting to wake up here. Everything that brought me to ARCA and everything that followed with [co-owners] Kevin Lapierre, Andy Seuss, and Mike Dayton, there’s never been a greater team effort than standing in Victory Lane at Talladega.
Motorsports has always been integral to Jankowiak’s identity. His father, Tony Jankowiak, was a renowned Modified competitor in the northeast, with achievements including a World Series of Asphalt championship at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in 1990.
The younger Jankowiak started following in his father’s footsteps in the late 2000s by competing in Modified events throughout the northeast. Jankowiak quickly earned a reputation as a determined, consistent competitor while working as a pizza delivery driver away from the track.
Looking to expand his presence in motorsports, Jankowiak debuted in the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway in 2021, achieving a strong eighth-place finish. Over the next five years, Jankowiak secured five top-five finishes, including a career-best fourth place twice.
The second of those performances occurred at Talladega last year, where Jankowiak led his first laps in the ARCA Menards Series. Knowing what he and KLAS Motorsports could achieve at Talladega, Jankowiak entered Saturday confident about his chances to finally secure that breakthrough victory.
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