Toledo Speedway

Andy Jankowiak is a ARCA Menards Series driver from Tonawanda, New York - near Buffalo. This veteran driver isn't just knowledgeable behind the wheel, he's also a bit knowledgeable on his history. Jankowiak has had a breakout 2023 ARCA Menards Series season, picking up multiple top fives for the first time in his career, including a fourth place finish at Michigan Speedway in August.

Toledo Speedway spoke with Jankowiak at Michigan Speedway in advance of the final stretch of the ARCA Menards Series season. The driver of the number 73 car spoke about his years in motorsports, Buffalo sports, the Toledo War, his first time at Toledo Speedway last year, as well as what he looks forward to in the final ARCA Menards Series race of the season - the Toledo Speedway Shore Lunch 200 presented by CGS Imaging on October 7th.

Tickets for this event are available now, and can be picked up at a discount at select Menards locations.

Introduce yourself to the fans

I'm Andy Jankowiak, driver of the KLAS Motorsports number 73. Sponsored by Floater Safety Systems, Dak's Markets, Whelen Engineering, Planter Box Direct Logistics, Automotive Consultants of Ithaca, Yukon Creek Sportsmen's Club... And then we got a lot of rotating sponsors, so we're very blessed. We got a lot of good people involved.

Tell me about your first time coming Toledo.

It was the ARCA race last year. Loved the track, it was great to drive. It reminded me a little bit back home, a track called Oswego. Just the way it drove, just kind of a lot of throttle and a lot of speed.

I thought it was a great track for these cars. So it was cool... It was my first true ARCA short track race.

It's definitely a different experience being away from a cup weekend and you go there, you're kind of the headliner, and just a whole different feel. It was cool experience for sure!

How was your first time driving on the track?

Just kind of the speed you carry for a short track, you're really hauling it around there, the ability to move around and just everything. It was pretty cool.

Some tracks just have a certain vibe to them, and that track definitely had it with all the banking. It kind of holds all the sound in there and it's a pretty wild place.

It had great fan support from everybody, the stands looked cool and everybody seemed to be into it and they all knew their racing, so all it was just a really cool vibe.

We're going into October 7. What are the expectations as you go on track?

Certainly we're kind of stepping it up this year. I kind of started this deal doing it myself and now I got a really good team behind me with KLAS Motorsports.

Every time we go to the track, we try to get a little bit stronger.

I come from a short track racing background, so I think the expectation is to be competing inside the top five and then you kind of see what happens. Keep all the wheels on it, keep it handling good so it's fun, and go see what you can do. Execute on pit stops.

Where did it click that this is going to be a different year for you?

Just having new people around, everything that's to do with KLAS Motorsports, which is new this year, and having Andy Suess and Mike Dayton, just having way more time in on the car.

Before this, we were kind of doing this out of Buffalo (New York) and I was kind know, having help with setups, but a lot of times I was doing the setups and doing it over the phone and I don't really have a strong background in this form of racing.

I'm proud of what we know. I think it was a great accomplishment to be running as well as we did, but just having the car kind of in the Carolinas around all the people that work on these things every single day, every week, it really just adds up to a lot of performance.

Toledo is a very heavy sports town. Big on Mudhens, big on the Walleye. Are you a big Sabres fan?

Oh Gosh, they've been so bad for so long [laughs].

We grew up competing for Stanley Cups in the early 2000s, late 90s, early 2000s, so we've seen them fall pretty far. But certainly with Tage Thompson, I think they're starting to get back into form a little bit.

Last year was getting to be a little bit more exciting. We were in the playoff conversation right up to the end.

We'll see... Buffalo is obviously we got the Bills right now and everything's really exciting. There's a lot of enthusiasm with that. But I think historically, we're probably really more hockey town.

Believe it or not, we love our hockey. Even if you watch all the ratings for the Stanley Cup, it'll be the two teams playing and the third highest viewership is always Buffalo. So it's a big hockey town. We'd be excited to see the Sabres get back after it!

Speaking of football - Michigan or Ohio State, if you had to throw your hat in the ring.

I appreciate the rivalry. I've never really taken know a lot of people don't realize it goes all the way back to the Battle of Toledo, which was a state border like dispute between Michigan and Toledo in the way back when I think Ohio was a state, Michigan was actually a territory and there was a dispute because they both wanted access to the lake right there.

So it was never a shot fired, but it was actually considered a battle. And so the whole rivalry stems from the battle of Toledo, and just on and on and on.

That's actually where the name for the Michigan team comes from, because the guys that were fighting on the Michigan side were called Wolverines. I can't say I really have a side, but it's a cool rivalry. It's something we pay attention to every year.

• Editor's Note: The mascot of the Wolverine doesn't have official traces to the Toledo War, but it's certainly a potential theory. From umich.edu (Link)

"The last theory surrounds the border dispute between Michigan and Ohio in 1803. While the two sides argued over proper setting of the state line, The Michiganders were called wolverines. It was unclear, however, whether the Michigan natives pinned the name upon themselves to show their tenacity and strength or whether Ohioans chose the name on account of the gluttonous habit of the wolverine. From then on, Michigan was labeled "the Wolverine state: and when the University of Michigan was founded, it simply adopted the nickname of the state it represented."

It's just fun to watch. I've never been a huge college football fan, I like college basketball - Always kind of follow Duke. Tthe football stuff, we got our own football in Buffalo, so we usually just watch the Bills [laughs]

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About the Shore Lunch 200

The ARCA Menards Series crowns a champion on Saturday, October 7th with the Shore Lunch 200 at Toledo Speedway. This historic race has created many memorable moments over the years as a season finale, with big finishes and a high amount of action. Tickets for this event are available now at local Menards stores! You can click here to learn more about where to pick up your tickets for this championship event. You can also follow along with Toledo Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.