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KLAS Motorsports is Ready for Pre-Season Daytona ARCA Test – Expanded Team Will Bring Two Cars and Three Drivers to Florida Shakedown

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

Daytona International Speedway (FL) roars to life this weekend as the ARCA Menards Series conducts a two-day pre-season test in preparation for the February 14th ARCA Daytona 200. KLAS Motorsports is bringing two cars, the #71 Chevrolet and the #07 Ford, to the test with a driver lineup that consists of veteran Andy Jankowiak along with rookies Glen Reen and Jonah Cullen.

“The off season is officially over!” said Managing Partner Andy Seuss. “This something we look forward to all year. We are back and it is now race season again.”

Starting off their 2026 season with a field trip to the high banks of Daytona makes things even more special.

“Going to Daytona brings out the kid in me every year,” said Seuss. “It’s a privilege to drive through that tunnel. It’s never casual or every day life. It’s exciting because you never knew if you would get to do this. Any time that you go to Daytona, it is humbling. Every time that you go there, you take it all in and enjoy the moment. The test is neat because it’s a little more laid back,” said Seuss. “There is not a high-pressure schedule. There are some opportunities to savor the moments more.”

2026 will mark the first time that KLAS Motorsports will run two cars in a superspeedway race. Jankowiak will race the #71 next month at Daytona while Reen will enter the race in the #07.

“To realize that we are bringing two cars that will both go on to race at Daytona, which is a first for KLAS, is pretty amazing,” said Seuss. “We will have three drivers who are all talented in their own right. I’m excited to get there with all three of them for different reasons.

“Two of our drivers have never been on the oval there. They have more road course experience. I’m looking forward to helping them through their first time. Then obviously, it’s exciting to bring Andy J back. He has years of experience there now. We just strive to get better every time we go there. Every time we go back, we are a little bit better. You want to continue that and not lose anything.”

Although the team has never raced two cars at Daytona before, they have tested with multiple cars and drivers in the past in the pre-season tune-up.

“I feel like I’ve been in a leadership role every year since my first year,” said Jankowiak. “We’ve had multiple drivers in the test for several years. The big difference is going to be having someone to draft with in the race. It’s going to be interesting to have true coordination on the racetrack. When we’ve made deals with other guys, but you never really know who will stick to what. I’m excited to see how it will go.”

Exciting is a common word these days around the Mike Dayton-led KLAS teams as they prepare for the Daytona test at their North Carolina shop.

“The team has grown,” said Seuss. “We had two fast Superspeedway cars at the test last year. The Ford got some damage in the race. So, you worry about getting all of the details right in rebuilding. You want to have that speed back when you get down there.”

The KLAS Motorsports team will also be looking at a milestone season beyond the opening race at Daytona.

“We expect big things as the year goes on,” said Seuss. “We have multiple races booked using multiple cars. The off season has been busy talking with potential drivers in order to expand the team. We have new sponsors who we are working with. We are attracting new eyes to our program. We are bringing back sponsors who have been here since the beginning. It is awesome to know that they have faith in us and that we have been able to deliver enough for them to come back.”

The pre-season test at Daytona will take place on Friday, January 9th and Saturday, January 10th with Sunday, January 11th available as a rain date if needed. The ARCA Menards Series will visit Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2026. The race will kick off the 2026 season and will be televised live on the Fox television network.

KLAS Motorsports Adds Glen Reen to Daytona ARCA – Roster ARCA Menards Series Team Will Field Two Entries to Start Their 2026 Season

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

KLAS Motorsports is doubling up for Daytona as the ARCA Menards Series gets ready for the start of its 2026 campaign with the running of the ARCA Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway (FL) on Saturday, February 14th. In addition to their #71 entry with Andy Jankowiak at the wheel, the team will also field the #07 entry for Massachusetts driver Glen Reen.

Reen’s most recent outing with the KLAS Motorsports team resulted in a fourth-place finish in August’s ARCA event on the road course at Watkins Glen International. Now he will be joining the team for the biggest event on the series schedule.

“It’s wild when you think about it,” said Reen. “Every young aspiring driver in racing has the goal of racing at Daytona and that is finally going to come true for me.”

“Glen did a great job for us last year,” said KLAS Motorsports Managing Partner Andy Seuss. “He really elevated our road course program. He’s a great fit with our team and we all get along. When we sat down and compared our goals for 2026, going to Daytona with him really made sense. We appreciate his faith in the expansion of KLAS Motorsports.”

Although Reen is thought of as a road course ringer because of his Watkins Glen finish, his background is mostly in oval track competition. He was the underdog winner of the Thompson 300 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Thompson International Speedway in 2011. He has quite a background in Modified competition and most recently has been racing in a limited schedule in the newly rebranded NASCAR O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Series.

“I laugh about it when people call me a road course guy,” said Reen. “That Watkins Glen ARCA race was only my seventh road course race ever. I think that I’ve adapted well to that type of racing because I’ve built and understand the racecars. It comes from working on the cars, the engines and the rear ends. I understand the mechanics of what wheel hop is so I can adapt to that in the racecar when it happens.”

One of Reen’s road course races was at Daytona as an opening act to the famed Rolex 24 at the track. He raced a Mustang in the Koni Challenge Series during the 2009 Fresh from Florida 200.

“That was an awesome experience,” said Reen. “It helps to have been there before. I feel even more comfortable on the oval than the road course too.”

Reen turned laps at the Daytona oval during the 2009 ARCA test at the track when he worked with the family team of then reigning ARCA champion at the time Justin Allgier.

“Taking part in that test was a great experience,” said Reen. When practice started, I was quickest in drafting practice and eighth quickest in the single car session. This time is going to be even more special knowing that I will also be racing.”

Reen is still finalizing his 2026 racing plans and is actively looking for marketing partners to maximize his schedule.

“I’m still just a kid who doesn’t have much money,” said Reen. “I’m just irresponsible with what I do earn and I use that to go racing. I’m not looking at building my retirement cushion, I just want to get to the track. We need some help though and we have a lot to offer our marketing partners in return. I want to keep this momentum going.”

The #07 will be sponsored by New Wave Bath at Daytona and opportunities are available for other marketing partners to join the effort.

The ARCA Menards Series will visit Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2026. The race will kick off the 2026 season and will be televised live on the Fox television network.

KLAS Motorsports Secures Identity with New Number ARCA Menards Series Team Rolls a 71 with Jankowiak as They Rebrand and Expand

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

KLAS Motorsports will return to the ARCA Menards Series for 2026 with a little bit of a different
look and identity. The upstart team scored six top ten finishes in eleven starts with Andy
Jankowiak and Glen Reen last season. The team looks to continue its growth next year.

Jankowiak will return as the team’s primary driver next season with a new number, the 71, on
the side of his racecar that is owned by Kevin Lapierre and Andy Seuss.

“We thought it was important for the team to have its own number,” said Seuss. “We were happy
to carry Andy J’s number, which was also his Dad’s number, as ours up to this point. That
number will still be a part of the team. But when people see our car on the track, we would like
for the team to have its own separate identity. The #71 is a number that we used last year for a
number of different reasons and that will be our primary number this coming season as we look
forward to reinventing ourselves and resetting with a clean slate.”

That clean slate means that KLAS Motorsports will be doubling up for some events on the 2026
schedule. The team ran two entries in the Watkins Glen ARCA Menards Series race this past
season with both Reen and Jankowiak scoring top ten finishes in that endeavor.

“We will continue to use the #73 when we run a second car,” said Seuss. “We will have a
second car at Daytona. We will have a #71 and a #73 at that race. Last year, we put out feelers
to run a second car at Daytona. This year, we can confirm that we are going to be doing it. We
will have two cars at multiple events this year and that starts at Daytona.”

The KLAS Motorsports team is currently putting together the final details for their 2026
campaign. There will be more announcements about their plans, schedule, driver lineup and
sponsors lineup in the coming weeks and months.

The ARCA Menards Series will visit Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2026.
The race will kick off the 2026 season and will be televised on Fox.

KLAS Motorsports and Whelen Engineering Continue Partnership – Andy Jankowiak to Drive Whelen Entry in 2026 ARCA Menards Series Events

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

In their first season of existence in 2023, KLAS Motorsports teamed up with Whelen Engineering as partners for the team’s entry with driver Andy Jankowiak in the ARCA Menards Series. That relationship will continue in 2026 with the return of the historic racing sponsor to the team.

“There are so many reasons why Whelen is important to us,” said KLAS Motorsports Managing Partner Andy Seuss. “It’s exciting to have their faith in us because of their roots in Modified racing. We have watched racecars with their iconic red and white paint schemes for years. To be associated with that and everybody there is neat. Racing runs deep in that company. So many legends of the sport have been associated with Whelen.”

“Whelen has been a partner of ours since KLAS Motorsports started our adventures in ARCA,” said Jankowiak. “It is a lot of fun working with them and it is an honor to be one of the Whelen Motorsport Athletes. It is a privilege to work with Peter Tiezzi, Geoff Marsh, Sonny Whelen and all of the Whelen employees, to be a part of the same team as Ted Marsh and to represent their support of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.”

“We’ve never raced a season without them,” said Seuss. “They have been supporters since the beginning. Any time that you can continue a relationship like that is exciting. We can’t wait to get back to the racetrack with them and have some fun.”

The lineup of events that Whelen will be featured on the KLAS entry spans from a road course in New York state to a one-mile oval out west.

“Whelen will be on the car for all eight races that we have scheduled with Andy J,” said Seuss.  “We would like to add more as we seek partners and more funding through the off-season. We have committed to eight races at this point. Whelen will be a primary sponsor for four of those – Watkins Glen, Phoenix, Talladega and Chicago. They will also join us on the car at Daytona, Iowa and the Kansas races.”

The KLAS Motorsports team is currently putting together the final details for their 2026 campaign. There will be more announcements about their plans, schedule, driver lineup and sponsors lineup in the coming weeks.

The ARCA Menards Series will visit Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2026. The race will kick off the 2026 season and will be televised on Fox.

KLAS Motorsports Suffers Late Race Heartbreak at Kansas – Andy Jankowiak Has Flat Tire Derail a Top Five Effort

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

If the Reese’s 150 ARCA Menards Series event was just two laps shorter, it would have had a magical outcome for the #73 KLAS Motorsports team with driver Andy Jankowiak. However, fate intervened, and the team did not finish the event after getting so close to the finish line with a very positive result.

Jankowiak paced fourth in the only practice session for the event, qualified eleventh and started immediately marching through the field at the start. He treated Fox Sports television viewers to a spirited battle for position with Venturini Motorsports driver Isabella Robusto in the early laps. Jankowiak favored the high line in that battle while Robusto switched up from down low to block a run from Jankowiak. The answer to that challenge was a crossover move by Jankowiak that gained the position.

Jankowiak was not finished yet, aided by the right calls by the KLAS Motorsports team on pit stops, he was able to crack the top five. Late in the race, it appeared had the #73 had the speed for a top three finish.

On lap 98, Jankowiak was solidly in the fourth position when a tire shredded on the #73 car. A shower of sparks erupted behind the machine and heavy damage to the right front suspension resulted as Jankowiak limped back to the pit area. The caution came out and the race was extended. Later, it was extended a second time after a Thad Moffett spin. Meanwhile, Jankowiak could not get back on track with his damaged #73. This dropped him back to a 18th-place finish – ten laps down to race winner Brenden “Butterbean” Queen.

“It felt like it was going to be our day to crack the podium, but it wasn’t meant to be,” said Jankowiak. “I’m proud of my team from top to bottom. We just dig deep and get everything we can.”

Team owner Kevin Lapierre was standing in the #73 pit as the race concluded, and he was heartbroken by the turn of events.

“I want to scream, but I also want to say that the team performed unbelievably today,” said Lapierre. “We are not backed by any manufacturer or Cup team and at one point, we were the fastest car on the track.”

Lapierre’s point is a strong one. During their battle for position late in the race, KLAS Motorsports competed favorably against teams backed by Chevrolet, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing and Spire Motorsports. KLAS Motorsports is made of great teammates who prepare excellent equipment, but they lack the engineering, driver development and aerodynamic resources of the factory supported teams. They do not have access to the same data that these large teams do. Still, they put their hearts and souls into going fast and that underdog work ethic cannot be bought.

“We are one big team of dreamers chasing a goal that we always dreamed about chasing while loving every moment of that journey,” said Jankowiak.

Supporting that chase is a lineup of marketing partners that make it all possible. Ranch Fuel debuted as the primary sponsor at the Kansas race with Phillips 66 Lubricants serving as the presenting sponsor. Other marketing partners for the #73 at Kansas Speedway included Acacia Energy, DaK’s Markets, Florida Safety Systems, Automotive Consultants, Wordsmith Fence, Ryan Bronson Music, SunTric Renewable Energy, MikeSellsGolfCarts.com, and Yukon Creek Sportsman Club.

The Reese’s 150 concluded the 2025 racing season for KLAS Motorsports. The team collected six top ten finishes in eleven starts (nine races with Jankowiak and two with Glen Reen). They are currently searching for additional marketing partners as they set their 2026 racing plans and goals. The team plans to start their next season in February at Daytona International Speedway (FL) and will have more news to share throughout the off season.

KLAS Motorsports Heads West to Kansas Speedway- Andy Jankowiak to Race #73 Ranch Fuel Entry in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series Race

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

The #73 KLAS Motorsports team with driver Andy Jankowiak heads west this week to Kansas Speedway for the Reese’s 150 ARCA Menards Series event. There’s a lot to be excited about in the KLAS Motorsports camp as the team was in contention to win this race last season before a late race incident with Hendrick Motorsports development driver Corey Day. In this May’s Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway, Jankowiak finished sixth. All in all, Jankowiak has four top ten finishes in six career starts at the track.

“Our mile and a half program is really good and we love going to Kansas,” said Jankowiak.

Another reason to love this race is the addition of a new marketing partner for the team. Ranch Fuel, which is available at DaK’s Markets, will be the primary sponsor of the #73 at Kansas Speedway along with presenting sponsor Phillips 66 Lubricants.

“Ranch Fuel and Phillips 66 are on board for Kansas and I definitely think that we are going to be very good there and will put on a good show,” said Jankowiak.

Other marketing partners for the #73 at Kansas Speedway include Acacia Energy, DaK’s Markets, Florida Safety Systems, Automotive Consultants, Wordsmith Fence, Ryan Bronson Music, SunTric Renewable Energy, MikeSellsGolfCarts.com, and Yukon Creek Sportsman Club.

The Reese’s 150 at Kansas Speedway will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 on Friday, September 26th starting at 8pm ET.

KLAS Motorsports is Ready to Take on Bristol Motor Speedway – Andy Jankowiak Hopes to Improve on a Top Ten Finish in the Bush’s Beans 200

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

The ARCA Menards Series schedule has quite a bit of diversity to it. In any given year, the KLAS Motorsports team will haul their #73 racecars to superspeedways, intermediate tracks, short tracks and even road courses. Each track has its own personality.

Even so, there is no place on the schedule like the high-banked, concrete-lined, racing stadium that is Bristol Motor Speedway (TN). This Thursday, September 11th, KLAS Motorsports driver Andy Jankowiak will race in the Bush’s Beans 200 at the facility and he is ready for the challenge.

“There is no place like Bristol,” said Jankowiak. “The walls there just speak to you. You walk in, look around and think of the Cup night races that have been held there. You think of everything that has happened in those races. That was always the race that everyone had circled on their calendars because they knew something was going to happen. Bristol is definitely a challenge. It is unique.”

Last season at Bristol, Jankowiak drove the #73 to a tenth-place finish. This year, he knows that the KLAS Motorsports team has progressed to the point of potentially finishing even higher.

“We have struggled a little bit there in the past trying to find speed, but we’ve managed to finish decent,” said Jankowiak. “We’ve held it together for top ten finishes. Now, we want to get there and get going right away (in practice), so I think we will be good.”

The KLAS Motorsports team has not competed in the ARCA Menards Series since Watkins Glen last month – where they fielded two entries – with Glen Reen finishing fourth and Jankowiak finishing seventh.

Jankowiak has not been idle during that time. He has raced his own Modified, Sportsman Modified and Midget on the short tracks of New York throughout the waning days of summer. That stretch was highlighted by winning the RoC Modified tour event at Chemung Speedrome (NY) on the night after the Watkins Glen ARCA race. He has also finished strong in several other short track races as well.

“That was a cool win,” said Jankowiak. “The Modified has been running really well and the Sportsman has also been really good. We’ve just been coming up one spot short. I’ve been finishing second a lot lately. We’ve had a little trouble with the Midget engine, but now that is back together and we’ve finished second with that. I haven’t been bored.”

Florida Safety Systems will be the primary sponsor of the #73 team at Bristol. Earlier in the season when the team was expanding their schedule, the long-time marketing partner of Jankowiak and KLAS Motorsports stepped up their involvement to include this race.

SunTric Renewable Energy and MikeSellsGolfCarts.com will be presenting sponsors for the race.

Additional marketing partners for the event include DaK’s Market, Acacia Energy, Automotive Consultants, Wordsmith Fence, Ryan Bronson Music, Ranch Fuel, Phillips 66 Lubricants and Yukon Creek Sportsman Club.

The Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 5:30pm ET on Thursday.

KLAS Motorsports Teams with Ranch Fuel for Kansas ARCA Race – Energy Drink with Zero Sugar, No Artificial Colors and Natural Caffeine Has Been Powering the #73 Race Team

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

There has been a difference lately around the KLAS Motorsports race team. A number of white aluminum cans with six different colors on them have been showing up in their race shop and pit area. What is inside these cans has been fueling the crew members just like the Sunoco Race Fuel that the #73 ARCA Menards Series entry of Andy Jankowiak runs on.

What is in these cans is Ranch Fuel Energy Drink. Ranch Fuel contains zero sugar, no artificial colors and natural caffeine. It comes in six different flavors – Orange Cream, Mango Twist, Agave Lime, Kiwi Watermelon, Blueberry Pomegranate and Blackberry Lemonade. 

Now, the team is proud to announce that Ranch Fuel will join the team as the primary sponsor of Jankowiak’s #73 in the September 26th Reese’s 150 ARCA Menards Series event at Kansas Speedway.

“It’s been a lot of fun working up to this announcement with Ranch Fuel,” said KLAS Motorsports managing partner Andy Seuss. “We are having a blast with them. The news has been leaking out. We’ve had Ranch Fuel at the track and it’s getting noticed. I don’t know if I’ve had more texts congratulating us on the good finishes or asking us where to buy Ranch Fuel. It’s now available at DAK’s Market.”

DaK’s Market, a longtime partner of KLAS Motorsports, has six locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Ranch Fuel is also available online at RanchFuel.com and at select other retail locations that are listed on the website – RanchFuel.com.

Coined America’s Energy Drink, Ranch Fuel embodies the values etched into the fabric of the country’s western roots: resilience, authenticity, and unrelenting work ethic. Designed for those who never quit—whether they’re working cattle, grinding in the garage, or running laps at 200 mph—Ranch Fuel delivers clean, focused energy without compromise.

Crafted with just five ingredients and powered by 200mg of natural caffeine, Ranch Fuel delivers pure, effective energy without the clutter of unnecessary additives. It’s energy in its most authentic form—designed for clarity, stamina, and unshakable focus.

This will mark Ranch Fuel’s first involvement in auto racing. Currently, Ranch Fuel is endorsed by a lineup of cowboys, cowgirls, ranchers, calf ropers, barrel racers and horse trainers.

“I’m excited,” said Jankowiak. “They fit so well with what we do. It’s exciting to have them on the team and we are looking forward to growing that partnership.”

“It’s a lot of fun to have a partner like Ranch Fuel who you can have fun with,” said Seuss.  “We’ve been doing things on the social media side and the video side. It’s amazing the people who you meet because of it. We’ve had it in the pits and people are trying it. They come back and ask where they can buy it.”

For more information on Ranch Fuel or to order your own supply, please visit RanchFuel.com

KLAS Motorsports Doubles Up with Top Ten Finishes at Watkins Glen – Reen Finishes Fourth and Jankowiak Finishes Seventh in Career Race for Team

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

KLAS Motorsports had a career weekend as the ARCA Menards Series visited the Watkins Glen International road course in upstate New York for Friday’s General Tire 100. For the first time in team history, two entries were fielded in an event. Both cars finished in the top ten. Glen Reen finished fourth in the #71 while Andy Jankowiak finished seventh with his #73 entry.

“They both raced excellent,” said KLAS Motorsports Managing Partner Andy Seuss.  “It’s amazing to think that we brought two cars that made up more than a quarter of the top seven.

“That was quite an undertaking for our little team. I don’t think people realize how small we are. I might have forgotten how small we are until we tried to double our work load. I’ve got to thank (crew chief) Mike (Dayton) and Daniel (Carrender) in the shop, all of the guys who come by after work at night and on weekends to help, our track day guys who are mostly out of New York, our sponsors and everyone who made this possible.”

“This team is made up of a lot of hard-working racers,” said Reen. “This is wild. I thought that we would do well, but I didn’t think that we would finish in the top five. It’s amazing.”

Jankowiak qualified 11th and Reen qualified 14th for the race. Both drivers progressed through the pack together early on with Jankowiak showing the way at first.

“We had really good short run speed, but we just couldn’t keep it going for the long runs,” said Jankowiak. “On the restarts, this thing was great.”

“Andy J did great,” said Reen. “I was following him for pretty much the first half of the race. He was better than me at first. Then his car started to fade and ours pretty much stayed the same throughout the whole run. I started catching people and began to think that we really had something here. I wasn’t trying any harder either. They were coming back to me.”

After the race’s midway break, both cars moved up further through the field.

“The team asked what I wanted to change on the pit stop and I said, ‘not much!’. I was very happy with everything,” said Reen. “We were fifth on the (final) restart and that changed everything. We got a good start and I was able to clear (Dale) Quarterley into turn one. I was a little nervous. I didn’t know what going to happen, but we got through it. He was better than I was, but I could hold him off. I could see him getting close in the mirror, but I wasn’t lifting.”

With his last lap pass, Reen took down the fourth finishing position. Jankowiak was seventh at the end of the race.

“All in all, we made some gains,” said Jankowiak. “I feel like I let the team down a little bit and maybe left a little bit out there. But if you put too hard, you might crash. It’s still in one piece though and we got a good finish.”

“It was nerve racking up until the end to not make any simple mistakes or to have a part failure,” said Seuss. “Everything turned out well, so the word that I can’t stop thinking of is gratifying. It felt awesome when the checkered flag fell with both cars in the top ten.

“Andy J tied a personal best lap (at Watkins Glen), had a personal best qualifying effort and finish. We tied our team best finish of fourth overall with Glen – he did a great job. Since getting together with him, we have been able to elevate our whole program. He and Andy J have put in so much work behind the scenes. It was a hard-fought battle and a great feeling.”

The primary sponsors of the #73 team at Watkins Glen were Latina Boulevard Foods, Whelen Engineering and Ferrario Auto Team. The primary sponsor of the #71 team was New Wave Home.

Additional marketing partners for the event included DaK’s Market, Acacia Energy, Automotive Consultants, Florida Safety Systems, Ranch Fuel, Phillips 66 Lubricants, Wordsmith Fence, Ryan Bronson Music and Yukon Creek Sportsman Club.

KLAS Motorsports returns to action on September 11th as the #73 with Jankowiak heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway (TN). That event will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 5:30pm ET.


KLAS Motorsports to Honor Bob Polverari’s Career at Watkins Glen – Team to Field Glen Reen in the #71 in Second ARCA Menards Series Entry

Posted on by Rachel Lapierre

As KLAS Motorsports prepares to field two entries in an ARCA Menards Series event for the first time in their history, there are several details to plan out. One of the most important ones is for a car number to be chosen. The team will field their regular #73 for Andy Jankowiak at Watkins Glen International (NY) next week as well as a second entry for Glen Reen.

The choice of a second car number ended up being a natural one for team owners Kevin Lapierre and Andy Seuss. This week, it was confirmed with NASCAR that it will be #71.

Lapierre developed his love for racing as a young fan at the now closed Riverside Park Speedway (MA), where one of the track’s heroes was Bob Polverari – who ran his Modified as the #711 and then the #71.

“It is a real honor for this team to be able to run this number,” said Lapierre.

That honor doesn’t just stop with KLAS Motorsports though.

“This is quite an honor,” said Polverari. “The car looks beautiful. It is really sharp looking, and I just love it. All of this happening is quite a thrill. I love life anyways, but this makes me really excited. I dream every day of getting back into a racecar and I’m going to try to get to the track next week to see this car race.”

Polverari also shared the significance of the #71 and why it originally ended up on his racecar.

“At the old Springfield Airport, there were two brothers from Granville who developed the GeeBee airplane. It was a race plane. It was stubby and looked like it couldn’t fly, but it did amazing things. It had the 7-11 and a pair of dice painted on the side. That was the reason for the car number. I ran the 711 until we couldn’t run three-digit numbers any more and then it turned into the 71.”

Reen’s #71 at Watkins Glen will be a white car, which is also true to the number’s racing roots.

“Mike Joy used to come over to our garage and he came up with the idea for a pearl white paint scheme with the Chevy racing stripe on it,” said Polverari.

Polverari is a long-time friend to the Reen family, and Riverside Park is a place that Glen was bonded to before he was even born.

“I was due on a Saturday, but I wasn’t born on my due date,” said Reen. “My parents went to the track because they didn’t want to miss a race night. In the early hours of Sunday morning, my Mom went into labor. My Dad drove her to the hospital in Boston and a State Trooper tried to pull him over. He told him to follow them to the hospital. He did and made sure that my father was telling the truth. That’s when I was born as a Modified racer.

“Later on, Riverside Park was the best place in the world. I could spend a Saturday afternoon at an amusement park and then run from the roller coaster line to the racetrack. The track closed when I was 11 years old, but I have fond memories of the place and watching Bob Polverari race.”

Seuss raced against Polverari in the early days of the Modified Racing Series, so he is also a fan of the legendary driver.

“It’s such an honor for us to run the 711 that Bob Polverari made famous,” said Seuss. “I had the privilege of sharing the track with him at the beginning of my Modified career and near the end of his. Bob was the model of professionalism in short track racing. To be able to do this is a highlight of my year.”

The #71 is also a significant one to the Seuss family. It was also a number that both Andy and his father Steve raced with on the side of their own cars.

“When Kevin and I started talking about numbers, we both realized that we loved sevens and ones,” said Seuss. “So much of my own success has come in the #70 (SS Motorsports), #47 (Riggs Racing) and the #11 (Eddie Harvey Racing). All of those numbers had sevens and ones. I also grew up watching my Dad race snowmobiles with the #71. I took a lot of pride in running that as my number in my early days of racing. To have this come full circle is incredibly exciting.”

The tie-ins with the car number and the choice of Reen to drive for KLAS Motorsports are more than just happy coincidences though. Nearly everyone associated with the effort has ties to a certain type of short track racing.

“All of us are Modified guys,” said Reen. “We stick together.”

To obtain the #71, KLAS Motorsports needed the cooperation of part-time ARCA competitor Chris Werth who has used the number for the Watkins Glen race in past seasons. Werth, who has actually coached Jankowiak at the road course previously, allowed the team to take over the number and will now run the #72 entry at Watkins Glen.

The #71 KLAS Motorsports Chevrolet will be sponsored at Watkins Glen by New Wave Home, DaK’s Market, Acacia Energy and Automotive Consultants.

The General Tire 100 at The Glen is scheduled for Friday, August 8th. It will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 starting at 2pm ET.