KLAS Motorsports will start a new chapter this week as the ARCA Menards Series visits the road course
at Watkins Glen International (NY). For the first time in its history, the team will field two cars in one race.
Andy Jankowiak will drive the #73 entry as usual with long-time associate sponsor Latina Boulevard
Foods joining Whelen Engineering as the car’s co-sponsor for the race. Glen Reen will drive the team’s
#71 entry with primary sponsorship from New Wave Home. Both drivers are very familiar with the track
for different reasons.
“It is definitely our home track,” said Jankowiak, a native of the Buffalo, New York area. “It’s always cool to
go home and to be a part of the big weekend. Everyone around gets excited when NASCAR comes to
town. To be able to say that we are a part of the weekend has always been very special.”
“I love Watkins Glen,” said Reen. “My Mom and Dad both raced there before I was even born. I’ve run
many laps there. I raced there for Ted Marsh in the East Series and three times in endurance races with a
Miata and a BMW.”
The team has a best finish at the track of seventh in 2023 with Jankowiak and has two chances to better
that this weekend.
“We hope to keep making gains,” said Jankowiak. “We had a top ten finish there a few years ago. Last
year, we didn’t have a great race so we have been working on it so we can get back up into the top ten.
“I think that every year is another great opportunity and every year we go back with more experience.
Even at the recent test (held at Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina), I jumped in the car and my
shifts were good right away. Normally, I’ve been fumbling around a bit there at first. So we’ve passed the
basics and now we just need to get the car a little bit better.”
Reen has a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen in his Miata and he had a solid run there in 2017 driving the
Ted Marsh owned #31 in what is now the ARCA East Series. That race ended early due to a brake failure.
Reen also raced in the ARCA Menards Series on the road course at Lime Rock Park earlier this season
in conjunction with KLAS Motorsports. Reen qualified tenth in that event but did not finish due to a broken
axle. That collaboration led to a closer relationship with KLAS Motorsports.
“I can’t thank (team owners) Kevin (Lapierre) and Andy (Seuss) enough,” said Reen. “It is really cool to
have this relationship with their team grow. We’ve known each other in the Modified community, but until
this year we never really knew each other like we do now. I made one dumb decision to buy a racecar
and that has built this relationship. It started when I bought a car from Ted Marsh and I called Andy for
some advice. I’m too stubborn to know that I can fail and Andy bought into that and has really helped me.
There aren’t a lot of people in the world like that who just won’t give up.”
Additional marketing partners for the event include DaK’s Market, Acacia Energy, Automotive
Consultants, Florida Safety Systems, Ranch Fuel, Phillips 66 Lubricants and Yukon Creek Sportsman
Club.
The General Tire 100 at The Glen is scheduled for Friday, August 8 th . It will be broadcast live on Fox
Sports 2 starting at 2pm ET.