NASCAR ARCA Menards Series: Andy Jankowiak Of Buffalo New York won the Taliadega Race

On April 25, 2026, it was a cloudy afternoon in Alabama as drivers were getting ready to roll out their cars and getting ready to take charge with 40 drivers underway to determine to take the race to win in the The Alabama Manufactured Housing 200. Fans were getting to watch this thrilling performance and show off their talent of racing. The Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 got underway with classic Talladega pack racing. Gio Ruggiero started on pole and led early, as the field quickly formed into tight, multi-car drafts. By lap 15, the top 10 cars broke away in a single-file train hugging the inside line, while the rest of the pack fought for position further back.

Andy Jankowiak, starting 10th in the No. 71 Hook’d Solutions Chevrolet for KLAS Motorsports, initially lost touch with the lead group during the first half. The veteran from Buffalo, New York, stayed patient, knowing the draft at Talladega always offers second chances. The first caution waved around lap 30 when Alli Owens spun in the tri-oval, bunching the field. A scheduled competition caution followed near lap 38, giving teams time to adjust and resetting the race for the second half.

As the field went back to green, the intensity ramped up. Ben Lindley led the most laps early with 23 total, while Cleetus McFarland (running as Garrett Mitchell in the No. 30 Ford) began showing strong speed and even led his first career ARCA laps. The middle cautions helped shuffle the order without major drama, allowing drivers like Jankowiak to methodically work forward using pushes from the draft. Surprisingly, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen made an appearance in the commentator booth and talked with Cleetus McFarland about how winning the race would be a huge opportunity. The moment brought some fun energy to the broadcast, with the commentators laughing along with him over the radio. For most of the run, it had been a smooth ride for Gio Ruggiero and Cleetus McFarland, but with 19 laps to go, Talladega’s chaos finally arrived. Eric Caudell in the No. 7 accidentally made contact with Bobby Earnhardt in the No. 89, sending Caudell’s car out of control into Turn 3. As smoke and haze filled the track, Bryan Dauzat in the No. 75 tried to avoid the wreck, but with almost no visibility, he slammed into Caudell. The hard crash brought out Caution No. 4 on Lap 59 and completely reset the race with the finish closing in. After the wreck, safety crews rushed into action as ambulances and tow trucks rolled onto the track to check on the drivers and clear the damaged cars. The biggest concern was making sure everyone involved was okay after the heavy impact and low-visibility crash. Once the medical team looked over the drivers and the tow crews began removing the wrecked cars, the race stayed under caution while officials worked to get Talladega cleaned up for the next restart.

The real fireworks erupted in the second half. With roughly seven laps to go, the “Big One” struck near the tri-oval. The race saw its most destructive caution of the day, turning into a massive Talladega pileup that forced the red flag. It started when Thomas Annunziata in the No. 70 went around after Will Kimmel in the No. 69 contacted and loosened him from behind. Annunziata slid down into Gio Ruggiero in the No. 18, and from there, the wreck quickly spread through the pack. George “Squirrel McNutt” Siciliano in the No. 0, Andrew Patterson in the No. 1, and Ryan Huff in the No. 36 all made contact in the crash, while Bryce Haugeberg in the No. 11, Tim Richmond in the No. 27, Bobby Dale Earnhardt in the No. 89, and Ron Vandermeir Jr. in the No. 26 all received damage. Annunziata drove his damaged car through the grass of the tri-oval after getting wrecked, while some drivers limped back to pit road and others were left stranded on the track. The crash brought out a major caution and stopped the race under red flag conditions as safety crews checked on the drivers and worked to clean up the damaged cars. During the delay, an additional car even crashed under caution, extending the downtime and adding even more chaos to an already wild Talladega finish.

On the final green-white-checkered-style dash, Isabella Robusto and others lined up near the front, but McFarland earned a prime position. As the leaders charged into the final lap, a wild three-wide battle unfolded. McFarland and Gus Dean banged doors aggressively in the tri-oval while fighting for the lead. That contact briefly slowed them just enough—opening the high lane for Jankowiak.

Lurking in the draft with McFarland earlier, Jankowiak pulled a massive run from further back, dove outside, cleared the pack, and surged to the checkered flag by a razor-thin 0.111 seconds over McFarland (with Dean just 0.114 back in third). Isabella Robusto and Gio Ruggiero rounded out the top five in the chaotic scramble.

Andy Jankowiak’s first career ARCA Menards Series win in his 48th start was pure Talladega magic with a thriller of patience in the first half paid off with perfect positioning and a last-lap heroics in the second. The race featured nine lead changes among five drivers, five cautions for 26 laps, and one red flag everything fans love about plate racing.

It was a breakthrough moment for the Buffalo grinder, honoring his late father and proving that staying calm through the early chaos can lead to glory when the green flies one final time. He also had an interview with Fox Sports that he was thankful that his friends and members that witnessed his moment of being the Champion of The Alabama Manufactured Housing 200. He was very calm and happy that he won for the very first time that took him into the Championship Spot.