Family tragedy, following a dream against the hardships, not succeeding at the first, second, third, or even the subsequent attempts, but keeping at it, until one day, you succeed. That’s not a story from a Hollywood blockbuster. That’s the story of Andy Jankowiak and his hard-earned, well-deserved win. But just like any other story, be it Hollywood or the world of NASCAR, the story of Jankowiak’s first win is not without its critics.

Andy Jankowiak literally had his dream come true at Talladega

Racing in his 48th start in over 6 years in the ARCA Series, Andy Jankowiak finally got his first win at Talladega on Saturday. During a one-lap shootout towards the end of the 76-lap race, he put himself in the right position at the right time. However, speaking about his win after the race, Jankowiak claimed he didn’t know he had won and that the race had ended.

“I thought there was one more lap. The radio was super staticky. I’m still waiting to wake up here for a second. This effort, everything that got me to ARCA,” Jankowiak told FOX Sports.

The 38-year-old thanked his team for their efforts in pushing him to the victory lane and for making his dream come true, literally. “What an adventure. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Like, people just don’t realize how many little things it took to get to this step. I’m gonna wake up in a minute. I’ve done this before I just always wake up,” he added.

To understand the weight behind his comments, one needs to look at his journey, which unfortunately includes a tragic incident. Before he ever raced in the ARCA Series, Jankowiak started his career racing in the NASCAR Modified Tour in 2019. However, it wasn’t the first time a driver with his last name had raced in that series.

His father, Tony Jankowiak, used to race modified stock cars back in the 1980s. And just like his son, the elder Jankowiak was also a relentless believer in his dreams, even in the face of personal tragedies. Despite losing both of his racing heroes, Richie Evans and Tommy Druar (brother-in-law), in modified racing incidents, he continued to follow his heart and passion. But on April 22, 1990, Tony Jankowiak lost his life tragically during a race at Stafford Speedway.

A little over 36 years later from that tragic day, his son, Andy Jankowiak, captured his first ARCA win. And just like his father, he too has followed his passion and heart in the face of hardships.

When he’s not strapped inside a racecar on tracks like Talladega, Andy Jankowiak delivers pizza to make a living in Buffalo, New York. In fact, he has been doing that for over a decade. In a 2023 interview, he opened up on the pizza chain he works for, Bob & John’s La Hacienda in North Buffalo, being on board with his racing ambitions.

“There are all into it. They know what we are doing. If I ever don’t get a shift covered they will fire me, but I have always been pretty good wheeling and dealing and making favors,” Jankowiak said.

But despite his well-earned win, the lineage of racecar drivers in his family, and his resilience in continuing to race despite fear and hardships, some fans still didn’t fully embrace Jankowiak’s first win at Talladega Superspeedway.

Fans defend Jankowiak against the boos after his win

One of the drivers Andy Jankowiak beat by a margin of 0.111 seconds on his way to the victory lane was Cleetus McFarland. For the uninitiated, McFarland is currently the most famous and followed driver in the NASCAR world. He has over 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube, which is a big part of his appeal.

So when someone manages to get the better of McFarland, boos from the crowd aren’t entirely surprising. But it is disappointing nevertheless, as some fans pointed out.

One fan wrote to Jankowiak, being booed after his win, “Dude is living his own Dram. Cleetus isn’t the only driver out there that matters. All drivers in the field have their own dreams of winning. Wish Cleetus fans could have half the class that Cleetus has. He congratulated Andy,” he wrote. Another fan made a similar point, writing, “Kinda odd because one of the first things cleetus did was go to victory lane to congratulate Andy J.”

To their point, Cleetus McFarland did congratulate Jankowiak in his post-race interview. “Andy passed us, got the W, congratulations to him,” he said.

A fan mentioned that Andy Jankowiak winning and McFarland losing wasn’t the former’s fault, but the latter’s. “I just don’t get it, Andy didn’t even do nothing wrong, Cleetus & Robusto f**ked up on their own, them losing was their own mistake, Andy simply took advantage by taking the outside whilst Cleetus & Robusto duked it out on the inside,” he wrote.

Driving the No. 73 KLAS Motorsports Toyota, Jankowiak left behind both McFarland and Gus Dean through the tri-oval during the overtime restart to have his unforgettable moment at the Alabama Manufactured Housing 200. Still, the story of the day belonged to Cleetus McFarland.

It can be argued that McFarland was, too, having a career run as he led laps for the first time in ARCA and had his best finish at second. He was firmly in contention during the final-lap scramble, moving up to block Dean before Jankowiak made the best use of the outside lane.

We can say it was a clash of two stories, but it doesn’t mean both cannot coexist with their importance intact. McFarland made one of the biggest crossover stories in recent ARCA history. And for Jankowiak, we don’t need to say much now, do we?

Moreover, isn’t that last-minute drama and thrill all Talladega is supposed to be about? And the finish had it all, with three-wide racing, cars inches apart, and a result settled by mere feet at the stripe.

So, a couple of fans pointed out how McFarland fans were being ignorant and ‘simping’ over their favorite driver. “Because everyone simped over cleetus all damn day,” one fan wrote, while another claimed, “⁠Just because your YouTuber didn’t win doesn’t mean we should discredit one of the best arca underdogs ⁠⁠i don’t think “be like biff” ever meant booing anybody.”

So, while Jankowiak was booed after his win, he’d be happy to see that the majority of the fans not only support him but were also aware and appreciative of all that it took for him to reach where he was.