About Jan's Racing
From Tow Hook to Checkered Flag
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The Quiet Dream of Jan Qualkenbush In the predawn hours of a San Gabriel Valley morning, when most folks are still asleep, Jan Qualkenbush has already been up for hours. For more than four decades, that's how it's been—since 1979, when a young man fresh out of high school in Glendora opened his own towing shop. Jan's Towing started small: one truck, one driver, endless calls in the middle of the night. Flat tires on the 210 freeway. Wrecked cars in the canyons. Families stranded after accidents, needing someone reliable to show up when everything else had gone wrong.
Jan showed up. Every time. Calm under pressure, professional to the core, kind even when the job was grueling. He built a fleet, hired good people, earned the trust of local police departments in Azusa, Glendora, Covina, and beyond. He expanded into heavy-duty recoveries, mountain tows, even race track support. But through all those long shifts and late nights, Jan carried a quiet dream in his pocket: racing.
Motorsports had always pulled at him. The roar of engines, the strategy of the track, the camaraderie in the garage. Over the years, he didn't just watch from the stands—he put his money where his heart was. Jan sponsored drivers up and down the West Coast short tracks and beyond. He helped young talents chase their laps without ever asking for the spotlight. No big press releases, no banners screaming his name. Just quiet support from a man who knew what it meant to grind for something bigger than yourself.
Those sponsorships were never about fame. They were about giving back—lifting others the way Jan had lifted broken-down cars and broken-down spirits for decades. His towing business taught him patience, reliability, and how to stay composed when the stakes were high. Those same lessons would one day fuel something new.
By the early 2020s, after building a successful, respected company that served the community 24/7, Jan decided it was time. The dream he'd held for so long wasn't going to wait any longer. In 2024, he launched Jan's Racing Team in the ARCA Menards Series West—a step into ownership that felt like the natural next chapter.
The results came fast—and they came with heart-pounding drama, proving Jan Qualkenbush's vision was built to last.
In the team's breakout showcase at Irwindale Speedway during the 2024 ARCA West doubleheader, Jan put two of the West Coast's toughest, most respected talents together: his longtime friend and multi-year Irwindale Speedway track champion Nick Joanides at the wheel of the No. 71 Ford, and another Irwindale multi-year champion, Rip Michaels, calling the shots as crew chief. The chemistry was instant. Joanides, a master of the half-mile bullring with deep roots at his home track, ripped off a scorching lap of 18.380 seconds to snag the pole position—leading the field to the green and outqualifying a loaded field of top competitors in a career-first ARCA pole.
An unfortunate post-qualifying issue forced the Jan's Racing Ford to the rear of the field for the start, turning a potential runaway into a gritty test of skill, patience, and teamwork. But Joanides, drawing on his vast experience attacked the track lap after lap. They sliced through traffic with surgical precision—dodging wrecks, capitalizing on restarts, and picking off cars one by one in a masterclass charge. By the checkered flag, the relentless drive delivered a hard-earned, impressive top finish—proof that Jan's blend of loyalty, local talent, and professional grit could turn setbacks into statements on any given night.
That Irwindale performance set the tone for everything that followed. The results continue to show. In their early seasons, the team notched wins, pole positions, and standout performances, with victories by drivers like Kyle Keller and Robbie Kennealy. Keller broke through for his first ARCA Menards Series West win at Tri-City Raceway, while Kennealy earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2025 and scored an emotional first victory at All American Speedway—leading every lap from the pole in a race that carried deep personal meaning.
The operation expanded, adding talented 15-year-old Cole Denton for a full 2026 campaign, and even made Jan's Racing's very first Daytona ARCA race for the first time with Robbie Kennealy behind the wheel. Robbie, at just 19, stepped into a mentor role himself, passing on the lessons Jan had instilled. The two-car team finished strong in points standings in 2025—highlighted by Kennealy's third-place championship finish—proving that kindness and professionalism could compete with the biggest budgets.
Recognition came too—nominee nods for the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame, reflecting decades of contributions as a sponsor and now as an owner who leads with kindness.
Today, as the team pushes forward—with cars carrying the Jan's Towing logo flying around tracks from Kern to Daytona—Jan still shows up the same way he always has. In the garage, offering calm advice. Checking in with drivers like Robbie Kennealy (fresh off his strong Daytona debut, starting P10 and finishing 15th in a stacked field) and Cole Denton. Back at the shop in Glendora, making sure everything's ready for the next haul, whether it's a stranded motorist or a race car headed to battle.
The tow hook that once pulled wrecked vehicles now tows dreams forward—from the half-mile bullrings of the West Coast like Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway to the high banks of superspeedways like Daytona International Speedway. And in every lap, every recovery, every act of mentorship, you can see the thread running through it all: a lifetime of hard work, kindness, and professionalism finally earning the spotlight it never chased.
Jan Qualkenbush didn't build his story for recognition. But the racing world—from Kern to Daytona—is starting to notice anyway. This is the example of hard work, determination and a man's dream coming true.