Drag Illustrated Issue 113, September 2016 | Page 77

PHOTOS: STEVE JANIS MIKE JANIS JR. “We’re working fulltime with the business so it’s not like we can work on the car during the day like most other guys can. We’re working on the car at 4 a.m. It might be late at night before we’re ready to pack up. We’re normally one of the last teams into the track, whether it’s late Thursday night or early Friday morning. That’s how it’s always been and until something changes, that’s how we’re going to keep doing it.” As trying as it might be to compete on doorslammer racing’s largest stage with such a small crew and budget, Mike Sr. also can appreciate the positives of his current situation. When a tightknit group of family and friends can come together to defeat the big dogs, the win lights are a few shades brighter. “A lot of times it’s hard to deal with, but it has a big impact on me personally when we know we can go out there as a small, family team and we can run as good or better and dominate. We’re all just working guys and we can put it all to gether and get along well. There’s no arguments or fighting. Win, lose or draw, we’re always having a good time on the way home. It’s a great feeling when you know you can do it. It gives you the drive to keep doing it, too.” The Jan-Cen Motorsports team has been competing without a major backer for the last few seasons. The sponsorship acquisition role is another area where Janis Jr. has used his talents to help the family team race to the front. He’s actively seeking a primary sponsor to join the likes of Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Wally Stroupe Race Cars, MAHLE Clevite, Total Seal Rings, Line to Line Coatings, Goodyear Tire, and T&D Rockers as Jan-Cen partners. A breakthrough on the sponsorship hunt would mean big things for September 2016 Janis and his dad, though he insists they won’t be resting on their sponsor’s dollars. “We can outwork anybody. We’re not afraid to get up and work early in the morning. If the finances were available, it really wouldn’t change how we work on the car or the business,” Janis Jr. insists. “It would give us the freedom not to worry and to do a little more. We would be able to put more people in place at the shop so we could go testing more. That would really help our program a lot. If we had the opportunity to have major funding, I think the other guys (in Pro Mod) might want to consider staying home.” Janis’ on-track R&D program would be the first thing to receive a boost from a major sponsorship, since a rigorous testing schedule is almost required to compete at the top level of the NHRA Pro Mod series. Aside from a few laps at Virginia Motorsports Park before the threerace “East Coast Swing” and a short session at New York’s Empire Dragway, the Janis team does all of their testing during race weekends or in the dyno room back at the shop. “We went testing at a local track last weekend. This is what guys like Rickie Smith do mostly every week. You can get so far ahead if you have the backing to go testing and not have to worry about hurting parts. That’s just a big part of the game right now unfortunately. We know that, but we’re willing to work with what we have. Hopefully someday it will pay off for us and we can get some sort of big deal going,” Janis Jr. says. Running a business in the motorsports industry has given Janis a special appreciation for the team’s sponsors. As someone who sees sponsorship proposals come across his desk on the regular, he takes special care to ensure the team’s backers are properly represented and get the most bang for their buck. “You have to realize that it’s no different than if somebody were to come to Mike Janis Superchargers/Jan-Cen Racing Engines and ask for money or product. It’s all about what you can do for the company. We hope we do a great job for them. These are some of the biggest companies in the United States, and the world for that matter. People like Forrest and Charlotte Lucas and Tom Bogner at Lucas Oil, we’re fortunate to be involved with them and we owe everything to these companies because they’re what keep us out there.” While his focus lies within the advancement of his father’s car and their Jan-Cen customers, Janis “IF WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MAJOR FUNDING, I THINK THE OTHER GUYS (IN PRO MOD) MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER STAYING HOME.” DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 77