Alan Kulwicki

Infobox NASCAR driver


Name = Alan Dennis Kulwicki
Birthdate = birth date|1954|12|14|mf=y
Died = death date and age|1993|4|1|1954|12|14|mf=y
Birthplace = Greenfield, Wisconsin
Cause of Death = Airplane crash near Blountville, Tennessee
Best_Cup_Pos = 1st (1992 Winston Cup Series)
Cup_Wins = 5
Cup_Top_Tens = 75
Cup_Poles = 24
First_Cup_Race = 1985 Wrangler SanforSet 400 (Richmond)
First_Cup_Win = 1988 Checker 500 (Phoenix)
Last_Cup_Win = 1992 Champion Spark Plug 500 (Pocono)
Last_Cup_Race = 1993 TranSouth 500 (Darlington)
Best_Busch_Pos = 50th (1984 Busch Grand National Series)
Busch_Wins = 0
Busch_Top_Tens = 3
Busch_Poles = 1
First_Busch_Race = 1984 Red Carpet 200 (Milwaukee)
Last_Busch_Race = 1985 Milwaukee Sentinel 200 (Milwaukee)
Awards = 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year

Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998

2002 inductee in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame

inducted in the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Famecite web |url=http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/race/jul99/damato25072499.asp |title=Honor stirs up fond memories of Kulwicki |author=Gary D'Amato |accessdate=2007-07-25 |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=July 25, 1999]

1997 inductee into Bristol Motor Speedway's Heroes of Bristol Hall of Fame

inducted in the Lowe's Motor Speedway's Court of Legends

1996 inductee in the Talladega-Texaco Hall of Fame
Achievements = 1992 Winston Cup driver's and owner's champion
Years_In_Cup = 9
Total_Cup_Races = 207
Years_In_Busch = 2
Total_Busch_Races = 6

Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 – April 1, 1993), nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before he moved up to regional stock car touring series . He arrived at NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with only a borrowed pickup truck, a racecar, no sponsor, and a limited budget.cite web |url=http://www.polishsportshof.com/bios/kulwicki_a_complete.html |title=Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-14 |publisher=National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame] Despite starting with meager equipment and finances, Kulwicki earned the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award over drivers racing for well-funded teams.

After Kulwicki won his first race at Phoenix International Raceway, he turned his car around for his trademark "Polish Victory Lap". Kulwicki won five more races before winning the 1992 Winston Cup championship by the then-closest margin in NASCAR history. He celebrated his championship by doing his second Polish Victory Lap. Kulwicki was unable to defend his championship; he died early in 1993 in a light aircraft accident while returning to a racetrack from a promotional event. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers, [cite web |url=http://premium.nascar.com/KNOW/history/greatestdrivers/ |title=NASCAR'S 50 GREATEST DRIVERS |accessdate=2007-09-07 |publisher=NASCAR] and he has been inducted into numerous racing halls of fame.

Kulwicki was known for being a perfectionist and doing things his own way. An engineer by trade, his scientific approach to NASCAR racing inspires the way teams are now run.

He was insistent in driving for his own race team during most of his NASCAR career despite lucrative offers from top car owners.cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEED61130F936A35757C0A965958260 |title=Kulwicki Raced, Reigned As a Driven Outsider |accessdate=2007-09-26 |work=The New York Times | date=April 5, 1993 | author=Joseph Siano] His publicist indicated that Kulwicki was "a real hard type of person to get to know", and he remained a bachelor throughout his life.

Background

Alan Kulwicki grew up in Greenfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee known for its Polish-American neighborhoods, near the Milwaukee Mile racetrack.cite web |url=http://oak-park-journal.com/NASCAR/2004-milwaukee-mile-hornaday-wins-june-26th.html |title=Veterans Reign again. Ron Hornaday Wins Alan Kulwicki 250 in Milwaukee |author=Dan Peters |accessdate=2007-07-29 |publisher=Oak Park Journal |date=June 26, 2004] After his mother died, his father, brother and he moved in with his grandmother; she died when Kulwicki was in the seventh grade. A year later, his brother died of a hemophilia-related illness.cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5D91230F934A15751C1A964958260 |title=Demystifying Racing's Independent Champion |accessdate=2008-04-07 |publisher=The New York Times | date=December 27, 1992 | author=Joseph Siano] Kulwicki attended Pius XI High School, a private Roman Catholic high school in Milwaukee,cite web |url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=182862 |title=Title tracks: Kulwicki, Kenseth: two roads to top |author=Dave Kallmann |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=November 6, 2003] and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1977. His knowledge of engineering is often cited as contributing to his success as a driver because it helped him better understand the physics of a racecar.cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_39_226/ai_95266973 |title=Newman and Johnson teams are engineering a bright future - Insider |accessdate=2008-04-07 |publisher=The Sporting News |author=Spencer, Lee |date=2002-09-30] He first raced on local racetracks as a hobby while in college before becoming a full-time professional racer in 1980.cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D91230F934A15751C1A964958260 |title=Demystifying Racing's Independent Champion |accessdate=2007-09-26 |publisher=The New York Times | date=December 27, 1992 | author=Joseph Siano] Kulwicki was a devout Roman Catholic his entire life; he always raced with a Saint Christopher devotional medal in his racecar.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2003/news/headlines/wc/03/31/kulwicki_stories/index.html |title=Stories provide glimpse of Kulwicki's character |date=April 1, 2003|accessdate=2007-09-07 |publisher=NASCAR]

Racing career

Early racing career

Kulwicki began his racing career as a 13-year-old kart racer. His father built engines for Norm Nelson and Roger McCluskey's United States Automobile Club (USAC) racecars.cite web |url=http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/race/jul99/damato25072499.asp |title=Honor stirs up fond memories of Kulwicki |author=Gary D'Amato |accessdate=2007-07-25 |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=July 25, 1999] His father's work involved travel to races, so he was unable to help Kulwicki at most kart races. Kulwicki's resourcefulness was often tested trying to find someone to transport his kart to the track. When Kulwicki would ask his father for advice, he would end up doing most of the work himself. "I showed him how", Gerry Kulwicki said. "And he said: 'Why don't you do it? You can do it better.' And I said, 'Well, if you do it for a while, you can do it better.'"

Many local-level American racetracks host their own season championships. Numerous locations in Wisconsin held dirt and asphalt short track racing. Kulwicki started racing stock cars at the local level at Hales Corners Speedway and Cedarburg Speedway dirt oval tracks. He won the 1973 Rookie of the Year award at Hales Corners Speedway in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, and the next year started racing late models there. Late model cars are the fastest and most complicated type of stock cars that are raced on the local level. He won his first feature race that season at Leo's Speedway in Oshkosh.

Kulwicki moved from dirt tracks to paved tracks in 1977. He teamed up with racecar builder Greg Krieger to research, model, engineer, and construct an innovative car with far more torsional stiffness than other late models.cite journal |last=Krieger |first=Greg |issn=0734-7340 |year=1993 |month=July |title=Stock Car Racing |journal= |volume=28 |issue=7 |pages=31 |accessdate= 2007-09-13 |quote=Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses" ] The increased stiffness allowed the car to handle better in the corners, which increased its speed. He raced on the high-banked Slinger Super Speedway, winning the track championship in 1977.Theisen, Mark, quoted in Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", page 32.] In 1978, Kulwicki returned to Slinger; that same year he started racing a late model at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR), finishing third in points in his rookie season at the track. [cite web |url=http://www.frrcracing.com/Pointshistory.htm#Final_1978_Point_Standings_ |title=Fox River Racing Club: Final 1978 Points Standings |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Wisconsin International Raceway] In 1979 and 1980, he won the WIR late model track championships. [cite web |url=http://www.frrcracing.com/Pointshistory.htm#Final_1979_Point_Standings_ |title=Fox River Racing Club: Final 1979 Points Standings |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Wisconsin International Raceway] [cite web |url=http://www.frrcracing.com/pointshistory8089.htm#Final_1980_Point_Standings_ |title=Fox River Racing Club: Final 1980 Points Standings |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Wisconsin International Raceway]

Kulwicki began competing in regional to national level events sanctioned by the USAC Stock Car series and the American Speed Association (ASA) in 1979,cite web |url=http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=60 |title=Alan Kulwicki USAC Stock Car results (unlabeled) |accessdate=2007-09-07 |publisher=Ultimate Racing History] while remaining an amateur racer through 1980. Kulwicki raced against future NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace in the ASA series, and the two became friends. Kulwicki's top finish in the ASA season points championship was third place, which he accomplished in both 1982 and 1985, with five career victories and twelve pole positions.cite web |url=http://www.clcmiddleton.co.uk/mc.dysonm.ns/Publish/page4body.htm |page=2 |title=Kulwicki Press Kit |accessdate=2007-08-10 |author=Tom Roberts |publisher=Kulwicki's Press agent]

Winston Cup career

1980s

Kulwicki raced in four NASCAR Busch Grand National Series (now Nationwide Series) races in 1984.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/bg/data/1984/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1984 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR] At the time, the Busch Grand National Series was considered NASCAR's feeder circuit, a proving ground for drivers who wished to step up to the organization's premiere circuit, the Winston Cup. It is comparable to Formula One's relationship with Formula 2/Formula 3000/GP2 Series. Kulwicki qualified second fastest and finished in second place at his first career NASCAR race. The race took place at the Milwaukee Mile, which is located several city blocks from where he grew up.cite web |url=http://oak-park-journal.com/NASCAR/2004-milwaukee-mile-hornaday-wins-june-26th.html |title=Veterans Reign again.. Ron Hornaday Wins Alan Kulwicki 250 in Milwaukee |author=Dan Peters |accessdate=2007-07-29 |publisher=Oak Park Journal |date=June 26, 2004] Later that year, he finished seventh at Charlotte and fifth at Bristol. In 1985, Kulwicki had a sixteenth place finish in the season-opening Busch Series race at Daytona. He won the pole position at that year's event in Milwaukee, but finished fourteenth with engine problems. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/bg/data/1985/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1985 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR] Kulwicki's Busch Series successes caught car owner Bill Terry's eye, and Terry offered Kulwicki a chance to race for him in a few Winston Cup events.cite book |last= Burt |first= William |title= NASCAR's Best |publisher= Motorbooks International |year= 2004 |isbn= 0-7603-1797-6 |pages=pages 242–244]

In 1985, Kulwicki sold most of his belongings (so that he could not change his mind), including his short track racing equipment, to move halfway across the nation from Wisconsin to the Charlotte area in North Carolina.cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1D91030F930A35757C0A965958260 |title=Alan Kulwicki, 38, Racer And Stock-Car Champion |accessdate=2007-09-26 |publisher=The New York Times | date=April 3, 1993 | author=ROBERT MCG. THOMAS JR.] He kept only a few things; his pickup truck was loaded to tow a trailer full with furniture and tools. An electrical fire two days before he left destroyed his truck, so Kulwicki had to borrow one to pull the trailer. After arriving in the Charlotte area, he showed up unexpectedly at Terry's shop ready to race. Veteran NASCAR drivers were initially amused by Kulwicki's arrival on the national tour: He was a driver from the northern United States when the series was primarily a southern regional series,cite web |url=http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/33878/ |pages=1 |title=CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-09 |date=November 10, 2006 |publisher=SPEED Channel |author=Tom Jensen] he had an mechanical engineer degree when few other drivers had completed college, and he had limited driving experience in the junior Busch series with only six starts. Kulwicki was described as very studious, hard working, no-nonsense, and something of a loner.cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070510222658/http://www.motorsportshalloffame.com/halloffame/2002/Alan_Kulwicki_main.htm |title=Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=International Motorsports Hall of Fame] cite web |url=http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/33878/?page=2 |pages=2 |title=CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-09 |date=November 10, 2006 |publisher=SPEED Channel |author=Tom Jensen] He frequently walked the garage area in his race uniform carrying a briefcase. Kulwicki made his first career Winston Cup start at Richmond on September 8, 1985, for Bill Terry's #32/#35 Ford team sponsored by Hardee's. He competed in five races that season for Terry, and his highest finish was thirteenth. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1985/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1985 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR]

Kulwicki started his rookie season in 1986 with Terry. After Terry decided to close his racing team during the season, Kulwicki fielded his own team. Kulwicki started out as essentially a one-man team in a time when other teams had dozens of people in supporting roles. He initially was the driver, owner, crew chief, and chief mechanic. He had difficulty acquiring and keeping crew members because he found it difficult to trust them to do the job with the excellence that he demanded, and because he was hands-on in the maintenance of racecars to the point of being a control freak. He sought out crew members who had owned their own racecars, believing they would understand what he was going through: working long hours, doing his own car maintenance, and having a very limited budget.cite web |url=http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/33878/?page=3 |pages=3 |title=CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-09 |date=November 10, 2006 |publisher=SPEED Channel |author=Tom Jensen] Notable crew members included his crew chief Paul Andrews, future Cup crew chiefs Tony Gibson and Brian Whitesell. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2003/news/headlines/wc/03/31/kulwicki_team/index.html |title=A decade later, Kulwicki's crew races on |accessdate=2007-07-05 |publisher=NASCAR |date=April 1, 2003 |author=Ryan Smithson] Future crew chief and owner Ray Evernham lasted six weeks with Kulwicki in 1992. Evernham said, "The man was a genius. There's no question. It's not a matter of people just feeling like he was a genius. That man "was" a genius. But his personality paid for that. He was very impatient, very straightforward, very cut-to-the-bone".cite book |last= Hinton |first= Ed |title= Daytona: from the Birth of Speed to the Death of the Man in Black |publisher= Warner Books |year= 2001 |isbn=3-4270-00004-3637 |pages=pages 268–271] With one car, two engines, and two full-time crew members, Kulwicki won the 1986 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award. He had competed in 23 of 29 events, with four Top 10 finishes, three Did Not Finishes (DNF), and an average finish of 15.4, ending only one race worse than 30th place. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1986/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1986 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR]

For the 1987 season, Kulwicki secured primary sponsorship from Zerex Antifreeze and changed his car number to #7.cite web |url=http://www.speedtv.com/articles/automotiveconsumer/automotive/32812/ |pages=1 |title=SPEEDtv.com Reviewed: "Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story" |accessdate=2007-09-19 |date=September 24, 2006 |publisher=SPEED Channel |author=Gregg Leary] He picked up his first career pole position in the season's third race at Richmond. He qualified fastest again later that season at the races at Richmond and Dover. Kulwicki came close to winning his first Winston Cup race at Pocono, finishing second after winner Dale Earnhardt passed him on the last lap. [cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DC1331F933A15754C0A961948260&scp=11&sq=pocono%20nascar%201987&st=cse |title=Results Plus |accessdate=2008-05-22 |work=The New York Times | date=July 20, 1987] Kulwicki finished fifteenth in the Winston Cup points for the season, with nine Top 10 finishes, eleven DNFs, and an average finish of 18.2 in 29 events. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1987/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1987 driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR]

In 1988, Kulwicki hired Paul Andrews as his crew chief after Andrews was recommended by Rusty Wallace at the 1987 NASCAR Awards banquet. Kulwicki won his first NASCAR Winston Cup race in the season's second-to-last race at Phoenix International Raceway after race leader Ricky Rudd's car had motor problems late in the race. Kulwicki led 41 laps and won by 18.5 seconds.cite web |url=http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/33878/?page=4 |pages=4 |title=CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-09 |date=November 10, 2006 |publisher=SPEED Channel |author=Tom Jensen] After the race finished, he turned around his car, and made his Polish Victory Lap by driving the opposite way (clockwise) on the track with the driver's side of the racecar facing toward the fans. "This gave me the opportunity to wave to the crowd from the driver's side", Kulwicki explained. Andrew recalled, "He had wanted to do something special and something different for his first win and only his first." quote|It's been a long road and it's taken a lot of hard work to get here, but this has made it all worthwhile. When you work for something so hard for so long, you wonder if it's going to be worth all of the anticipation. Believe me, it certainly was. And what do you think of my Polish victory lap? There will never be another first win and you know, everybody sprays champagne or stands up on the car. I wanted to do something different for the fans.|Kulwicki quote in "Grand National Scene" magazine He had four pole positions in 29 events, nine Top 10 finishes including two second place finishes, twelve DNFs, and an average finish of 19.2 in 1988. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1988/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1988 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR] Kulwicki started his own engine-building program for the 1989 season, and the team suffered nine DNF results because of engine problems in a sixteen-race span.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1989/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1989 driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR] He had four second place finishes that season, and he held the points lead after the fifth race of the season. In 29 races, he had six pole positions, nine Top 10 finishes, and finished fourteenth in season points. The team had a new workshop built during the season.

1990s

Junior Johnson, owner of one of the top NASCAR teams, approached Kulwicki at the beginning of the 1990 season and asked Kulwicki to drive one of his cars. Kulwicki declined, stating that he was more interested in running his own team. He won his second Cup race at Rockingham on October 21, 1990, and finished eighth in points that year, his first finish in the Top 10 points in a season. In 29 races, he had thirteen Top 10 finishes and one pole position.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1990/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1990 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR]

Before the 1991 season, Zerex ended their sponsorship of Kulwicki's team. Johnson was expanding his operation to a two-car team and offered Kulwicki a ride in his second car. Kulwicki turned down Johnson's $1,000,000 offer, thinking that he had secured a sponsorship deal with Maxwell House coffee. Johnson ended up securing the sponsorship for his second team, so Kulwicki began the season sponsorless, paying expenses out of his own pocket.cite book |last=Golenbock |first=Peter |title=The Last Lap |publisher=Macmillan |year=1998 |isbn=0-02-862147-6 |pages=pages 345–362] At the opening race of the season, the 1991 Daytona 500, five cars raced with paint schemes representing different branches of the United States military to show support for the American forces involved in the Gulf War.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/04/09/cup.paint.schemes/1.html |title=Special paint schemes Cup's fashionable trend |accessdate=2008-05-22 |publisher=NASCAR | author=Raygan Swan | date=April 9, 2007] It was the first use of special paint schemes in NASCAR history. Kulwicki's car was sponsored by the United States Army in a one-race deal.cite web |url=http://www.speedtv.com/articles/automotiveconsumer/automotive/32812/?page=2 |pages=2 |title=SPEEDtv.com Reviewed: "Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story" |accessdate=2007-09-19 |date=September 24, 2006 |publisher=SPEED Channel |author=Gregg Leary] After running the second and third races of the season in a plain white unsponsored car, Kulwicki was approached by Hooters for a one-race sponsorship deal for the fourth race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hooters had been sponsoring Mark Stahl's car, but Stahl did not qualify for the race. Kulwicki had qualified on the pole position for the upcoming race. Hooters and Kulwicki signed a one-race sponsorship agreement, followed by a long-term deal after Kulwicki finished eighth in the race. Later in the season, Kulwicki won the Bristol night race for his third career win. In 29 races, he had eleven Top 10 finishes, four poles, and finished thirteenth in the points.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1991/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1991 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR]

1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship

Kulwicki passed Dale Jarrett with 27 laps left at the Food City 500 race on April 5th at Bristol to take a narrow victory. It was Kulwicki's fourth Winston Cup victory. He never left the Top 5 in season points after the race.cite web |url=http://www.talladegawalk.com/previous_inductees/kulwicki_alan.htm |title=Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-17 |publisher=Talladega Walk of Fame] Andrews attributed Kulwicki's consistently strong performances to the steady performance in newly adopted radial tires throughout their lifespan. He said, "It was hard to control them, and the driver's ability to work with that car during practice in order to get the car set up meant so much more than it ever did." Kulwicki's only other victory in the season was at the first race at Pocono. Kulwicki was discounted as a contender for the season championship during the year, and he was expected to fade from contention. He qualified on the pole position for the Peak AntiFreeze 500 race on September 20 at Dover, but he crashed early in the race and finished 34th.

Kulwicki was quite vocal that his 278-point deficit would probably be his undoing, and that the Dover race result would keep him from contending for the season title. Kulwicki was quoted as saying, "This probably finishes us off in the championship deal."cite web |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/1992-nascar.htm |title=1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Recap |accessdate=2008-02-10 |publisher=HowStuffWorks] On October 11, Mark Martin had a narrow victory over Kulwicki at the Mello Yello 500 at Charlotte. For the second race in a row, points leader Bill Elliott had problems, which left six drivers within reach of the championship lead with three races left to go. Elliott again had problems at the second-to-last race. Elliott's cracked cylinder head allowed race winner Davey Allison to take the points lead, with fourth place finisher Kulwicki second in season points and Elliott third.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2002/kyn/history/dbd/02/06/1992/index.html |title=1992 season recap |accessdate=2008-02-10 |publisher=NASCAR | date=2002-02-12]

The 1992 Hooters 500, the final race of the 1992 season, is considered one of the most eventful races in NASCAR history.cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/greatest_nascar/series_featured_copy.jhtml |title=Greatest NASCAR rivalries |publisher=Country Music Television |accessdate=2007-08-09] It was the final race for Richard Petty and the first race for Jeff Gordon. Six drivers were close enough in the points standings to win the championship that day.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/03/03/nascar.60.atlanta/index.html |title=Atlanta's NASCAR history dotted by champs, speed |accessdate=2008-05-11 |date=March 4, 2008 |publisher=NASCAR ] Allison led second-place Kulwicki by 30 points, Bill Elliott by 40, Harry Gant by 97, and Kyle Petty by 98. Allison needed to finish sixth or better to clinch the championship.cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-94334787.html?Q=alan%20kulwicki |title=10 years after: the points race isn't as tight as it was in 1992, but--like in '92--a new generation of drivers is taking over at the top. |accessdate=2007-09-19 |publisher=The Sporting News |author=McCarter, Mark |date=2002-11-11] Kulwicki received approval from NASCAR and Ford to change the "Thunderbird" lettering on his bumper for the race to "Underbird" because he felt like the underdog for winning the championship.cite book |last=Hintz |first=Martin |title=Wisconsin Sports Heroes |publisher=Big Earth Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=1931599076 |pages=page 55] Allison was racing in sixth place until Ernie Irvan's tire blew with 73 (of 328) laps left in the event. Allison ran into the side of Irvan's spinning car and was unable to continue. Kulwicki and Elliott were left to duel for the title. During Kulwicki's first pit stop, the first gear in the car's transmission broke. Andrews said, "We had to leave pit road in fourth gear, because we had broken metal parts in there, and only by leaving it in fourth are you not going to move metal around as much. We could only hope that the loose piece of metal didn't get in there and break the gears in half. We had three or four pit stops after it broke. I held my breath all day long." While leading late in the race, Andrews calculated the exact lap for his final pit stop so that Kulwicki would be guaranteed to lead the most laps and would gain five bonus points. Kulwicki stopped in the pits for his final pit stop only after leading enough laps to guarantee the bonus points. The pit crew did a fuel-only pit stop to save time. Not changing tires during the stop allowed the pit crew to be available to help push the car to prevent it from stalling, since the car had to start moving in very high gear. As the team's fuel man hurried to add the gasoline during the quick stop, he did not add the desired amount of gasoline from the fuel can into the racecar. Kulwicki had to conserve fuel to ensure that he was running at the end of the race. Elliott won the race and Kulwicki stretched his fuel to finish second. Kulwicki won the 1992 Winston Cup Champion by maintaining his 10 point lead over Elliott. He celebrated the championship with his second Polish Victory Lap.Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", p. 29.] Always conscious of his appearance for potential sponsors, Kulwicki combed his hair, making a national television audience wait for him to emerge from his car.cite episode | title = Hooters 500 | episodelink = | series = ESPN NASCAR race coverage | serieslink = | airdate = 1992-11-15 | season = 1992 | number = ]

Kulwicki overcame the 278-point deficit in the final six races of the season by ending with a fifth, a fourth, and two second place finishes. Kulwicki won the championship because of his consistent high finishes. It was the closest title win in NASCAR Cup Series history until the implementation of the Chase for the Cup format in 2004. The championship was noteworthy for other reasons: he was the last owner/driver to win the title,cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2002/kyn/history/drivers/02/02/akulwicki/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-09-07 |date=April 4, 2003 |publisher=NASCAR ] the first Cup champion with a college degree, and the first Cup champion born in a Northern state. The song that played during a short salute to Kulwicki at the year-end awards banquet was "My Way".

Championship honors

Kulwicki came back to his hometown Greenfield for Alan Kulwicki Day in January 1993. The gymnasium at Greenfield High School was filled and surrounded by four to five thousand people, and local television crews filmed the event. He signed autographs for six hours.Jeffords, Terry, quoted in Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", p. 47.]

In celebration of his championship, sponsor Hooters made a special "Alan Tribute Card" that was used at all of the autograph sessions during the 1993 season.cite web |url=http://www.trpr.com/Kulwicki.html |title=Alan Kulwicki story |accessdate=2007-07-04 |publisher=Tom Roberts Public Relations] Kulwicki did not change his spending habits after winning the 1992 championship. "The only thing I really wanted to buy was a plane", he said, "but it turns out Hooters has a couple I can use." [cite news |title=Alan Kulwicki |work=50 Years of Speed - The Thunder Under Your Feet | page=109 |publisher=American Media Operations |date=1997 |accessdate=2007-10-30 ]

Death

Kulwicki died in an airplane crash on Thursday April 1, 1993. He was returning in a Hooters corporate plane in a short flight across Tennessee from an appearance at the Knoxville Hooters before the Sunday spring race at Bristol. The plane slowed and crashed just before final approach at Tri-Cities Airport near Blountville.cite book |last= Hinton |first= Ed |title= Daytona: from the Birth of Speed to the Death of the Man in Black |publisher= Warner Books |year= 2001 |isbn=3-4270-00004-3637 |pages=pages 285–286] The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the crash to the pilot's failure to use the airplane's anti-ice system to clear ice from the engine inlet system.cite web |url=http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X12077&key=1 |title=NTSB Identification: ATL93MA068 |accessdate=2008-04-15 |date=March 16, 2004 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board]

Kulwicki was buried in his family plot at Saint Adalbert Cemetery in Milwaukee, consistent with other Polish Americans in the cemetery. Kulwicki's racecar transporter was driven away from the rainy track later that Friday morning while other teams and the media watched the driver travel slowly around the track with a black wreath on its grille.cite episode | title = Outside the Lines: Alan Kulwicki | episodelink = http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3323955&categoryId=2492290 | series = ESPN | airdate = 2008-04-01 ] In 2008, Kyle Petty described the slow laps as "the saddest thing I've ever seen at a racetrack... We just sat and cried." He had competed in five NASCAR races that season with three Top 6 finishes, and was ranked ninth in points at his death. [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/data/1993/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1993 official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR] In his career, he had won five NASCAR Winston Cup races, 24 pole positions, 75 Top 10 finishes, and one championship in 207 races.cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/akulwick00/cup/index.html |title=Alan Kulwicki's official driving statistics |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=NASCAR] [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/2001/NEWS/08/17/dalesr_duskey/ |title=Danger is always present for drivers |accessdate=2008-05-22 |publisher=NASCAR | author=Gaylen Duskey | date=August 20, 2001]

His car was driven by road course specialist Tommy Kendall on the road courses and by Jimmy Hensley at the other tracks. [cite web |url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/101304/ins_hensley.shtml |title=Corporate America snubs ‘rough’ drivers |accessdate=2008-05-19 |publisher=Augusta Chronicle | date=October 13, 2004 | author=Don Coble] [cite web |url=http://www.nascar.com/kyn/nbtn/cup/data/car/car_number_7.html |title=#7 History |accessdate=2008-05-19 |publisher=NASCAR] It was raced for most of the 1993 season until the team was sold to Geoff Bodine, who began operating the team as Geoff Bodine Racing. [cite book |last= Burt |first= William |title= NASCAR's Best |publisher= Motorbooks International |year= 2004 |isbn= 0-7603-1797-6 |pages=page 221]

Kulwicki had been selected to compete in the 1993 International Race of Champions (IROC) series as the reigning Winston Cup champion. He competed in two IROC races before his death. He finished ninth at Daytona and eleventh at Darlington. Dale Earnhardt raced for Kulwicki in the final two IROC races, and the prize money for those races and their fifth place combined points finish was given to the Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary, Brenner Children's' Hospital and St. Thomas Aquinas Church charities.cite web | url=http://irocracing.com/History/1993/1993-history.htm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040409163506/www.irocracing.com/History/1993/1993-history.htm |title=Alan Kulwicki's 1993 IROC official driving statistics |archivedate=2004-04-09 |accessdate=2008-04-10 |publisher=IROC]

Legacy

Three days after Kulwicki's death, Bristol race winner Rusty Wallace honored his former short track foe after the race by doing Kulwicki's trademark Polish Victory Lap. [cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DB133EF936A35757C0A965958260 |title=AUTO RACING |accessdate=2007-09-26 |publisher=The New York Times | date=April 5, 1993] After Davey Allison's death on July 13, 1993, a Kulwicki #7 sticker on competitor's cars was joined by Allison's #28 sticker. [cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEEDC173EF93AA25754C0A965958260 |title=AUTO RACING; A Flag. Taps. A Race With No Allison. |accessdate=2007-09-26 |publisher=The New York Times | date=July 19, 1993 | author=Joe Siano] After the final race of the season, series champion Dale Earnhardt and race winner Wallace drove a side-by-side Polish victory lap carrying flags for Kulwicki and Allison. [cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20021124164359/www.jsonline.com/sports/race/nov02/95912.asp |title=Wheels of fortune: Kulwicki reigned supreme on a day when NASCAR's history took a right turn |author=Dave Kallmann |accessdate=2007-10-02 |publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=November 15, 2002]

The USAR Hooters Pro Cup championship, the Four Champions Challenge, is named in memory of all four victims of that plane crash by series sponsor Hooters.cite web |url=http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=42190&FS=USAR |title=Hittin' Myrtle Beach |accessdate=2007-09-26 |publisher=Motorsport.com |date=May 2, 2000] The challenge was formed in 1997."HOOTERS Celebrating 25 Years." "HOOTERS Magazine". February/ March 2008. p. 69.] Each race in the four-race series is a memorial named after one of the four people who died in Kulwicki's plane crash, Kulwicki, Mark Brooks (son of Bob Brooks, the owner of the series' title sponsor, Hooters), Dan Duncan, and pilot Charles Campbell.cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/hooters/31482/docs/31482-Hooters_History.pdf |title=Hooters History |accessdate=2008-05-19 |publisher=Hooters | date=October 13, 2004 |page=page 6 |format=PDF]

Milwaukee County honored Kulwicki in 1996 by creating Alan Kulwicki Memorial Park. The park is located near the corner of Highway 100 and Cold Spring Road in Greenfield ( [http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&tab=wl&client=firefox-a&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=Alan+Kulwicki+Park+Greenfield%2C+WI Area Map] ). Hooters chairman Robert Brooks donated $250,000 to build the park. The convert|28|acre|km2|sp=us|abbr=on park features a Kulwicki museum inside the Brooks Pavilion. Bristol Motor Speedway has named its grandstand in Turns 1 and 2 in honor of Kulwicki, as well as a terrace above the grandstand. [cite web |url=http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/tickets/seating_chart/ |title=Seating Chart |accessdate=2007-10-03 |publisher=Bristol Motor Speedway] The 2004 Busch Series race at the Milwaukee Mile was named the "Alan Kulwicki 250" in honor of Kulwicki. Wisconsinite has held an annual Alan Kulwicki Memorial race since 1994.

He was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted in the Talladega-Texaco Hall of Fame in 1996, the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2001,cite web |url=http://www.polishsportshof.com/bios/Kulwicki_a.html |title=Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-07-14 |publisher=National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame] Lowe's Motor Speedway Court of Legends in 1993, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993, [cite web |url=http://www.sportsinwisconsin.com/hall_fame/members_byyear#KulwickiA |title=Alan Kulwicki |accessdate=2007-10-02 |publisher=Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation] and Bristol Motor Speedway Heroes of Bristol Hall of Fame in 1997.

Kulwicki's success as an owner/driver sparked a small fad among NASCAR veterans.cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCH/is_6_30/ai_90217145 |title=Be your own boss: the last of NASCAR's driver-owners talks about the difficult yet rewarding skill of multitasking - Interview: Brett Bodine |author=Ken Willis |accessdate=2007-10-03 |publisher=Auto Racing Digest |date=October/November 2002] Geoff Bodine, his younger brother Brett, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, and Joe Nemechek all began racing teams after Kulwicki's death. However, none of them were as successful as Kulwicki. NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon are the only owner/drivers who are attempting to run the full schedule for the 2008 season. Robby Gordon frequently mentions Alan as an inspiration for him as an owner/driver, [cite web |url=http://www.katu.com/sports/motorsports/4412871.html |title=Grown-up Robby Gordon reunites with Ford |accessdate=2007-07-04 |publisher=KATU] and he selected car #7 as a tribute to Kulwicki. [cite web |url=http://www.robbygordon.com/RGM.htm |title=Robby Gordon Motorsports |accessdate=2007-07-04 |publisher=Robby Gordon Motorsports]

Media

As of April 2004, Father Dale Grubba, the priest who had presided over Kulwicki's funeral, is writing a biography for his friend Kulwicki called "Alan: Against all Odds". [cite web |url=http://dwgracepix.com/books.htm |title=Books by Fr. Dale Grubba |author=Fr. Dale Grubba |accessdate=2008-05-20 |publisher=Fr. Dale Grubba] The book was used to help write a feature film. On April 1, 2005, the very low budget feature film, " [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458348 Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story] ", was released. The film chronicles Kulwicki's life from racing late models at Slinger Super Speedway, through his rise to NASCAR champion, and ends with his death. The movie was created by Kulwicki's Wisconsin fans for less than $100,000. The star of the film, Brad Weber, was a big Kulwicki fan and credits the late driver with being his inspiration to become an actor.cite web |url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=223038 |title=Kulwicki's dream drives filmmakers |author=Dave Kallmann |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=April 17, 2004]

Career results

*1985: NASCAR Winston Cup: 40th (partial season)
*1986: NASCAR Winston Cup: 21st
*1987: NASCAR Winston Cup: 15th
*1988: NASCAR Winston Cup: 14th
*1989: NASCAR Winston Cup: 15th
*1990: NASCAR Winston Cup: 8th
*1991: NASCAR Winston Cup: 13th
*1992: NASCAR Winston Cup: champion
*1993: NASCAR Winston Cup: 41st (partial season), IROC: 5th^**Dale Earnhardt raced the 3rd and 4th IROC races in 1993 for Kulwicki

References

Additional reading

* [http://www.trpr.com/Alan/One%20last%20call/one%20last%20call.html "One More Call"] , Tom Roberts (Kulwicki's public relations representative), July 1993 "Stock Car Racing" magazine, Accessed September 7, 2007
*cite web |url=http://www.trpr.com/Alan/kulwicki.pdf |title=Alan Kulwicki information from various sources |accessdate=2008-04-10 |author=Tom Roberts |format=PDF

External links

* [http://www.speedtv.com/articles/automotiveconsumer/automotive/32812/ Movie review of Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story] by SPEED Channel

Persondata
NAME = Kulwicki, Alan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Racecar driver
DATE OF BIRTH = December 14, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH = Greenfield, Wisconsin, United States
DATE OF DEATH = April 1, 1993
PLACE OF DEATH = Blountville, Tennessee, United States