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| Alan Kulwicki | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alan Kulwicki at Sears Point in 1991 | |||||||
| Born | Alan Dennis Kulwicki December 14, 1954 Greenfield, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 1, 1993 (aged 38) near Blountville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||
| Cause of death | Airplane crash | ||||||
| Achievements | 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1981 Slinger Nationals Winner | ||||||
| Awards | 1986 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2019) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2002) Inducted in the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame[1] Bristol Motor Speedway's Heroes of Bristol Hall of Fame (1997) Lowe's Motor Speedway's Court of Legends (1993) Talladega-Texaco Hall of Fame (1996) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 207 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1992) | ||||||
| First race | 1985 Wrangler SanforSet 400 (Richmond) | ||||||
| Last race | 1993 TranSouth 500 (Darlington) | ||||||
| First win | 1988 Checker 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last win | 1992 Champion Spark Plug 500 (Pocono) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 6 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 50th (1984) | ||||||
| First race | 1984 Red Carpet 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| Last race | 1985 Milwaukee Sentinel 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
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Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 – April 1, 1993), nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American auto racing driver and team owner.[2] He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series. Kulwicki arrived at NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with no sponsor, a limited budget and only a racecar and a borrowed pickup truck.[3] Despite starting with meager equipment and finances, he 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 debuted what would become his trademark "Polish victory lap". Kulwicki won the 1992 Winston Cup Championship by what was then the closest margin in NASCAR history.[3] He died early in 1993 in a light aircraft accident and therefore never defended his championship. He has been inducted into numerous racing halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.[4]
Kulwicki was known for being a perfectionist and doing things his own way.[5] An engineer by trade, his scientific approach to NASCAR racing inspired the way teams are now run.[6] Despite lucrative offers from top car owners, he insisted on driving for his own race team, AK Racing, during most of his NASCAR career.[7] Described by his publicist as "a real hard type of person to get to know", he remained a bachelor throughout his life.[7]
- ^ Gary D'Amato (July 25, 1999). "Honor stirs up fond memories of Kulwicki". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
presskitpage2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Alan Kulwicki". National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
- ^ "NASCAR'S 50 Greatest Drivers". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 3, 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PolishAmericanSportsHoFwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
SportingNews09302002was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Joseph Siano (April 5, 1993). "Kulwicki Raced, Reigned As a Driven Outsider". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2007.