Alan Kulwicki

Alan Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 - April 1, 1993) was a Polish-American NASCAR driver. He drove the #7 Ford Thunderbird sponsored by Zerex and Hooters.

Related Topics:
December 14 - 1954 - April 1 - 1993 - Polish - American - NASCAR - Ford Thunderbird

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Alan Kulwicki was born in Greenfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. He raced on local dirt tracks and in the ASA. Alan received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Many attribute his success to his knowledge of engineering which at the time was of less value than experience and intuition. In 1986, he fielded his first Winston Cup racing team as owner AND driver. With just two cars and a relative half-handful of full-time crew members, he won Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. He made famous the "Polish victory lap" by driving the wrong way on the track after winning a race.

Related Topics:
Greenfield, Wisconsin - Milwaukee - ASA - Degree - Mechanical Engineering - University of Wisconsin - Knowledge - Experience - Intuition - 1986 - Winston Cup

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During his six-year Winston Cup career, Kulwicki won five Winston Cup races and earned twenty four pole positions. He went on to win the Winston Cup championship in 1992, which was noteworthy accomplishment because he was the last Winston Cup winner who served as both driver and owner of his car/team, the first Winston Cup winner with a college degree, and the first Winston Cup winner not born in a southern state.

Related Topics:
Winston Cup - 1992

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Kulwicki received approval from NASCAR and Ford to change the "Thunderbird" lettering on his bumper for the final race in his 1992 championship to "Underbird" because he felt like the underdog (there were 5 drivers capable of winning the championship that day).

Related Topics:
Thunderbird - 1992

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Tragically, Kulwicki was killed at age 38 in a plane crash on April 1, 1993, near Bristol, Tennessee, while on his way to the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Related Topics:
Bristol - Tennessee - Bristol Motor Speedway

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He was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Related Topics:
International Motorsports Hall of Fame - 2002

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Kulwicki's success as an owner/driver sparked a small fad among NASCAR veterans. Geoff Bodine(who purchased Kulwicki's team after his death), his younger brother Brett, Ricky Rudd, and Bill Elliott all began racing teams after Kulwicki's death. However, none of them could reach the same success that Kulwicki did, and slowly but surely those drivers either sold their teams, or let them just fade away. NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Robby Gordon, the only current owner/driver in the sport who runs the full schedule, frequently mentions Alan as an inspiration for him as an owner/driver. Gordon, whose car carries the #7, picked this number as a tribute to Kulwicki.

Related Topics:
Fad - NASCAR - Geoff Bodine - Brett - Ricky Rudd - Bill Elliott - Robby Gordon - Inspiration - Tribute

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On April 1, 2005, the low budget feature film Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story was released which chronicled Alan's life. The movie was created by Kulwicki's Wisconsin fans.

Related Topics:
April 1 - 2005 - Feature film - Chronicled - Wisconsin

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