Alan Kulwicki

Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 - April 1, 1993) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup racecar driver. He arrived at the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States in 1985 with only a borrowed pickup truck, a racecar, no sponsor, and limited budget.[2] Kulwicki was a perfectionist and liked doing things his way:[2] his scientific methodology approach to NASCAR racing inspired the way teams are currently run.[3]He is known for driving for his own race team during most of his NASCAR career.[4]

Kulwicki was the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and won the 1992 Winston Cup by the closest margin in NASCAR history.[2] In 1998, five years after his death in a light aircraft accident, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers[5] and he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002.[6] Kulwicki's nicknames were "Special K" and the "Polish Prince".[7]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Background
* 2 Racing career
o 2.1 Early racing career
o 2.2 Winston Cup career
+ 2.2.1 1980s
+ 2.2.2 1990s
+ 2.2.3 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship
+ 2.2.4 Championship honors
* 3 Death
* 4 Memorials
* 5 Career honors and awards
* 6 Lasting impact on racing
* 7 Media
* 8 Career results
* 9 References
* 10 Additional reading
* 11 External links

[edit] Background

Alan Kulwicki was born in Greenfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, and grew up near the Milwaukee Mile racetrack.[8] He was a child when his brother and mother died.[4] His father, Gerald, was an engine builder[9] for USAC cars.[10] Alan graduated from Pius XI High School, a private Roman Catholic high school in Milwaukee.[10] After graduating high school, he went to college and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1977, which helped him better understand the physics of a race car.[10][11][9] Many attribute his success to his knowledge of engineering.[12] He first raced on area racetracks as a hobby while in college, but turned professional in 1980.[13] After graduation from college, he worked for two years as an engineer.[9] Kulwicki was a religious man, and he carried a Saint Christopher devotional medal during races.[14]

[edit] Racing career

[edit] Early racing career

Kulwicki began his racing career as a 13 year old youth racing karts.[10] Gerald was working on the road, and did not help his son at most kart races.[13] The younger Kulwicki finished second in the season points in his division.

Kulwicki started racing stock cars at Cedarburg Speedway and Hales Corners Speedway dirt oval tracks.[10] He won the 1973 Rookie of the Year award at Hales Corners Speedway in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin.[10] He started racing late models in 1974 at Hales Corners.[15] Late model cars are the fastest and most complicated type of racing vehicles that are raced on the local level. He won his first (feature) race later that season at Leo's Speedway in Oshkosh.[15]

Kulwicki moved from dirt tracks to paved tracks in 1977. He teamed up with racecar builder Greg Krieger to make models, research, engineer, and construct an innovative Late Model with far more torsional stiffness than other cars.[16] The increased stiffness allowed the car to turn better in the corner. He raced on the high-banked Slinger Super Speedway, winning the track championship in 1977, then was dominant in 1978.[17] Kulwicki finished third in Wisconsin International Raceway's Late Model points in 1978, his rookie season there,[18] then won the 1979 and 1980 Late Model track championships.[19] [20] Kulwicki was deeply troubled after he was involved in the fatal crash of Larry Detjens at Wisconsin International Raceway on August 1, 1981.[21]

Kulwicki began competing in events sanctioned by the USAC Stock Car series and the American Speed Association (ASA) in 1979,[22] while remaining primarily a weekly racer through 1981. In the ASA he raced against Rusty Wallace, and the two became lifelong friends.[23] Kulwicki's top finish in the ASA season points championship was third place, which he accomplished in both 1982 and 1985.[24] He had five victories and twelve pole positions in his ASA career.[24]

[edit] Winston Cup career

[edit] 1980s

Kulwicki raced in four NASCAR Busch Grand National races in 1984.[25] The Busch Grand National Series (now Busch Series) is considered NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and it is often compared to Triple-A baseball. It is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Winston Cup (now NEXTEL Cup). Kulwicki started second in his first career race in his hometown of Milwaukee, finished second. Later that year he finished seventh at Charlotte and fifth at Bristol.[25] In February of 1985 he finished sixteenth at the Busch race at Daytona International Speedway. In August of that year he started first at the Busch race at Milwaukee, but finished fourteenth with engine problems.[25] Kulwicki's Busch Series successes caught Bill Terry's eye, and Terry offered Kulwicki a chance to race in a few Winston Cup races.[23]

In 1985 Kulwicki sold most of his belongings, including his short track racing equipment, to move half way across the nation from Wisconsin to the Charlotte, North Carolina area.[9] He kept only a few things, and his pickup truck was loaded his trailer with furniture and tools. An electrical fire two days before he left destroyed his truck.[24] He had no way to pull his trailer, so he borrowed a pickup truck.[2] After arriving in the Charlotte area, he showed up unexpectedly at Terry's shop ready to race. Kulwicki's arrival at the NASCAR tour was the source of amusement at first to many veteran drivers.[24] He was a driver from the northern United States when the series was primarily a southern regional series.[26] He was a mechanical engineer when few other drivers had completed college.[11][4] Kulwicki was described as very studious, hard working, no-nonsense, and kind of a loner.[6][27] Kulwicki frequently walked the garage area in his race uniform carrying a briefcase.[11] Kulwicki made his first career Winston Cup start at Richmond on September 8, 1985 for Bill Terry's #32/#38 Ford team sponsored by Hardees.[25] He competed in five races that season for Terry, and his highest finish was thirteenth.[25]

Kulwicki was interviewed on television by a Charlotte CBS affiliate at the Speedweeks in Daytona after missing the 1986 Daytona 500. Two drivers passed him in the last turn in a qualifying race, and he did not make the race since his qualifying speed was too slow to make the race.[28] He was interviewed standing by the team's pickup truck and inexpensive flatbed trailer, which was extremely out of place considering that all teams have been using far more expensive enclosed tractor/trailers for many years.[28] The team had the Quincy's Steakhouse sponsorship for the race, which the team was able to extend to a full season sponsorship.[28]

Kulwicki parted ways with Terry part way through the 1986 season.[29] Kulwicki could not find a ride, so he fielded his own Winston Cup racing team after purchasing the #35 Quincy's Steakhouse team from Terry.[29][30] Kulwicki essentially a one man team when other teams had dozens of people in supporting roles. He was the driver, owner, crew chief, and chief mechanic.[9] He had difficulty acquiring and keeping crew members because he found it difficult to trust crew members to do the job with the excellence that he demanded, and because he was hands-on in the maintenance of the car to the point of being a control freak.[27] He sought out crew members who had owned their own race cars, for they understood what he was going through: racing with no sponsor, doing car maintenance yourself, working long hours, and working under a very limited budget.[31] Notable crew members include his crew chief Paul Andrews, future driver Bobby Norfleet, future Cup crew chiefs Tony Gibson, Brian Whitesell, Bill Ingle, and future crew chief/owner Ray Evernham.[32][33][4] [3] With one car, two engines, and two full-time crew members, Kulwicki won the 1986 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award.[13] 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. He finished below 30th place once.[29]

In 1987 Kulwicki secured primary sponsorship from Zerex Antifreeze and changed his car number to #7.[34] He picked up his first career pole position in the third race at Richmond. He qualified first again later in the season at Richmond's fall race and at Dover. Kulwicki came close to winning his first Winston Cup race at Pocono, finishing second less than one second behind Dale Earnhardt.[28] Kulwicki finished fifteenth in the Winston Cup points in the 29 event long season, with nine Top 10 finishes, eleven DNFs, and an average finish of 18.2.[35]
Kulwicki's 1988 car, the car he used for his Polish Victory Lap
Kulwicki's 1988 car, the car he used for his Polish Victory Lap

In 1988 Kulwicki hired Paul Andrews as his crew chief[34] after Andrews was recommended by Rusty Wallace. Kulwicki won his first NASCAR Winston Cup race in the season's second last race at Phoenix International Raceway. He led 41 laps late in the race after Ricky Rudd's car had motor problems, and won by 18.5 seconds.[36] He turned around his car, and made his now famous "Polish Victory Lap" by driving the opposite way (clockwise) on the track with the driver's side of the racecar facing toward the fans.[11] "This gave me the opportunity to wave to the crowd from the driver's side," Kulwicki explained.[2] "He had wanted to do something special and something different for his first win and only his first," Andrews recalled.[36] In victory lane he told Grand National Scene magazine: "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."[36] He had four pole positions in 29 events, nine Top 10 finishes including two second place finishes, 12 DNFs, and an average finish of 19.2 in 1988.[37]
1989 car at Phoenix
1989 car at Phoenix

Kulwicki started his own engine building program for the 1989 season, and the team suffered many Did Not Finish results because of engine problems.[28] He had four second place finishes that season, and he held the points lead at one point during the season.[28] In 29 races, he had six pole positions, nine Top 10 finishes, and finished 14th in season points.[38]

[edit] 1990s

Kulwicki was approached by Junior Johnson at the beginning of the 1990 season, and asked if he would like to race Johnson's car.[28] Johnson owned one of the top NASCAR teams. Kulwicki declined, more interested in running his own team his way.[28] Kulwicki won his second race at Rockingham on October 21, 1989. Kulwicki finished eighth in points in 1990, his first finish the Top 10 season points.[23] [28] In 29 races, he had 13 Top 10 finishes and one pole position.[39]

Prior to the 1991 season, Zerex ended their sponsorship of Kulwicki's team.[11][34] Kulwicki was again offered a ride by Johnson, who was starting a second car.[28] Kulwicki turned down a $ 1,000,000 offer to race for Johnson, thinking that he had a sponsorship locked up from Maxwell House coffee.[28] Johnson actually had the sponsorship locked up for his second team, and Kulwicki began the season sponsorless.[28] He would have to pay for expenses out of his own pocket. He told his team members that he would not have hard feelings if anyone wanted to switch to another team with more stable employment.[15] No one left the team.[15] He raced in the 1991 Daytona 500 sponsored by the United States Army in a one race deal.[11][40] Five cars raced that day during the Gulf War with special lettering representing a different branch of the U.S. military.[23][30] After running the second and third races of the season in a plain white unsponsored car,[28] Kulwicki was approached by Hooters for a one race sponsorship deal for Atlanta Motor Speedway at the fourth race.[11][23] Hooters had been sponsoring Mark Stahl's car, but Stahl did not qualify for the race. Kulwicki qualified his unsponsored car first for the upcoming race.[23] Hooters and Kulwicki signed a one race sponsorship agreement. Kulwicki finished eighth in the race.[23] After the race, Hooters signed a long term with Kulwicki.[2] Kulwicki won the Bristol night race that season for his third career win.[11] He finished thirteenth in the final 1991 points.[11] [23] In 29 races, he had eleven Top 10 finishes and four poles.[41]

[edit] 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship
1992 Driver's championship trophy
1992 Driver's championship trophy
1992 NASCAR owner's championship trophy
1992 NASCAR owner's championship trophy
UNDERBIRD car, after restoration
UNDERBIRD car, after restoration

Kulwicki won the April race at Bristol, and he never left the Top 5 in season points after the race.[42] Kulwicki's only other victory in the season was at the first race at Pocono.[11] Kulwicki was discounted as a contender for the season championship during the season, and he was expected to fade from contention.[42] He sat on the pole at the fall race at Dover, but he crashed during the race and finished 34th.[11] Kulwicki was quite vocal that his 278 point deficit was probably his undoing, and that the race result would keep him from contending for the season title.[11]

The final race of the 1992 season, a 500 mile race sponsored by Kulwicki's sponsor Hooters, was one of the most eventful races in NASCAR history.[43][40] It was the final race for Richard Petty, and the first race for Jeff Gordon.[43] [11] Six drivers were close enough in the points standings to win the championship that day,[11] and the points leader was Davey Allison. Allison led second-place Kulwicki by 30 points, Bill Elliott by 40, Harry Gant by 97 and Kyle Petty by 98.[44] Allison needed to finish sixth or better to clinch the championship.[44] 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.[45] Allison was in sixth place until Ernie Irvan's tire blew with around 100 (of 328) laps left in the event.[44] Allison T-boned Irvan's spinning car, and was unable to continue.[44] Kulwicki and Elliott were left to duel for the title.[43] During his first pit stop, Kulwicki lost first gear.[23] While leading the late in the race, Kulwicki calculated in his head the exact lap for his final pit stop that would guarantee himself the five bonus points for leading the most laps.[3] Kulwicki also calculated that a second place finish in the race would earn himself the same number of points in the race as Elliott.[3] He stopped in the pits for his final pit stop only after leading enough laps to guarantee the five bonus points for leading the most laps.[23] The pit crew did a "gas and go" stop.[23] Not changing tires during the stop allowed the pit crew to be available to help push the car, preventing it from stalling since the car had to start moving in a higher gear.[23] The team's fuelman hurried to add the fuel, and did not add the full 11 gallons from the fuel can.[15] Kulwicki had to conserve fuel to ensure that he was running at the end of the race.[15] Elliott won the race, and Kulwicki finished second.[43] Kulwicki became the 1992 Winston Cup Champion by maintaining his ten point lead over Elliott.[2] [43] [11] He celebrated with his second-ever Polish Victory Lap.[21] Always conscious of his appearance for potential sponsors,[11] Kulwicki combed his hair, making a national television audience wait for him to emerge from his car.[46][15] This was later alluded to at the awards banquet by Elliott, who presented Kulwicki with a "golden comb" award.[45][15]

Kulwicki overcame the 278-point deficit in the final six races of the season to claim a 10-point victory over Elliott[42][47] by ending with a fifth, a fourth, and two second place finishes.[6][25] Kulwicki won the championship because of his consistent high finishes.[42] It was the closest title win in NASCAR Cup Series history until the implementation of the Chase for the Cup format 12 years later.[1] [48] [2] The championship was noteworthy for other reasons: he was the last owner/driver to win the title,[26][47] [11] the first Cup champion with a college degree,[49][9] the last driver to win the championship in a Ford Thunderbird,[11] and the first Cup champion born in a Northern state.[11][9][3] Kulwicki had turned down offers to drive for successful owners (including Junior Johnson,[34] [4] Bud Moore, Rick Hendrick[46][33], and the Wood Brothers[33]) to continue fielding his own team.[2] The song that played during a short salute to Kulwicki at the year end awards banquet was "My Way".[1] [2] [11] [13]

[edit] Championship honors

Kulwicki came back to 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.[50]

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.[51] 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."[52]

He competed in the 1993 International Race of Champions series as the reigning Winston Cup champion. He competed in two IROC races before his death.[53]

[edit] Death
Grave marker at St. Adalbert cemetery
Grave marker at St. Adalbert cemetery

Kulwicki died in a plane crash on April 1, 1993 at age 38. He was returning in a Hooters corporate plane from an appearance at the Knoxville Hooters prior to the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway.[4] 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.[28] The plane crashed behind some houses near a main highway between Blountville and Bristol. Kulwicki was buried at Saint Adalbert Cemetery in Milwaukee. Kulwicki's racecar transporter was driven away from the rainy track later that Friday morning[11] after doing two slow laps around the track with a black wreath on its grille.[15] He had competed in five NASCAR races that season with three Top 6 finishes, and was ninth in points.[28][54] In his career, he had won five NASCAR Winston Cup races, 24 pole positions, 75 Top 10 finishes, and one championship in 207 races.[30]

His car was raced for most of the 1993 season until the team was sold to Geoff Bodine.[11] It was driven by road course specialist Tommy Kendall on the road courses, and by Jimmy Hensley at the other tracks.[55]

[edit] Memorials

Three days after Kulwicki's death, Bristol race winner Rusty Wallace honored his old short track foe by turning Kulwicki's trademark "Polish Victory Lap".[11] [56] Wallace and Dale Earnhardt honored Kulwicki with a Polish victory lap after each race that they won during the 1993 season.[57] [11] Also for the remainder of the 1993 season, all cars entered in Winston Cup and Busch Series races carried stickers of Kulwicki's #7 on their cars.[11] After Davey Allison's death on July 13, 1993, Kulwicki's #7 was joined by the #28 from Allison's car.[58] 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.[59] [60]

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.[61] The each race in the four race series is a memorial named after one of the four people who died in Kulwicki's plane crash,[61] Kulwicki, Mark Brooks (son of Bob Brooks, the owner of the series' title sponsor Hooters), Dan Duncan, and pilot Charles Campbell.

Milwaukee County honored Kulwicki by creating Alan Kulwicki Memorial Park (Area Map). The park is located near the corner of Highway 100 and Cold Spring Road in Greenfield. The Brooks pavilion at the park was donated by Hooters. The pavilion has a trophy room where one can view his trophies and other collectible items, including his 1992 Winston Cup trophy, his 1992 NASCAR Owner's trophy, polesitter trophies, and race winner trophies.
Kulwicki Grandstand at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2006
Kulwicki Grandstand at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2006

Bristol Motor Speedway has named its grandstand in Turns 1 and 2 in honor of Kulwicki, as well as a terrace above the grandstand.[62] The 2004 Busch Series race at the Milwaukee Mile was named the "Alan Kulwicki 250" in honor of Kulwicki.[8]

[edit] Career honors and awards

He was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002.[6] He was inducted in the Talladega-Texaco Hall of Fame in 1996,[42] and the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2001,[63] Lowe's Motor Speedway Court of Legends in 1993,[47], the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993,[64] and Bristol Motor Speedway Heroes of Bristol Hall of Fame in 1997.[47]

[edit] Lasting impact on racing

Kulwicki's success as an owner/driver sparked a small fad among NASCAR veterans.[65] Geoff Bodine (who purchased Kulwicki's team after his death), his younger brother Brett, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, and Joe Nemechek all began racing teams after Kulwicki's death.[65] However, none of them could reach the same success that Kulwicki did, and they gave up on their own teams.[65] NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon are the only owner/drivers in the sport who are attempting to run the full schedule for the 2007 season. Robby Gordon frequently mentions Alan as an inspiration for him as an owner/driver,[66] and he selected car #7 as a tribute to Kulwicki.[67]

[edit] Media

Father Dale Grubba has written an unnamed biography for his friend Kulwicki. The book is written but unpublished. The book was used to help write a feature film.[68] On April 1, 2005, the very low budget feature film Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story was released which chronicled Alan's life from racing at Slinger Super Speedway, through his rise to NASCAR champion, and ends with his death.[68] The 100 minute movie was created by Kulwicki's Wisconsin fans[69] for less than $100,000.[68] The film focuses on the events in Kulwicki's life that fed his desire to become champion... at all costs. 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.[68] The film features cameos Travis Kvapil as a pit crew member. Humpy Wheeler and Bill Elliott play themselves. It was seen in 14 states and 80 cities.[11]

[edit] Career results

* 1985: NASCAR Winston Cup: 40th (partial season)[25]
* 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

[edit] References

1. ^ a b c Gary D'Amato (July 25, 1999). Honor stirs up fond memories of Kulwicki. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Alan Kulwicki. National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
3. ^ a b c d e Ed Hinton (March 23, 2003). Kulwicki's legacy continues across NASCAR nation. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
4. ^ a b c d e f Joseph Siano (April 5, 1993). Kulwicki Raced, Reigned As a Driven Outsider. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
5. ^ NASCAR'S 50 GREATEST DRIVERS. NASCAR. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
6. ^ a b c d Alan Kulwicki. International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
7. ^ Tom Roberts. Kulwicki Press Kit. Kulwicki's Press agent. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
8. ^ a b Dan Peters (June 26, 2004). Veterans Reign again. Ron Hornaday Wins Alan Kulwicki 250 in Milwaukee. Oak Park Journal. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
9. ^ a b c d e f g ROBERT MCG. THOMAS JR. (April 3, 1993). Alan Kulwicki, 38, Racer And Stock-Car Champion. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
10. ^ a b c d e f Dave Kallmann (November 6, 2003). Title tracks: Kulwicki, Kenseth: two roads to top. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Vito Pugliese (March 23, 2007). Driven To The Past: Alan Kulwicki. The Frontstretch. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
12. ^ Notable Drivers. fan1st.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
13. ^ a b c d Joseph Siano (December 27, 1992). Demystifying Racing's Independent Champion. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
14. ^ Stories provide glimpse of Kulwicki's character. NASCAR.com (April 1, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Matt McLaughlin. Alan Kulwicki: Running Down a Dream. www.speedfx.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
16. ^ Krieger, Greg, quoted in Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", Stock Car Racing (ISSN 0734-7340), Vol. 28, No. 7 (July 1993), p. 31.
17. ^ Theisen, Mark, quoted in Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", Stock Car Racing (ISSN 0734-7340), Vol. 28, No. 7 (July 1993), p. 32.
18. ^ Fox River Racing Club: Final 1978 Points Standings. Wisconsin International Raceway. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
19. ^ Fox River Racing Club: Final 1979 Points Standings. Wisconsin International Raceway. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
20. ^ Fox River Racing Club: Final 1980 Points Standings. Wisconsin International Raceway. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
21. ^ a b Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", Stock Car Racing (ISSN 0734-7340), Vol. 28, No. 7 (July 1993), p. 29.
22. ^ Alan Kulwicki USAC Stock Car results (unlabeled). ultimateracinghistory. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Patty Kay (March 30, 2003). Alan Kulwicki: Always a Champion. Insider Racing News. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
24. ^ a b c d Tom Roberts. Kulwicki Press Kit. Kulwicki's Press agent. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
25. ^ a b c d e f g Alan Kulwicki's driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
26. ^ a b Tom Jensen (November 10, 2006). CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki 1. SPEED Channel.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
27. ^ a b Tom Jensen (November 10, 2006). CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki 2. SPEED Channel.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mark Moore. Remembering Alan Kulwicki. www.speedwaymedia.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
29. ^ a b c Alan Kulwicki's 1986 driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
30. ^ a b c Larry Manch (March 26, 2002). Alan Kulwicki: His Way. www.racingnewsonline.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
31. ^ Tom Jensen (November 10, 2006). CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki 3. SPEED Channel.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
32. ^ Ryan Smithson (April 1, 2003). A decade later, Kulwicki's crew races on. NASCAR.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
33. ^ a b c David Caraviello (November 15, 2002). Ten years ago, NASCAR's past, present and future converged. Charleston Post. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
34. ^ a b c d Gregg Leary (September 24, 2006). SPEEDtv.com Reviewed: "Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story" 1. SPEED Channel.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
35. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1987 driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
36. ^ a b c Tom Jensen (November 10, 2006). CUP: A Tribute to Alan Kulwicki 4. SPEED Channel.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
37. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1988 driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
38. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1989 driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
39. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1990 driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
40. ^ a b Gregg Leary (September 24, 2006). SPEEDtv.com Reviewed: "Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story" 2. SPEED Channel.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
41. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1991 driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
42. ^ a b c d e Alan Kulwicki. Talladega Walk of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
43. ^ a b c d e Greatest NASCAR rivalries. CMT.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
44. ^ a b c d McCarter, Mark (2002-11-11). 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.. The Sporting News. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
45. ^ a b 1992 Winston Cup Championship "Underbird". underbird.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
46. ^ a b "Hooters 500". ESPN NASCAR race coverage. [[November 15, 1992]].
47. ^ a b c d Alan Kulwicki. NASCAR.com (April 4, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
48. ^ Alan Kulwicki. NASCAR.com (April 4, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
49. ^ Alan Kulwicki. University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
50. ^ Jeffords, Terry, quoted in Sneddon, Rob: "Glimpses", Stock Car Racing (ISSN 0734-7340), Vol. 28, No. 7 (July 1993), p. 47.
51. ^ Alan Kulwicki story. Tom Roberts Public Relations. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
52. ^ "Alan Kulwicki", 50 Years of Speed - The Thunder Under Your Feet, American Media Operations, 1997, p. 109. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
53. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1993 IROC driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
54. ^ Alan Kulwicki's 1993 NASCAR driving statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-08-09.
55. ^ Alan Kulwicki's owner's statistics. racingreference.info. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
56. ^ AUTO RACING. New York Times (April 5, 1993). Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
57. ^ Tribute to Alan Kulwicki. Laidback Racing. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
58. ^ Joe Siano (July 19, 1993). AUTO RACING; A Flag. Taps. A Race With No Allison.. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
59. ^ In Memory of Alan--Ten Years Gone (Revisited). speedwaymedia.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
60. ^ Dave Kallmann (November 15, 2002). Wheels of fortune: Kulwicki reigned supreme on a day when NASCAR's history took a right turn. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
61. ^ a b Hittin' Myrtle Beach. motorsport.com (May 2, 2000). Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
62. ^ Seating Chart. Bristol Motor Speedway. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
63. ^ Alan Kulwicki. National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
64. ^ Alan Kulwicki. Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
65. ^ a b c Ken Willis (October/November 2002). Be your own boss: the last of NASCAR's driver-owners talks about the difficult yet rewarding skill of multitasking - Interview: Brett Bodine. Auto Racing Digest. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
66. ^ Grown-up Robby Gordon reunites with Ford. KATU. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
67. ^ Robby Gordon Motorsports. Robby Gordon Motorsports. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
68. ^ a b c d Dave Kallmann (April 17, 2001). Kulwicki's dream drives filmmakers. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
69. ^ "Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story". www.racingwisconsin.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.

[edit] Additional reading

* "One More Call", Tom Roberts (Kulwicki's public relations representative), July 1993 Stock Car Racing magazine, Accessed September 7, 2007
* "Kulwicki’s death still on minds at Bristol", Jack Flowers, 2003 The City Paper (Nashville), Accessed October 1, 2007