Alan Kulwicki

Alan Dennis Kulwicki
Alan Kulwicki at Sears Point racetrack in 1991
Born	(1954-12-14)December 14, 1954 Greenfield, Wisconsin
Died	April 1, 1993(1993-04-01) (aged 38) near Blountville, Tennessee
Cause of death	Airplane crash
Achievements	1992 Winston Cup drivers' and owners' champion
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 Fame 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
Monster Energy 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)
Wins Top tens Poles 5 75 24
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
6 races run over 2 years
Best finish	50th (1984 Busch Grand National Series)
First race	1984 Red Carpet 200 (Milwaukee)
Last race	1985 Milwaukee Sentinel 200 (Milwaukee)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 3 1

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 Fame

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

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

Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 – April 1, 1993), nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional touring series. Kulwicki arrived at NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of in the United States, with no sponsor, a limited budget, and only a racecar and a borrowed pickup truck. 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. 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.

Kulwicki was known for being a perfectionist and doing things his own way. An engineer by trade, his scientific approach to NASCAR racing inspired the way teams are now run. Despite lucrative offers from top car owners, he insisted on driving for his own race team, AK Racing, during most of his NASCAR career. Described by his publicist as "a real hard type of person to get to know", he remained a bachelor throughout his life.