Remember his life, a life that spoke to dreamers everywhere: Anything is possible if you believe in yourself and believe in your dreams...
12/14/54--04/01/93
The purpose of this page is to honor the memory of Alan Kulwicki. Please share your thoughts and memories of Alan. I know he is dearly missed by those who knew him and followed his racing career. Click below to post a message. The memories will be moved each day from the forum to the main web site.
(Link not working? You can also e-mail your message to me.)
"The Kulwicki Chronicles--A Race of the Heart"
A Collection by Evelyn J. Misok
"The Kulwicki Chronicles" is a collection of poetry and stories about Alan by Evelyn Misok, a friend of Alan's. It was originally published in 1993 by the Alan Kulwicki Estate and given in exchange for a contribution. (Read an excerpt from the book's Foreword, by Steve Waid, editor of Winston Cup Scene and Winston Cup Illustrated magazines. Also, the poems at the bottom of this page are from the book.) The original "Kulwicki Chronicles" was a collection of poetry that Evelyn had written and sent to Alan (and was later found in his desk).
The author is offering about 100 remaining copies to Alan's fans. If you are interested, you can email Evelyn directly at evelynmisok@hotmail.com. Thank you.
Click on the links below to read all of the previous posts
Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 , Page 4 , Page 5 , Page 6 , Page 7 , Page 8
Page 9 , Page 10 , Page 11 , Page 12 , Page 13, Page 14(most recent posts)
Articles about Alan:
Fitting Tribute to Alan Kulwicki on April 1, 2003, by Dennis Michelsen
"Kulwicki's legacy continues across NASCAR nation ", by Ed Hinton
"Kulwicki’s death still on minds at Bristol ", by Jack Flowers
"Alan Kulwicki: His Way", by Larry Manch, and "Remembering Alan Kulwicki" by Mark Moore
"Alan Kulwicki: Running Down a Dream", by Matt McLaughlin,
"Remembering Alan", by Lori Tyler,
"AN UNBELIEVABLE DAY", by David Caraviello
April 1, 2000
"It's just to keep his memory alive"
A couple months ago (2/7/00, to be exact) , I was corresponding by e-mail with someone I "met" on a racing message board. She asked me if I was going to any races this year. It was the last two lines of the e-mail that caught my attention: "I never cared that much about going since Alan left us. Not seeing him there was just too painful."
I don't know why, but those two sentences wouldn't leave my mind. There they were the next day, when my mind wandered as it does sometimes at work. I realized I have friends here in Des Moines that feel the same way, though they've never expressed it in so many words. What was so special about Alan Kulwicki that made them feel the way they did?
I, unfortunately, have only followed racing since 1995, so what I know of Alan is secondhand--an article, a mention in a book. Those that were able to watch him, fans of many years--they must have some great memories. How hard that must have been to lose him, I can't even imagine. How many years since he passed away, I wondered? Seven, 1993-2000, 7…hmm, was his car number wasn't it? Seven year anniversary. Something should be done to mark that, like last year when there was a tribute to Tim Richmond. Wasn't there a web site where fans could submit their memories of Tim?
Someone should do one for Alan, I thought. So, I went home that night and put together this web site. The sole purpose would be to allow fans to record their memories of Alan Kulwicki.
I found this quote by Kyle Petty in an article about Alan, and I'm taking it somewhat out of context here, but it helps somewhat in explaining what I'm trying to accomplish with this web site:
"There are individuals who come along in this sport, something happens and they're not here anymore. And this sport is the worst sport, maybe all sports are this way, maybe life is this way, I like to think not but maybe it is, if you miss one week, they forget you. It's almost like you never even existed.... It's just to keep his memory alive, to a certain degree, in a sport where people forget from week to week."
Thank you,
Beth Murphy
"A Singular Champion"
A dreamer of dreams
A runner of races
The world thinks he's holding
A handful of aces;
The roadway is long
With too many false starts
Still he fashions a whole
From a handful of parts;
A dreamer of dreams
On asphalt a warrior
The battle line's drawn
He raises Excalibur;
Though sometimes he stumbles
He won't let himself fall
His eye's on the finish
And the day he'll take all;
A dreamer of dreams
The check'd flag he chases
He underlines 'winning'
'Defeat' he erases;
But in one main event
Though he's just a beginner
It's a race of the heart
And he's always the winner.
"Stargazing"
I built a castle in the air
and hung your picture
on its imaginary walls.
Your trophies - enough to
adorn tens of fanciful mantles
glisten in the sunlight
that shimmers through illusory
casement windows.
As clouds float by
and shadows lengthen
I pace whimsical floors
and wait for you
to come home.
Poetry by Evelyn J. Misok, author of The Kulwicki Chronicles, used with the author's permission.
Thank you, Evelyn.
Please send me an e-mail if you have any questions, or if you are having problems accessing the message forum.