Missing a Great Champion…I've been a NASCAR fan for a long,long time. I grew up watching what little tv coverage there was of it during the 60's cheering on lots of different drivers. Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, and lots of others. But there was something very special about Alan Kulwicki. I took a liking to him the first time he hit the track. And I've never cheered harder for any other driver, before or after him. I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, yet I felt like I knew him. I was on my way back to work, after picking up pizzas for lunch, when the radio broadcast told of his untimely death. I pulled over to the side of the road and cried like a baby. Alan was definately a class act who really did it his way. He is missed greatly, but I thank God for the memories of a true champion who was also an inspiration to others. Rest in peace AK. We love and miss you!
Rita Milburn
My wife's driver...My wife has asked me to post this for her. I introduced her to NASCAR in Charlotte in 1992. We had a tradition of making our pick for the winner of the race. For some reason my wife took AK. This was surprising since she despised Hooters. After that race, she was a die hard AK fan! In December, she asked me one morning if Alan flew his own plane. I said I thought he flew charter or commercial and asked why. She said she had dreamed he was killed in a plane crash. On that fateful day, we had not heard the news. My boss was the first to break it to me. When I told my wife that morning, she nearly fainted. I had not immediately remembered her dream. I wondered why she was so connected to a driver and a sport that she had only recently discovered. Alan was born on December 14th, 1954. My wife was born on December 14th...1955. She has remained a NASCAR fan and now follows Terry L., but I don't think she will ever be again sit on the edge of her seat to root her driver home...he's already there.
Bob Joyce
Alan Kulwicki, We Miss You
Three personal experiences come to mind when I think of Alan Kulwicki: the first is meeting him at his race shop in the shadows of Charlotte Motor Speedway. After the October race, we visited his race shop to see the workings of his team. After we visited with his receptionist and the viewing area, we were about to leave when who should walk in the door but Alan. He seemed totally stunned with the group of people visiting, but he was gracious and spoke to everyone. When I asked if my husband could take a picture of us, he asked us to give the camera to his receptionist so we could both be in the picture. It came out great, and I sent it to his shop for him to autograph, which he did. It is one of our treasured possessions.
The second incident is the best race I ever attended-the 1992 Hooters 500. Being a huge Bill Elliott fan, of course I was rooting for him to win his second championship. The track was electric. It was Richard Petty's last race, Jeff Gordon's first race, and five drivers were still mathematically eligible to win the championship. Alan outsmarted Bill and led just enough laps to get the 5 bonus points and beat Bill for the championship. Bill won the race, and with the way things turned out in 1993 I am truly glad that Alan had his chance to win the championship.
The third incident happened in June, 1998 at Pocono. It was the day Jeremy Mayfield won his first race. After all the hoopla following the race, we left the grandstand and headed to the car. Before we left the grounds, I stopped at the ladies room. Of course, there was a line. As I was waiting, I was looking at the woman on line in front of me. I thought I recognized her, but didn't want to be too forward, and be wrong. When she turned around, my suspicions were confirmed. She was wearing her NASCAR license, and it was Thelma Kulwicki. I struck up a conversation with her, letting her know how much I admired Alan, and how much the race fans missed him. I also commented on how excited I was for Paul Andrews (Jeremy's crew chief at the time) to visit victory lane again. At that point, she thanked me and reached into her pocket and retrieved a card. The picture was taken at the awards banquet in New York, and it was Alan and Davey Allison. She gave it to me. As we proceeded into our stalls, I could hear her crying....and I was too.
NJ Susan
A Fan of Alan...The thing I remember most about Alan was the Mighty Mouse logo. He was truly an underdog in his sport but that never held him back. One thing I know I can say and most fans of racing can, even if you had a favorite driver besides Alan, you always pulled for him anyway! I'll never forget the memorial at Bristol with his hauler circling the track alone and them playing "I did it my way", thats only fitting because he always did his way! Hopefully the sport and fans will never forget the great champion and man we had the honor of watching race even if he was taken from us much too soon.
Lonnie Miller
I wish I could have seen more of his racing. I became a fan of NASCAR in 1992, the year he won his championship. Only saw a few races, but still admired him just the same. Its too bad for us NASCAR fans who didn't have a chance to really see him in action. He's missed by all!
Slick
A HERO...I was 43 when Alan's plane crashed. That was the first time in my adult life i cryed like a baby. Ihave a one wall shrine to him in my race room. I'm a Matt Kenseth fan now, but Alan is my alltime raceing HERO!
Dave Barnett
My first AK memories...My first chance to see Alan race was at W.I.R. in Kaukauna, WI. The year was 1979 and sure enough if he didn't win the track championship that year and in 1980 too. He did all this driving up to WIR on thurs. nights to take place in the weekly program. Ever since then he was a fovorite mine and always will be. The icing on the cake was the 1992 Winston Cup Championship! He will always be remembered by myself and alot of other fans. My tribute to AK are the custom plates on my car, 7 AK 1.
Thanks for all the memories Alan.
Champion Forever!
Randy
Missing him... The greatest race I ever went to was the 1992 Hooters 500. Watching Alan win the championship and make the Kulwicki lap on that beautiful November day is something I will never forget. My sister was an acquaintance of Alan's and I have a photo of the two of them hanging in the foyer of my house, taken at a Hooters only weeks before he died. My sister was planning a trip to Wisconsin in 1996 for a benefit to raise money for Alan's Memorial Park. She had her bags packed next to her bed on the night she died. I miss them both.
My one year old son is named Alan in honor of our great champion who left us too soon.
Kathleen aka Bean
The end of an era...I just got into Cup racing when Alan passed away, but I remember him as the true gentleman. He did something almost no one could do today, he went into NASCAR's hallowed ground with nothing and built it all himself. He ended up beating the masters at their own game. I don't know of anyone who has the guts to do that today. Alan was a smart and driven man, he will never be forgotten.
Mikey
Alan was the best...After 7 years, its still hard to get over the loss of Alan Kulwicki. I can't find another driver that I like as well. Alan was truly unique. He was determined, self-sufficient and hard-working. I probably could have gotten his autograph in 1991 at Michigan. I got into the garage area and was within 3 feet of him as he walked from the hauler to his car (to crawl under it and install shocks). I didn't want to bother him, though. I had too much respect for the man to become a pest to him. We hung out behind his pit on Sunday. Alan finished 7th, I believe, after starting from the pole. Dale Jarrett won his first race that day. As the crew was tearing down the pit equipment, one of them thanked us for supporting them all day. That was really nice. The more I think about Alan, I get a little misty eyed knowing he's gone. Things just aren't the same without him. Alan was the best.
Eric Howell
I Love Ya, Special K...Your passing from our lives so suddenly almost destroyed my life. I didn't think I could go on without you. You were the love of my life outside of my husband and sons. I always told myself, foolishly, of course, that if you ever called me and told me to drop everything and come be with you, I would do it. Of course, you were too much of a gentleman to ever do that. A lovely note from your mom told me I had to continue on, to keep your memory alive. That's what I've tried to do and will always do for you. I guess you didn't know how special you were, but some of us did. You always will be! I miss you so much that I've never gone to another race at MIS since you're not out there any more. It's just not the same. I want to have happy memories of that track where I was honored to meet you twice. Those memories will never leave my mind. I ask how it can be seven years already? It doesn't seem possible it's been that long since you left us. I will always keep you in my heart. Rest on, my friend!
Lovin7 (Beth Hayes)
Alan was a lot of things...but I think the thing that I remember most about him was he was a true American success story...you know, little guy (racing team, not physical size) makes good, the David & Goliath type story. He realized he was the underdog in the Cup race that year, going against Bill Elliott and Davey Allison...that's why he called his car the "Underbird". He even got permission from Ford Motors to leave the "TH" off the Thunderbird logo, so when you saw the front of the car, it said "Underbird." And he used Mighty Mouse kinda as his mascot.
When you saw what Alan accomplished, pretty much on his own, it made you feel that YOU could do whatever YOU wanted also, if you tried hard enough.
I live about 50 miles from Bristol, and the radio station I usually listen to is a Bristol station. I remember the morning following the accident. My radio came on and woke me up. I was still about half asleep and I heard the DJ say that Alan Kulwicki had been killed in a plane crash the night before while en route to Bristol. As I said, I was still half asleep, and my first thought was, "That's a TERRIBLE April Fool's Joke." My next thought was, "Oh my God, it's not April Fool's Day anymore." It just seemed so UNFAIR! I mean, he accomplished something that a lot of drivers never have and never will, but he had such a short time to enjoy it. Watching his hauler make that last lap around BMS was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. RIP, Alan...you are NOT forgotten.
labontefan