Alan, A true gentleman...In the early nineties, I attended a pit crew awards banquet in Rockingham. Although Mike Beam, at that time chief for Bill Elliott, won the award, the only driver I saw in attendance was Alan. He came out the night before a race to support his pit crew and let them know he appreciated them. And although Elliott's crew got the trophy, Alan's crew came away winners in a big way.
Jim Trevathan
Remembering Alan ...Dec. 14 would've been Alan's 46th birthday. It doesn't seem possible that he has been gone so long from this Earth. But he will always be in my heart. There will never be anyone else like Alan, at least not in racing. There is too much greed in NASCAR nowadays, and Alan would never have been comfortable with that. He would never believe 12-15 million dollar sponsorships when he won the championship with so little.. I miss you SOo-o-o much, my dear sweet Alan. That will never change, so I have to be content with surrounding myself with your cars, pictures and other memorabilia, including the picture of us taken at MIS. I would give anything to be able to turn back the clock eight years and be able to tell you "DON'T GET ON THAT PLANE!! I love you, my friend. RIP.
LOVIN7 aka Beth
The above photo was taken on October 5th, 2000, outside of the #7 Ultra Motorsports race shop in Mooresville, NC. We were visiting race shops while in the area for the Charlotte race; as we walked to our car after visiting the shop, we glanced behind the gate, and there sat Alan's car. Nobody was around, so we kinda wandered through the gate to get a closer look. Just then, some members of the team came out and started pushing the car toward a show car trailer. We asked one of them, Tim Brewer, about the car. He explained that it was included in the assets when the current owner bought the team; they rent it to Hooters Restaurants across the country. The way I see it, they could have just left it sitting in a corner, or scrapped it; at least this way, people still get to see the car, and it keeps his memory alive in some small way.
Beth (thanks to Eric for the pic)
We will never again see the likes of Alan. As an independant he took an at times unsponsored, and unfunded by the Ford factory "Underbird" T-Bird to a Winston Cup Championship! The final race of '92 at Atlanta decided the Championship for Alan and lives in nascar lore as a legend!
We miss you AK... You were truly one of a kind
R.I.P.
Spinkx
Humble...Most sports greats and heroes of today are arrogant and self-serving. Alan was the most humble of all. As much as the NASCAR drivers and crew are open to the fans, Alan was the best.
He will never be forgotten.
Diane & Dennis Owen
Alan,you are my hero! No one has ever,or will ever have,the impact that you have had on my life.You are the ultimate inspiration to anyone. May you rest in peace(on your off days)and continue to race hard on race day!I miss you and hope to meet you sometime.Thank you for the great memories.
Al_Kwki_7
I was with Alan just a few short weeks before we lost alan; i was at his cousins wedding as his best man and alan was there as an usher also . we had the best time of our lives together i can still remember having alan pour a beer on me and both of us laughing about it; and when the wedding was over alan and i were the best of friends. when i was told that alan had passed away i could not believe that this had happened to a friend of mine. i still miss alan every day and think about the great time we had. i know with all my heart that alan is in heaven racing up a storm up there and being a champ again. i miss you alan you're still my best friend. ....
steven j. marsico
Forever a racer, forever remembered.
Jesse Armstrong
My memories of Alan start when he was sponsored by Quincy's Steak House 32 Ford. I have always liked the underdogs of racing. Except for the Petty;s of way back when I have pulled for those who have done more with less....My most fondest memory was when Alan was going to be at the local Ford dealership after practice at Bristol. He was late there were only a dozen or so people standing around waiting. He pulls up in an unmarked white truck and trailer. He came in and ask if a couple of us would help him unload the car. Myself and another gentleman walked out and helped him push the car inside. I returned to the end of the line that had formed. When I got to the table he ask what my name was and signed his postcard to Me.....It was the black and white Daytona card with the Zerex Ford. I also have various other memorabila of him that is cherished. I was lying in bed listening to the radio that night when his plane crashed on that hilltop outside of Bristol. I went to the track that day and cried as his hauler made that one lap in the rain before driving out and away from the track. What a tragic waste of human life. I know that no one knows when his time is up but I am glad at least that Alan achieved that which he sat out to do when he loaded all his stuff up in the truck and came south to race. I have a picture of him taken at the Hooter's in Knoxville the night his plane when down. He looked just like he did when I helped him unload his car the look of a Nascar Winston Cup Champion........
Godspeed Alan
JCC
My Life as a Kulwicki fan...I'm only 16 years old but when it comes to racing knowledge I think I can compete with my older peers pretty good. I live in Franklin, Wisconsin which is just outside Milwaukee. I would like to share with all of you my experiances with Alan and NASCAR in general. My mom knew Alan pretty well. She helped him out whenever he could when he raced the number 99 WLPX radio station Camaro. She has more stories than I can tell you about Alan and it truly is a joy to have been so close to a racing legend like Alan was and is still to this day. One story she told me I thought was kind of funny was how her and some of the other people helping him called him " Alan Wrench ", because obviously that is a tool. She tells me all these stories about how he'd have a bad day and they'd say " Watch out for good 'ol Alan Wrench! " and he'd get all mad. But it truly was a sight to see Alan take the Winston Cup down there in Hotlanta. Well I suppose it WAS rather cold down there at the time huh so Hotlanta doesnt apply. I was 8 when he won the Winston Cup and I got to finally meet him on Alan Kulwicki Day back here in Greenfield, Wisconsin, Alan's hometown. I was just awed to finally meet the guy I knew I wanted to base my life after. Some day I hope to race in some form of a stock car, and I want to carry on Alan's legacy which he so tragically left behind. The money isnt there for me right now, but it wasnt there for Alan either, so I'm going to do my best and try to make my name known, just as Alan did so many years ago. Alan you'll be missed and from all of us race fans down here, I think you'll all join me in wishing Alan the best of luck rippin up the tracks in Heaven, as he ripped 'em up down here.
Joe Ewert
He may have not had many wins, but wow, he racked up on the poles; he would have a TON of them if he were still here. He was cool, beat all those big teams and won the cup, should make those other teams scratch their heads and make them wonder how they got beat by such a little operation. (and also where all their big dollars went to)
Andrew19
I knew Alan from his days at WIR in Kaukauna WI. This poem touched me after the fatal crash of Larry Detjens. Alan was involved in that crash, and it left him deeply troubled. Little did I know it would be so appropriate some 10 years later. My heart still hurts when I think of how many of life's joys Alan missed in his quest for the Winston Cup Championship. I miss the man I knew.
"A.E. Housman: To an Athlete Dying Young"
The time you won your town the race, We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought you shoulder-high.
To-day, the road all runners come, Shoulder high-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away. From fields where glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows, It whithers quicker than the rose.
Eyes the shady night has shut, Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers, After earth has stopped the ears:
Now you will not swell the rout of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran, And the name died before the man.
So set, before its echoes fade, The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up. The still-defended challenge-cup.
And round that early-laurelled head, Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls, The garland briefer than a girl's.
--Lisa
...And someday in the mist of time
When they asked me if I knew you
I'd smile and say you were a friend of mine
And the sadness would be lifted from my eyes...
FYI from "Web Master", below is a link to a good web site about Alan.
Tom Roberts Public Relations (http://www.trpr.com/Kulwicki.htm)
**Tom Roberts was Alan's "publicist, friend and advisor". This site includes a very good article by Mr. Roberts about Alan, and a copy of the 1993 Alan Kulwicki Media Kit, which includes a complete biography (you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the Media Kit)**