Never give up attitude...I was a fan of Alan's when he first started in Winston Cup. Here was a guy that had little money to work with, a part time pit crew, and one car to run all of the tracks. In spite of all of this he ran up front. I can remember when he would be in the top 5, he would pit and because of his inexperienced pit crew would come out 15th. Before long he was in the top 5 again. I couldn't help but sit in amazement that he could be that good with everything against him. He was my favorite driver from then on. I stuck with him when others I knew were going with the winners. What a great day when he won his first race. I just wish people now knew what the reverse lap (to celebrate a first win and be on the same side as the fans to wave to them) really means. Now it is a standard thing to do after a win, any win, just to celebrate. Sort of like dancing in the end zone after a touch down. Most people don't know what it means or how it really started. But that's ok, I do. His never quit don't give up attitude has helped me do things that I might not have. He truely did it his way and he didn't wreck people to do it.
R.I.P AK7
Bill F.
Alan's Legacy...I met Alan in 1980 through a friend, Terry Jeffords. Terry was Alan's first "major" sponsor 97WLPX. Terry and Alan grew to be very close personal friends. Through their friendship, I grew close to Alan as well. I still grieve and the pain does not go away. Alan is an inspiraton to me and that's what he would have wanted.
Alan Kulwicki worked hard, followed his dreams, never said never and most of all never listened to the nay sayers. His legacy is to work hard follow your dreams and your dreams can come ture. There have been many great champions, but none that had the intestinal fortitude of Alan Kulwicki. He is a role model and a true champion.
On June 7, 2001, Alan will be inducted into the Polish National Sports Hall of Fame. He is the first auto racer to receive the honor. On that night, Mike Ditka is also being inducted.
Terry and I were able to establish the AK Fun Run/Walk in Miwaukee during the NASCAR Busch/Truck weekend. It helped fund Alan Kulwicki Park in Greenfield. We ran it for three years 95-97(the last year was for Chris Trickle). Alan's fans raised over $100,000 for the park and Variety Club Children's Charities. I hope to re-establish the run/walk if Alan's parents agree.
When speaking to your sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, speak of Alan Kulwicki, role model, inspiration and true champion.
Alan, God's Speed
Dennis Czarnyszka
I will always be a fan...2 days in my 19 years of life on this planet that I will never forget are November 15, 1992, which is without a doubt the greatest race I have ever seen, and that tragic day in April of 1993. I cried my eyes out the entire day. It's still hard to believe that it's been 8 years since Alan left us, but it seems like yesterday. Harder yet that his "7" appears the same on Mike Wallace's car now than it did then. Alan will never soon be forgotten. God bless him as he races Dale, Davey, Neil, Kenny, and Adam in heaven. They ought to be some good races up there! I WILL ALWAYS BE A FAN, ALAN!
Steve Still
Remembering Alan...My name is justin snyder. i am 13 and live in mechanicsburg pa. I'm sure why i came to like Alan but i just know that i still can't forget the day Alan died. It was aprils fools day when my dad called from his work. He said that he had just heard on the radio that Alan had died. But i insisted it was an april fools day joke. So i turned on the tv on to the news, and sure enough it was there, all you could see was a plane in flames and a bold headline kulwicki dead in plane crash. I've never cried so much in my life. My mom says i started liking alan because i always said his last name. She says it was one of my first words. I used to run around the house saying kulwicki kulwicki. When i first started watching races when i was really small. I liked Richard Petty and Alan Kulwicki. When my dad told me Richard Petty retired i stricly went to Alan. Being my age i had no idea about points, and i didnt believe my dad when he said alan had won the championship. One of my drivers had finally won something , i was so happy. One year for my birthday i went to the races at Richmond. While i was down there i stopped at alans shop. i even saw him at the shop. i didn't meet him but i got a pic of him. Then i got to go to the HOOTERS to eat. I ordered the Kulwicki Hot Dog platter. I still have the menu. I got my pic taken on top of Alans rig. That was cool. Then shortly after that Alan died . I have tons of alan cars cards, trailors pictures and i even got a collectors knife with Alan on it. I will always remember Alan and i hope you do too. Thank you.
Justin Snyder
Dear Alan...Alan you were a great driver and you always were nice and you always had a smile on your face.I was only three when you died but your were my hero.
Chris Perry
Always in our hearts...We truely have missed Alan through the years, And he will always be in our hearts! He will always be a Champion in our mind, and will always be loved by his fans.
Shelly Linebaugh
MY MAN ALAN...I was an Alan Kulwicki fan when I watched my first cup race.I don,t know why but I loved the man right from the start.When Alan left us I didn,t know what to say, I just cried. I kept on watching races, but cheered for no one.Finally in 1996 I settled on Johnny Benson.Don't know why,but Alan is my main man always, he is #1.I have so many # 7 cars, placques and plenty of other things.People are always wanting to buy things but i wouldn,t part with any of them.I sure miss Alan,but I know where he's racing at now. AK.YOU ARE #1 KEVIN
Kevin Whittington
Passing on the memory...It only seems like yesterday when my father called me to tell me that Alan had passed away in the plane crash. I was hit hard and to this day I cry when I think about him. People just look at me like I am crazy -- how could the death of this man affect me -- because he was a stranger; he wasn't even a relative or close friend. This man made such a difference in my life because he was my hero. Many years have passed since 1993 and I have gotten married and had children. I decided that I would honor Alan by naming my first born daughter Bristol Allyn. Now Bristol is six. I wasn't sure if any of the information that I have been telling her about Alan had really taken hold until she requested that she have the number seven on her T-ball shirt because that is who she is named after. I can't wait until she is 7 because she will be getting a very special cake in her honor and in Alan's remembrance!
Missing you greatly,
Stacy Sauer
I am a new NASCAR Fan and I was watching the Hooters 500 from 1992 on ESPN. I had never heard of Alan and jumped on the internet to find out why, I am glad this page exists so I now know.
Brian Marks
Alan is the reason I started watching racing & Nascar. I became a fan after he won the '92 WC championship because he was from Wisconsin. The 1st race I watched on TV was the '93 Daytona 500. That's how I became a Dale Jarrett fan...but not until he started driving for Yates. I also root just as hard for Matt Kenseth...I live about 20 Miles from Cambridge, WI. I have been to the Hooter's in Greenfield a few times to see the WC trophy but my favorite 'Alan' memory was when the guy who restored the 'Underbird' took it out on the track at the Milwaukee Mile.
We miss ya AK, Davey, Neil, Adam, Kenny & Dale
Terry Strandell
He did it his way!...I remember back when Alan was at sears point and just had wrecked his car. He was trying to climb a chain linked fence and was having trouble. My buddy and I saw that ran over there and helped him over, so he could get back to the pits. I wanted so badly to ask for a autograph but new he just needed to get back to the pit and get his back up car ready. To my surprise later that weekend he was driving around in a golf cart with Hooter's girls and I saw him. He came over to the fence and thanked my buddy and I for helping him. I just did what I did because i respected him for what he was doing. The reason I chose he did it his way is he was offered money by other owners like Junior Johnson but turned it down so that he could run his team his way! Alan was the man and he will always be in my heart just like Davey Allison.
John Byram
My Role Model/Hero...I always had ambition and other traits that were also found in Alan Kulwicki, but wasn't sure what I wanted to focus them on until I saw Alan win the 1992 Championship. I was twelve years old at the time and decided that I wanted to start the "educated" approach to life. Due to strong creativity as a child, I decided to focus on earning my mechanical engineering degree once I got older. I'll never forget the dreary morning in Eau Claire, WI when I was eating breakfast with my father before school when my sister came rushing out of the bathroom. She exclaimed that some 1992 Winston Cup Champion had died. I asked her if it was Alan, and she said yes. I'll never forget that sad day when all I could think is please let this be a late April fools joke. Unfortunately it wasn't. NASCAR wasn't very popular at that time, but my fellow sixth graders knew who Alan Kulwicki was because I proudly wore my Hooters racing shirt that I was saving for that weekends trip to Hooters in Mall of America.
To this day I still wear an Alan Kulwicki watch and have my room plastered in his stuff. I wore a Mighty Mouse pin with my highschool graduation gown in 1999 and will be wearing it when I graduate college. I started my b.s. degree at the University of Minnesota because I wasn't familiar with Milwaukee, but decided to look into transferring to UWM (Alan's college) during the fall of 2000. I immidiately fell in love with the school and the little bits of town that have to do with Alan, although I do have to admit that it saddens me to see how quickly people/society move on. In the end, at least I'm doing it my way because thats how Alan would have done it and you can count on me keeping him in my thoughts on a regular basis. I have about two years left in my college career and hope to test my driving ability after that time by pursueing a part time driving career and going from there. The only thing I know about that at this point is that every time I have a chance for a victory lap, I'll be sure to turn the car around and do a Polish Victory Lap while holding three fingers in the air for my heros...Dale and Alan.
Michael Belger
alan kulwicki...all these years have gone by, but i still miss seeing him out there racing.
susan
Great Site...I enjoyed looking at your site...I will be back to see more of it...I hope you do not mind that I linked to it from mine. http://www.intmd8or.com/
Richard H. Monroe