It still Hurts...I've read all the wonderful rememberances of Alan posted here. I've been reading the new ones every day. Seven years and it still pulls so hard at the heart. What a special guy he was.
I always felt, and still do, that the Tradin' Paint drawing by Mr. Brooks summed it up; Mighty Mouse sitting on the hood of the Hooter's Number 7 Underbird, crying.
Things have changed so much in the 7 years since that fateful day....I wonder what Alan would think of all the changes in the sport he loved and championed.
But most of all, I hope he knew, or now knows, how very, very much he was loved by his fans.
The Spirit of the Underdog Will Live On Forever In My Heart.
Charlotte Taylor
2 MOST ADMIRED MEN IN MY LIFE...How ironic it is that the two people I admire in my life are gone. I have been a NASCAR fan all of my life, as my father would say since I was knee high to a duck. He is the one that took me to every NASCAR race that he could fit into our schedule. He is the person that called me and told me about Alan's tragic death. This day was also my fathers birthday, I cried like a baby, I just couldn't believe it, even though I am a Bill Elliott fan, I was very glad that Alan won the championship. It is very ironic that a couple of months later I would lose my father unexpectedly. So the day April 1 holds alot of meaning to me, a great father who incherished in me the love of NASCAR and a GREAT NASCAR champion that we lost. MISS YOU ALAN AND DAD!!
BARBARA HARRIS
Thanks for the Memories...The smiles , the gusto, the really great feeling everyone had when Alan was out there pluggin' for another win~~Ya gotta loveit~~and I do. Again I say~~Thanks for the Memories.
DJ MONROE
A true hero...Heartbroken. That is exactly how I felt when I heard the news about Alan. Never had I looked up to someone like I looked up to and loved him. Nascar racing is a truly wonderful sport, however, it will never be the same. Someone mentioned why we never celebrate the birth and not the death, well in my home we do celebrate his birthday as well. There is cake here on December 14th, with 7 candles on it. Fly with the angels Alan, I miss you terribly.
Rhonda
Remembering Alan...I waited until today to visit this site, and I was almost overwhelmed by the number of sentiments expressed and shared. One comment questioned why we honor Alan today instead of on his birthday or the anniversary of the championship. I can't answer for everyone but as for me, I think of and miss Alan every day. It doesn't matter how many years have passed, Alan made an impact in my life and that hasn't changed. I do remember him on his birthday, and I do remember him--not just during the Atlanta race in November--but during every Winston Cup race, commercial, and program.
So April 1st is no different from any other day, except that I can't help but be reminded even more deeply of the fact that I still miss him. Every April 1st in the evening at about 9:25 I begin to wait. I begin to anticipate the moment that the records say he left this earth. Every year it's as though I'm expecting something to happen--like I'm going to actually feel the world remembering the moment with me. But time just ticks on, oblivious to the fact that the moment just passed that marked when someone who was so dear to me went on without me.
So while I think of and honor him on every other day, on April 1st I relive his voice on an answering machine tape, and I touch the shirt that hangs in my closet that used to be his, and I re-study the lines in his face and the bent of his fingers. And I smile. I haven't lost Alan. I know where he is. His faith in the Lord was such an important part of him, I don't believe he would have left this earth without knowing for sure where he was going. And, as I know for sure where I'm going, I can look forward to seeing him again.
With a smile,
Evelyn Misok
I have an Alan Kulwicki quote typed out and posted on my tool box at work. Each morning as I unlock my box I read this quote and I would like to share it with everyone.
"The pursuit of perfection is frustrating and a waste of time because nothing is ever perfect.
The pursuit of excellence is commendable and worth while.
Therefore strive for excellence, not perfection"
We miss you Alan.
Ed Millhauser
Always in my mind.....
Forever in my heart.....
Alive within my soul.....
Chris
I shed a tear as I read these posts Thanks All
THANK YOU ALAN KULWICKI (underbird)
Tommy Hardwick
Memories are treasures
No one can steal
Death a heartache
No one can heal.
Some may forget
Now that you are gone.
But I will remember
No matter how long.
Sadly missed this year the same as the last six years.
fanof7
YES, I GOT TO MEET ALAN AT THE FIRST WINSTON CUP PREVIEW IN WINSTON SALEM, AND IT WAS VERY NICE MEETING HIM. I WAS AT THE 1992 RACE IN ATLANTA AND IT WAS A VERY GOOD RACE. BILL AND ALAN RAN NECK AND NECK A GOOD PART OF THE RACE, AND BILL WON THE RACE ,BUT ALAN WON THE CHAMPONSHIP FOR THAT YEAR 1992. DAVY WRECKED RIGHT DOWN IN FRONT OF WHERE I WAS SITTING. RICHARD GOT INTO THE WRECK IN NO. 1 TURN, RIGHT DOWN FROM WHERE I WAS SITTING ALSO. I WAS GOING TO WORK THAT MORNING WHEN I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO ABOUT ALAN AND THE PLANE CRASH, HE IS VERY MISSED BY ALL OF US.
THOMAS MANNING
Alan left behind many great memories. One which he will always be rememberd by is, "The Polish Victory Lap"!
It was vert fitting that Rusty Wallace paid tribute to Alan when he won the WC race last Sunday at Bristol, when he did the "Polish Victory Lap" around Bristol Motor Speedway in his memory!!
Alan is sadly missed by all race fans!
Beth
7 years may have gone by but Alan is still and will always be my hero. Whenever I have problems and can't see a way out, I remember Alan and realize that the only way to solve them is to keep my head up and my eyes focused. To try is to achive and Alan, you achived the greatness that no other driver or person can compare to in my eyes. You will forever be in my heart....
Sandy
"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
Alan, forever remembered...It becomes more and more difficult to realize how much of an impact Alan had on me. Just true grit, determination, poise, I could go on. I am a Wood Brothers fan, but Alan just had something that everyone wanted...RESPECT.
Joe Gaydos