Kulwicki, Alan

▪ 1994

      U.S. race-car driver (b. Dec. 14, 1954, Greenfield, Wis.—d. April 1, 1993, near Bristol, Tenn.), in the closest championship points battle in stock-car history, won the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing's (NASCAR's) 1992 Winston Cup. Kulwicki, an anomaly in the sport, was both the first champion to graduate from college and the first born north of the Mason-Dixon line. He was also the first owner-driver to win the title since Richard Petty in 1979. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee with a degree in mechanical engineering, Kulwicki worked as an engineer and raced cars as a hobby before joining the NASCAR circuit in 1985. The following year he was named Rookie of the Year. A perfectionist who operated on a shoestring, he raced a single car, had a two-man crew, and served as his own chief engineer and chief mechanic. In 1988 he captured the first of five professional victories, and by the time he had signed (1991) a sponsorship agreement with Hooters Restaurant, he had established a reputation as one of the top drivers on the circuit. After winning the 1992 Winston Cup by a slim 10-point margin, Kulwicki defied tradition by taking his victory lap the wrong way around the track. At the time of his death, in a plane crash, he was in ninth place after five 1993 season races.

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