Tag: NASCAR

The car Alan Kulwicki drove to victory at the 1988 Checker 500 and performed the first Polish Victory Lap. NASCAR racer Alan Kulwicki, who is of Polish decent, introduced the world to the Polish victory lap on this day in 1988 after winning the Checker 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, his first NASCAR Winston Cup win. The victory lap, now a tradition in many forms of auto racing, usually involves the winning driver turning their car around and driving it the opposite way of the race around the track. They often will take the checkered flag and wave it to the fans.  Alan Kulwicki Kulwicki, nicknamed the “Polish Prince,” died in a light aircraft accident in 1993. Following his passing the the victory lap name was solidified. Kulwicki had won the Rookie of the Year title in 198...

Retired NASCAR racer and team owner Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was born on this day in 1974 to parents Brenda and Dale Sr. Growing up in North Carolina, the youngster didn't have the easiest childhood. His parents divorced shortly after he was born and he lived with his mom until her house burned down around his sixth birthday. With nowhere to go, Dale's mom gave up custody to his father, who spent the race season on the road with his new wife. During this time Dale Jr. received care from an elder sister, but by age 12 he was too much to handle and his father sent him to military school. Above: Dale Jr at Daytona in the #88. By Freewheeling Daredevil - Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Top: Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 83 NAVY Chevrolet in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series. After God knows how ma...

Hideo Fukuyama, born on this day in 1955, became the first Japanese driver to compete in the top tier of NASCAR, after receiving encouragement from Dale Earnhardt Sr. His road to NASCAR began many years earlier in open wheel racing. His first major road racing career came at the 1979 Formula Libre 500 Japanese championship. In 1988 he would make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut, earning a second-place class finish. Other highlights from the era include wins at the 1992 Japanese Touring Car Championship and 1997 Super GT GT300 class championship. In 2000 Fukuyama would earn a LMGT class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Porsche 911 GT3. At Dover International Speedway in September 2002, riding on words of wisdom from Earnhardt, Fukuyama became the first Japanese driver to qu...

Maurice Petty, Richard Petty and Lee Petty On this day in 1960 Maurice Petty made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Dixieland Speedway in Birmingham, Alabama. At this event Maurice would compete against his older brother Richard and his dad Lee, marking the only time the trio would share the track. When the checkers flew Richard Petty sat in second and father Lee Petty placed third. Maurice crossed the line in eighth place. Maurice would make a total of 26 starts between 1960 and and 1964. He had ten top finishes, including a career best third place finish at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartan.burg, South Carolina in 1961. While he didn't accomplish much in the driver's seat, his father, brother and other drivers credit his mechanical skills for their own success. (Maurice ...

Bill France at Daytona Beach America’s prohibition era surely fueled the rise of NASCAR, but it took one man to make it official. Drivers who delivered illegal alcohol needed fast cars to outrun police, so they regularly tuned their vehicles for more power and better handling. Following prohibition, these drives still possessed a need for speed. They began to organize races, pitting their hopped up cars against each other, often in hopes of bringing home a cash prize. Daytona mechanic Bill France Sr., loved what the racing scene, but believed it could use more structure. With the assistance of a few partners, he developed a points system and race schedule for stock car racing. France soon began working with influential racers and race promoters to create a governing body for these r...