GWIZ of the Stars made some of the music used in this video. You can checkout her work here: ua-cam.com/users/gwizofthestars soundcloud.com/gwizofthestars
Do you have a link somewhere to the Texas World Speedway music track from them? I looked through their UA-cam channel and Soundcloud and unless I'm hopelessly blind I completely missed it.
The music in this video brought it to a whole new level. Combining fantastic storytelling with music that suits the mood just right is what takes a video from good to great, in my opinion, and that’s what you’ve done here. I hope to see more videos like this in the future!
I agree. Dale Earnhardt would bring a better NASCAR season for 1993 and 94. And Alan went down in history like Buddy Holly in that plane crash. Regardless if he won the championship or not, Kulwicki's luck ran out and NASCAR ended up doing better with Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt. And all was not lost... RIP Earnhardt
I think the biggest thing that they overlooked about Kulwicki is that he had a mechanical engineering degree. Not saying that the other drivers weren't knowledgeable, but when you have the ability to understand the mechanics of the car at a deeper level you can really see things that others might overlook and prevent them. The best example is the fact that Waltrip couldn't get his engines right. When you do have an engineering degree, a lot more of the fine nuances can be understood at a deeper level compared to just practical experience.
Good point! I've also read that's what helped Ryan Newman early in his career before everything became more homogenized. Years with multiple poles, probably due to some tricky engineering they concealed in those cars
Then explain Dick Trickle. He dominated short tracks and he is arguable the greatest circle track driver of all time and didnt have a degree. He just knew from the start it was do or die. Waltrip, Bodine, Elliott, etc had success with others. It will change a guy. AK knew this. That is why he never joined Junior. He couldnt go back to that hunger. AK's hunger, hardened by be an outcast of not being a good ole boy was his edge. Not that degree.
Then explain Dick Trickle. He dominated short tracks and he is arguable the greatest circle track driver of all time and didnt have a degree. He just knew from the start it was do or die. Waltrip, Bodine, Elliott, etc had success with others. It will change a guy. AK knew this. That is why he never joined Junior. He couldnt go back to that hunger. AK's hunger, hardened by be an outcast of not being a good ole boy was his edge. Not that degree.
@@adventuresofabbott4374 i do understand what youre saying but when you do have an engineering degree its miles away different with how you view setting up the car. In Alan Kulwicki's documentary they say how Nascar started hiring more engineers after Kulwicki's success. What I was saying is that people overlook his engineering degree and how that definitely helped. Especially when you want to call all the other shots. There are exceptions to the rule, but if you look at all the examples given the lack of success of the other owner drivers and what made Alan different. He was a really talented driver, but hell an engineering degree does help lmaoooo
@@zlinedavid Richard Petty’s last race, including coming back from the fiery crash (“Get the f*ckin’ fire extinguisher!!!” lol), Jeff Gordon’s first race. The 3-way championship battle with Elliott/Allison/Kulwicki. I was 11, and that race is still my most vivid nascar memory of my early years. Then once we lost 2 of those three championship contenders a year later, it just added to the legend of that race.
One interesting story of a driver who almost went his own way but changed his mind was Terry Labonte. Terry announced in victory lane after winning Talladega in July, 1989 that he was starting his own Oldsmobile team. However, in Janruary of 1990, he abandoned those plans and accepted an offer to drive Richard Jackson's #1 Oldsmobile. He would go winless with Jackson in 1990 and wouldn't find much success when he reunited with Billy Hagan for 1991-93 (in 1992, he drove Olds, Fords, and Chevys). Replacing Ricky Rudd in Rick Hendrick's #5 would revive his career and result in his second championship.
Fun Fact: In 1998 Matt Kenseth made his first cup start driving Bill Elliott's #94 at Dover filling in for Bill. He finished 6th. This was the third highest debut finish for any driver in NASCAR history.
@@evanwilliams6406 That's why I said it was the third highest debut. There were two others, one of them being Rusty Wallace and I can't remember the other, who had finished higher.
Makes one wonder if Alan had lived would he've expanded to a multi car organization with both the additional resources and clout to do as such and then nabbed Matt to drive for him instead of Jack Roush? I know that's something of rabbit hole territory, but had circumstances been different, seems halfway believable. They were both natively Wisconsin drivers from the Midwest and would Alan essentially see a younger version of himself in Matt as an upcoming driver? Even still, would Robbie Reiser still follow suit with the new team? Not too much really changes for Kenseth in this alternate timeline with winning his championship with Ford (On the other hand, would Alan eventually change manufacturers? Don't think he'd ever do it following some kind of fad, but if he saw better logical gains in terms of both the R&D as with making it affordable), but it's AK racing cars and Roush. Matt was very consistent like Alan and kind of an outsider. Maybe not to the extent that Alan was, but still. Would he've eventually jumped ship to Gibbs or stay with Alan his whole entire career? They probably would've been great friends. Sadly and in short answer, we'll never know.
I've said this to alot of racing buddies of mine for years. Had Davey or Bill won the '92 championship neither Gordon or Dale Sr rack up the win/championship totals they did because so many other people would have been in better equipment actively nicking top 5s and top 10s off of them.
I don't know that it would have made a difference specifically if they won the title (Earnhardt had a major off-year in '92). But if Davey hadn't died in '93, now THAT would be disruptive to Dale and definitely Gordon.
The level of domain expertise & competencies that Alan had was the only reason it all came together. This video is a great documentation of how pure talent or industry know how only does so much.
This is similar to Jack Brabham's story in F1. He won the championship in 59 & 60. He then created his own team a year later and waited until 1966 to win the championship again. Bruce McLaren tried to copy him, but died in 1970 without a championship win- however, his team became one of F1's most successful after his death. John Surtees, Chris Amon & Emerson Fittipaldi also went down the driver-owner route in the 70s and all failed miserably.
Forgot to mention Graham Hill, but he was miles his past (and drove until he was 46). But tragically he, his team and Tony Brise were killed during 1975 in a plane crash
I could listen to this guy describe paint drying. But bringing me to the brink of tears every time I hear the passion around Alan gets me every time. Another banger Slap!
With the exception of Elliott, I don't think the other drivers that went owner/driver did it out of ego to put Kulwicki in his place. I think they saw a chance to make 100% of the investment and in turn make 100% of the profits. They saw one guy win it all doing this and saw it as the chance to dump the middle man.
I agree. I enjoyed the video but the argument Slap makes all hinges on assuming motivations for the drivers mentioned. The fact is, we do not know if Alan's success was their motivating factor.
I am learning more about Nascar from this channel, and far more, than I could ever find myself. Thank you so much for all your hard work S1ap. It's truly appreciated.
What an absolutely tremendous video! I was just the boy when Alan was racing , but we were sure proud of him in Wisconsin. It was a sad day when he passed on. Real special guy
I do wonder what could’ve become of Waltrip in his late 40s. We got to see a little bit of that Ole DW Spark when he got to drive the #1 DEI car substituting for Steve Park. He even challenged for a win. I cried with him… “they didn’t throw enough dirt on me….” In the interview. I will say, that was a BRILLIANT comparison with Gant and Martin winning races in their early 50s. Well done.
I think it's pretty cool that Spire Motorsports have not only the same shop as Alan Kulwicki did, but from the front of their Chevy, the combination of white and orange is a throwback to Alan being sponsored by Hooters :)
Once again, another great video! 🔥 Another good question is, "What if Dale Jr took over operations at DEI?" I believe, if he a taken over and still received the engine backing from RCR, the early 2000s would have looked a lot different.
This is one of the trickiest questions because with Teresa still owning DEI as a museum, a wedding venues spot and ETG or Earnhardt Technologies Group to make grassroots racing parts like sway bars, Drivetrains, suspensions, New DEI merch etc. Now rewind the clock when Chance 2 was a thing to start up JR Motorsports today. Ty Norris on Jrs podcast talked about how Chance 2 would’ve been how Jr and Teresa would’ve figured out how to own teams together and they never butted heads from what I heard maybe a check up here and there and MTJ won back to back Busch Series championships which I thought was impressive If Teresa agreed to the deal to Jr. to keep DEI afloat around 2007-2008 they would’ve figured it all out by finding new sponsorships and employees to do their jobs. My theory is that if DEI existed as a Cup Series team JR Motorsports would’ve been a stepping stone for drivers to race for DEI and DEI would’ve been what I called “A new powerhouse team for the ages” but JR Motorsports would’ve had Truck and Xfinity teams and DEI would’ve been Cup teams...
Lovely video. I would like to add a couple of points. Darrell Waltrip: Another factor in his decline was Jeff Hammond leaving his team in the middle of '92. Hammond became frustrated because Waltrip had a business partner that had gotten in his ear and he became more concerned about making money instead of building a competitive race team. Hammond finally had enough and gave Waltrip the "It's him or me" ultimatum Waltrip sided with his new buddy and Hammond left after the team's victory at the July Pocono race. "Suitcase" Jake Elder took over crew chief duties and yeah, they won two races together, but one could argue that he was just riding on the work that Hammond did. Hammond eventually left and came back to DW in '97, but by then it was too little, too late and the team was pretty much at rock bottom by then. Anyway, go listen to Hammond talk about it on the Scene Vault podcast. It's pretty good. Brett Bodine: Read this in a Ryan McGee article sometime ago, but supposedly Brett and Geoff were going to have a technical alliance with their self-owned teams, but then the '94 Brickyard happened and their already shaky relationship went to crap.
I'm a very big Waltrip fan going back to about 1989-90 and I can tell going by your detail of the 1992 season that you know what you're talking about. I've never heard about a business partner from that time. Was this just someone that had Waltrip's ear at that time about how to run a business or was this an actual investor in the team? If so, who was it and long afterward were they involved?
Kulwicki also ended his stint in the last days of cheaper racing. Spending was starting to skyrocket and the height of the aero wars was starting at that point and there was no guarantee that Alan's model could persist through this era. He benefits a lot from the rose colored glasses of hindsight.
Once Hendrick got their act together of being able to successfully run a multi car team with 2 equal teams and cars that could legitimately win the title (Labonte and Gordon)... it was game over.
You assume that Alan doesn’t leverage that 1992 title into the finances to fund a 2nd team as well. I agree that with his controlling personality, it may have been a disaster, but you’ve got to consider that AK was an extremely intelligent man. He may have realized it was time to evolve and adapted quite well.
@@zlinedavid maybe, but still, while brains is a hell of a thing to have, to have the money Hendrick, Roush, Penske, Gibbs, and what not could bring in, along with additional brains to understand the engineering and aerodynamics of the cars, Kulwicki would have been like Rudd, Elliott, or Bodine. Eventually realizing they need to go back to good teams if they want wins, and realizing their operations aren’t going to be competitive enough.
@@PYLrulz1984 I could see Alan evolving into a situation like Roush-Fenway or a number of other teams: one side with primarily a financial interest, another primarily on the operations side. Basically....some financial muscle that wouldn't interrupt the hustle.
I never really gave thought to just how connected Bill Elliott and the elder Bodine brothers were through the Kulwicki fallout. The whole thing is a convoluted web of sorts that goes through the Junior Johnson organization. Bill and the #11 team were a dream-team arrangement, and that '92 swing-and-miss really sent them reeling. Junior had divorced and remarried, and with two little kids on the way, he seemed to have new priorities. Bill was leaving a sinking ship. Brett Bodine inherited said sinking ship for '95. After Alan's death, Hooters presented the Kulwickis with their own heir apparent, Loy Allen, Jr., who'd run some ARCA races with Hooters backing. Their plan was for Loy to drive the #7, with Loy's dad ultimately buying the operation. Gerry Kulwicki, who had guidance from Felix Sabates, opted not to sell to the Allens, losing the Hooters deal in the process. That opened the door for Geoff Bodine, who had his own earlier stint in the #11 Bud car, to purchase the #7 team from the Kulwicki family. Loy Allen and Hooters went to TriStar Motorsports in '94, then moved teams in '95 to...Junior Johnson's #27, replacing McDonald's. Loy made it only a few weeks into the year before being fired. After '95, Junior (who supposedly said "two things I'm never gonna have again, an old lady or an old race car") sold the #11 to Brett and the #27 to David Blair. Bonus #1: Todd Bodine made starts in '96 for Bill Elliott (after Bill broke his leg at Talladega) and in the #27 David Blair car. Bonus #2: Johnson had a partnership in '94 with Travis Carter, who owned the #23 Camel/Smokin' Joe's car. Hut Stricklin, who ran Johnson's #27 in '93, was farmed out to the #23 car for Carter in '94. Jimmy Spencer replaced him, then went to the #23 car in '95. Brett Bodine was replaced at King Racing (the #26) by Steve Kinser, who was fired when he struggled to adapt to Cup cars. Who replaced Kinser? Hut Stricklin.
By my count, Jimmy Spencer replaced Hut Stricklin in a Cup ride four different times, including three straight: Rod Osterlund's #57 (1990), Bobby Allison's #12 (late 1992), Junior Johnson's #27 (1994), and Travis Carter's #23 (1995). It took Kenny Bernstein shutting his Cup team down at the end of the 1995 season to finally break the cycle. If there isn't a good video yet about Hut and Jimmy, there should be.
@@ClassicNortheastAutoRacing That's pretty incredible, really...the stars aligned just perfectly for their careers to match up like that. Stricklin was believed to have a lot of potential based on how he raced Davey straight-up in their youth, but he never really got into a ride at a particularly good time for that team.
Back then me and my dad went to an ASA race at Anderson speedway in Indiana. Right before the start of the race Alan flew into the parking lot in a helicopter and jumped in the #28 Hardee's car. He dominated the first 100 laps or so before going up in smoke with a blown engine. I'll never forget it.
Dude I love your take. The one that most people don’t want to think of… Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. Sure, he didn’t leave RCR to go there, but I think that’s what he was planning. Had Dale survived Daytona it’s possible he ends up at DEI one day and they too go bankrupt.
Eh, I doubt it for the fact unlike these, he delegated the tasks of running the day to day operations of DEI to others, even when he was alive. Dale Sr. also built it so that DEI was a multicar operation, while all of these were single car teams. Multiple Cars meant having multiple sponsors, meaning having more money, and the benefits of having the economy of scales.
I thought of a DEI scenario too... DEI was a definite roller coaster ride without Dale Sr. sure up to that point in the 2001 Daytona 500 DEI was on trajectory up to that point they had 4 championships in the lower series and two of them are the truck series from 1996 and 1998 by Ron Hornaday and Back to back xfinity titles in 1998 and 1999 both by Dale Jr. But the question I ask is how many Cup series championships and wins would DEI would’ve scored if Dale Sr. survived his crash and going into the 2001 Cup season and beyond? They were a championship contender in 03 by Dale Jr. and he was 207 points away from Kenseth and Kenseth performed with one win, 11 top 5s and 25 top 10s and then next year in 04 NASCAR jinxed the championship... I think from the resources I gathered about DEI is that Dale Sr. raced for his own team in the Xfinity Series from 1984 to 1994 but he won a few races in DEIs early foundation years Dale won the Xfinity races at Daytona in 86, 90, 91, 92, 93 and 94 but keep in mind he never won the xfinity series title but he ran in the Xfinity series part time at tracks like Charlotte, Rockingham and Darlington. Whatever the case is on why he raced in Xfinity part time will remain a question unanswered… I think that Sr. did that to use it as a side hustle on race weekends…
Kluwicki championship brought cars owners in during the 90's. At a time when corporate sponsorship was growing exponentially. This championship gave hope to new cars that they might have a chance in the sport.
Whoever ends up in the #28 has an excellent shot at the '94 title without any injuries, but I'm not so sure about '99. The circumstances of Irvan's injury and Jarrett replacing him led to a unique scenario which led to Yates opening a second car for '96 (fun fact: DJ was intending to go the owner-driver route in '96 if Yates hadn't done that. Jarrett would probably have ended his career with 4 wins in that universe!) If that hadn't happened, they likely don't start a second car in '96, and knowing Yates' conservatism, they might not have joined the multi-car train until it was too late, ruining their chances in the late '90's.
I agree with what you said he did pretty great on the subject and hope to see more What If’s from S1ap... sure Iceberg did it for Dale and had a bit of depth and try to give us clues but I think S1ap does it with more depth... Sure there’s ton of what if’s about this sport and that butterfly effect left a big gap on all the drivers we’ve lost overtime. Sure there’s the Different History Wiki page about Alan, Dale Sr and a few others... Griffdawg and SonicRules 831 did a Dale Earnhardt survives scenario in the NR2003 computer game which is pretty decent but somethings of their personal what if scenarios was like “Ok umm I’m sorry what?” Like a guardrail across Bristols pit roads... definitely weird...
Alan Kulwicki and the "Underbird" would not even qualify for the Chase under current rules. Fortunately we were able to experience one of the most exciting NASCAR seasons in history.
Oh my God, S1ap is probably one of the Great NASCAR Historians on UA-cam along with Brock Beard and nascarman history. Thanks S1ap This is something I never knew about Alan Kulwicki
I see new S1apSh0es video, instant like from me. Also, your video made me know more about how Alan Kulwicki's championship resulted in the growth of owner-drivers in the 90s.^^
You don't think all these drivers made the choice to become owner/drivers? It wasn't Alan's fault. No one put a gun to their heads. It's not the trapeze artist's fault if I get hurt trying to follow him across the high wire.
You mention new fan subscribers in another video. I've been watching for 6 years learning as I go, a lot from you. I like Keselowski, but after moving teams he's abysmal. I'd love your take on what happened, what it means, and whether it's the owner/driver bug, his rep, Penske, or something else. It would be much appreciated.
10:20 I'm not sure if any of the rides you're mentioning were open in 1995. Ken Schrader and Ted Musgrave were firmly in the 25 and 16 cars respectively and the Roush 99 car didn't even exist yet. I'm not even sure if the Childress 31 car existed yet. However, I did find two rides he could've taken. Yates 28 - Ernie Irvan could've had an epic battle for the 1994 championship with Dale Earnhardt had he not gotten in a near-fatal injury at Michigan. I doubt that Robert Yates committed to Dale Jarrett before the 1994 season ended. Elliott could've taken over there then gotten the 88 car for the next couple of years and perhaps have gotten the success Dale Jarrett got with that team. Of course, when Jarrett went to Robert Yates, he left a vacancy at... Gibbs 18 - Don't tell me this team was too young to thrive. Dale Jarrett had a top five season in this car in 1993. After Dale Jarrett left, Bill Elliott could've taken over this ride and really solidified this team after the shaky 1994 season. Alas, Bobby Labonte was significantly younger than Elliott and may have gotten the ride anyway.
I never realized what revolving door moment this was for NASCAR. This has to be some of the biggest "what-if" moments in the sport. Also, where does Denny fit in with all of this?
Alan Kulwicki was like the band leader frontman musician who wrote all the songs for his band and got mega success, while the rest were like his incredibly talented musician bandmates who thought that because they were great musicians they could do it, too. But there's more to music than just being able to shred on stage. They didn't have the songwriting, the charisma, the connections, etc. Alan knew what the hell he was doing.
I think what you're forgetting about the age thing, is that Bobby Allison, Harry Gant and Mark Martin are exceptions. By and large, mid to late 40s is when drivers tend to stop winning. And I think you're seeing that reflected in drivers of today not sticking around til they're 55. Hell, Richard Petty won his last race at 47. Gant and Martin were fast old men.
Alan was amazing. What he accomplished was legendary. However he wasn't as good of a wheelman as Allison. To me he was more likely on the level of Elliott and Irvan. Kulwicki was a phenomenal driver but his intelligence as a mechanic and engineer, and his perfectionism and perseverance in all areas are what made him a legend. Along with Allison and Elliott's legendary chokes. They had monumentally more cash and experience, however Alan, Andrews, and company were near perfect. They saved their best for last in 1992. Not dominant( like Wallace winning 4 of the last 5 in 1988) but supremely consistent, routinely finishing in the top 5, while the 2 point leaders fell apart down the stretch, allowing Kulwicki to enter the finale at Atlanta only 30 points behind Allison and ahead of Elliott. The two drivers who were the most dominant in 1992, had suddenly opened the door for the ultimate "Underbird." Allison persevered from early troubles but ultimately fell victim to the ultimate irony. Everyone thought Davey was the chosen one. Ford's champion. Destined to leave (like his phenomenal father) a legacy as a master champion of Nascar. Davey looked the part, hell he was the part. Shockingly destiny fell silent and unrewarded as Ernie Irvan crashed directly in front of the would be champion. Surely Davey would have another chance but no... like the unlikely champion Kulwicki... Davey Allison would be dead within 9 months. Kulwicki, who best I can figure, would've been a measly #13 in power rankings heading into the 1992 season, would shock the sports world and become champion. It's as good of an underdog story as I've heard. A northerner coming down south with nothing but a pickup truck, a trailer, a degree in mechanical engineering, and a dream... would within seven years do the absolute impossible. Win a championship, on his own, in the most commercial driven of all sports... NASCAR. It's an impossible fairy tale that came true. And the 1992 Hooters 500 will forever remain NASCAR'S most magical race. A glorious story of unlikely triumph and a heartbreaking glimpse of bright lights extinguished far too soon.
I worked with Ricky Rudd, and he did a really good job as a driver owner. Darrell Waltrip spent too much money too quickly to be successful. Unfortunately Jeff Bodine did not the skills too get the job done!
Only problem with the Rudd taking the 28 car in 1994 was that Ernie took the 28 ride in 1993 after Davey's death under the advisement of Larry McReynolds absolutely honing in on Irvan specifically. Dale Jarrett's entrance into the 28 was by no mere coincidence. Jarrett, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A OWNER-DRIVER TOO, but the Hooter's sponsorship fell through and Yates offered him the 28 instead. That Jarrett team would have had R&D from Yates and engines from Yates as well.
Tiny detail, but pretty telling if you ask me. Look at the side by side with Kulwicki and Lajoie in front of their respective HQ On Kulwicki's side, vast greenery as far as the eye can see, the vibrant orange of the HQ and sign. A tree in the middle that is very young, but full of potential to grow. On Lajoie's side, barren and almost greenless, the HQ a dull grey red. The tree has grown to immeasurable heights...but has lost the potency and health. Yes I know this is likely due to the time of the year, but it perfectly encapsulates the health of NASCAR as a sport. The growth in the 90s can never be understated...and to see how far it has fallen, let's just say the new generation, the new car, and new everything have their work cut out for them in catching lightning in a bottle once again
A little off topic, but you reference the scoring error that robs Darrell Waltrip of a win. A win that if he had been given credit for it would of tied him for the record of consecutive seasons with a win (because DW won the next two seasons after this error). Many will mention Richard Petty this year if and when Kyle Busch manages to tie this record. Sadly DW loses out being in this conversation due to an error.
Brett Bodine didn't have a career ending injury in 2003. He attempted one or two more races after that crash. Hooters leaving derailed Brett Bodine Racing. Brett wanted to run in 04 but didn't have any sponsors
Ironic ya bring this up on the new repave at Atlanta. Geoff Bodidine carried the qualifying record since day one of the repave in 1997,,, yes in the #7
*Geoff Bodine was winning on Hoosier tires when he drove the #7 car. He couldn't compete on Goodyear tires...lmao! Robby Gordon was an Owner/Driver of the #7 car too...lol
Everyone in the Wisconsin short track scene who was around when Alan was raving had a story about him being able to build a car better than anyone they have ever seen. The guy is an absolute legend
I love this channel because NASCAR has been terrible the past six or seven years, pretty unwatchable. But channels like these let me look back at the prime of NASCAR (1980-2003) and its pretty fun.
For better or worse, I think you answer your own question the moment you start saying they should've "played it safe." Maybe it is a ego thing, I dunno, but who the hell hears the words "play it safe" and says, "Yeah, let's do that!" Better to try and fail than to just rest on your laurels or not go for whatever qualifies as the top prize. Getting a Winston Cup is one thing; doing it yourself is kind of an irresistible goal once it looks remotely viable. Also, I don't know if it's quite on point to say that guys like Bill Elliott needed to prove they were better than Kulwicki or that '92 was a fluke. I think it's entirely possible he just wanted to prove he could do it himself, his way. And I really can't fault guys like Elliott or Waltrip for trying, either. They already won the Cup before. If you're not reaching higher, taking risks on the road less travelled, that's gonna wind up being unfulfilling for a LOT of people, no matter how much money is involved. And there's also the question I have to ask: what was the cut their previous owners were taking? Seems obvious that if you can win races on your own dollar and reap 100% of the rewards, that's preferable to giving up who knows how much to someone who isn't out there risking their neck. Not to mention that every one of those guys have to be thinking they wouldn't be in the driver's seat forever. Being a successful owner could ensure that you still have an income in the future while also providing a seat for future younger drivers. It's just that none of them could actually get it done. Don't know until you try.
Alan was smart, no doubt about it… but unless he had someone help him out (like Tony Stewart with Haas), the multi-car team craze would have buried his team to backmarker status in the late-90’s, much like most of the rest. Kulwicki would have to be swallowing a lot of pride by that point. Either have someone help run his operation, or do what he didn’t do in 1991, and join a quality team to extend his legacy.
fun fact.when kulwicki died felix sabatese stepped in 2 run the team as kulwicki wanted.he put jimmy hensley in the car 2 drive as kulwicki also wanted however hooters said they would pull their sponsorship if hensley was 2 drive the car.sabatese told them he was going 2 drive the car and that if hooters wanted out they could leave and they did.crappy way 2 honor kulwicki as hensley should have been given a chance and wasnt.and that is y i will never step foot in a hooters.
That’s the problem with comparing yourself to others. You’re always going to find someone who’s just better than you at whatever. Nobody can really be king, because someone out there will have done it better, whether through just having more talent, or more money, or whatever. Just focus on doing things the way that works for you, and if it takes you longer to get to where you want to be so be it. The thing about goals is that accomplishing them is accomplishing them. If it takes you two years, or ten years, you still did it.
Alan Kulwicki was the bridge from the past to the future regardless of the topic in life He was The Engineer before NASCAR even had engineers And he was The Owner/Driver when Owner/Drivers were on their way out
@@clipobserver they may be owner/drivers in name, but in practice, while they may be putting their money in it, they aren’t gonna run their teams like Kulwicki, Waltrip, Bodine, and others did.
Another factor was that Kulwicki wasn't married, didn't have children, didn't own any other businesses, didn't race in any other series or have any other interests. 100% of his life's focus, effort and energy was that#7 race team. Hard to compete with that. None of the other owner/drivers could say that.
Although Alan’s strategy as a driver and owner may have altered the 90s and not in a great way in NASCAR, but I think that made him more of a legend. He did something that greats like Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, and Ricky Rudd couldn’t do. He bested all of these guys even after his death. This in my opinion, makes him one of the most underrated legends in all of sports.
Thing is, when all these drivers chose to go independant car owner, they were in a part of their career that they were actually just running experimental parts. Remember back in the mid 90's Earnhardt got tired of running experimental parts in his mainstream ride; because of reliability issues, so he was able to get other drivers hired on to do so in the background. Similar to what went on behind the scenes of the tire war days. Tires were just a part of the experimentation going on at that time. Metals and part designs were being tested and mainly during actual races, that had cost Dale Sr. a few races. In reality that was all Darrell was at Hendrick. Same with the others you mentioned. Bill went on with the Dodge team, ended up tutoring Kasey Kahne, and helping the driving aspects at the newly designed Dodge racing. Bodine wasn't that great, he just had the most money in NASCAR behind him at the time. Same with Rudd, whose claim to fame was being able to shift without the clutch, hinse the foot cam.... Only thing different was that they actually carried a much better sponsor and more money with them than Kulwicki did when he was doing it. He did it with a dirt track budget compared to a Waltrip, that already had much of his garage and team set up way before the move had even taken place.
@@kramnull8962 I beg to differ on Rudd. Def not the most talented at all specially compared to Waltrip and Elliot. But he was a damn good driver who could over drive equipment he was in. I think Rudds problem was bitterness that made him an outcast in the garage. Earnhardt took over the 3 car in 84 and Childress kicked Rudd to the curb. This all happened after he was excitedly explaining what they were working on in 83 to Earnhardt. He actually talks about this in an interview with Dale Jr. It honestly seemed like he burned bridges and isolated himself a lot. This was pretty evident when he called out the Roush engine program for not supplying him with the same equipment as Jarrett causing a huge fight. If he would've gotten over it earlier i think he could've had a more successful career.
@@arturo2017 Well not using the same equipment was what I was stating about the others as well. They were just bargaining chips for the teams to run cars with manufacturer logos but only to do one task. That task had nothing to do with winning. Not that every driver didn't start a race with best intentions, but the car owners knew there would be only 1 really good car. Kyle Busch was in the same boat with the #5 team at Hendrick. With Kyle he did everything wrong. He was supposed to know he wasn't going to win and he was supposed to bring the car home. Kyle chose to overdrive under developed equipment into the wall if he had to do so to make it win... I'll admit though, if there was a problem with tires or fuel mileage race, Rudd was the one that could nurse it home for sure. He just never was aggressive to win the races that took banging in the doors and fenders for a position. Which was also much of Bill Elliott's problem as well.
Thats the thing I think a lot of these drivers didnt get, Alan was an engineer first and a driver second. He knew how to run a team and engine program as well as drive, and most of these guys knew only how to drive. Darrell Waltrip admits he couldnt get out of the drivers mindset and that hurt his team. Its interesting to think what we could have seen if the owner driver craze hadnt happened. DW likely would have broken 90 wins, and could have broken 100 with the Hendrick power that came about in the Gordon era. Bodine likely breaks 25 wins and gets into the HOF. Elliott winning a second title that he barely missed out on in 92. The only guy whose career doesnt change much is Rudd, but even he probably gets a couple better points finishes and one or two more wins.
You honestly think Bodine would have suddenly come up with 24 wins, when he never had any real chances beyond the 1 win he did get, scoring controversy aside ?? And Rudd wouldn't have done any better at all ?? Rudd would have benefited far more then Bodine, he had a better record beforehand, and better equipment & engines that those teams offered would have made him a even stronger driver. Just look at what he DID accomplice as an O/D, it was far better then Bodine, Waltrip, Elliott. Only Stewart has a better record, and as stated, he had the benefit of being a PART owner. Rudd, also compared to the others, again, bar Stewart, never changed his driver mind set, was in a good, competitive part of his career, and was the most consistent. He didn't do worse the he had when he was a team driver, but actually made improvements to his record. Rudd, unlike the others, AFTER closing his team down, was a sought after driver, that won races & was competitive, only Elliott can even attempt to make the same claim, he did win in a dodge after closing his team. I take nothing away from any of these great drivers for going out & trying to repeat what A.K. did. All of them could've had better results having gone to other teams, POSSIBLY, or they may NOT. But to say that the least winning driver, would have suddenly become one of the most winning drivers of those seasons, you said 25 wins, is a stretch. And to say that the MOST SUCCESSFUL of all these drivers would do no better at all, is an even bigger stretch. Rudd was the most successful of these drivers as an owner, and had a good career AFTER he went to another team, only Elliott did anything AFTER owning a team. And, RPM, Rudds team, was the ONLY team to NOT be in debt, in some cases MASSIVE DEBT.
@@sleeperdave Yeah I should have clarified that I meant Geoff getting to 25 wins, not Brett. Brett would be lucky to get one more if anything. I think Rudd's win totals do increase, as he stays competitive longer, but even before going owner/driver he was typically a high average finish but low wins type of driver, so I see him ending up in the 25-30 wins tier. The bigger question is if, were he to take a ride like the 18 over Labonte or the 88 over DJ, he would have gotten a Championship.
I would hope Rudd could have gotten one. I will admit, I am slightly biased, as I was a Rudd fan, & am typing this surround with TIDE memorabilia, along with RUDD era Havoline, wood brothers, Piedmont, etc cars & posters. I do believe, that of all of them, Rudd & Geoff Bodine were the only two that tried it when they still had a lot of good racing career left. Elliott may have won a couple, but those dodges did have an advantage, and they all ran strong, so no real surprise he got those wins, no disrespect to Elliott.
Kulwicki knew when to tap out on his engine building knowledge because in one season he’s blew up nine engines after hiring engine guys he the following year he blew up one.
Kind of ironic that Davey Allison and Kulwicki were the first Nascar drivers I ever heard of (even had a model of the 28 bought from a car show). Even over the Atlantic, in pre-internet days, two top drivers both dying in air crashes was newsworthy.
Yeah it is very suspect at best. Seeing how Chevy and their cronies were hating so much on all the Fords many many years. The hate they were spewing for so many years was this. "There is no way the Fords are outrunning us; with as much money as we are pumping into racing"..... Also translates: "we should be getting more wins because we sell more Tshirts; do something NASCAR"....
@@kramnull8962 you're correct-I could go on and on about nascrolet and SHITROLLING favoritism for over 50 years!!!!!! Modern era - chevy countdown to pass Ford victories in the 80's - shitty's winning moment 90's - Nascrolet actually had these showcased on tv!!!!!! Wtf??????? WTF??????? MASSIVE, MASSIVE SHITROLLING/GARBAGE MOTORS FAVORITISM - FU NASCROLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had Waltrip been healthier and kept using Hendrick engines, he would have been the most successful out of all of them. He got hurt in 1995 and was old, and it all fell apart. If he'd stayed healthy and kept Hendrick engines, he'd been fine
The other problem was Darrell was an agreessive driver and was at his best when he didnt care about tearing the equipment up. As an owner, he needed to keep things clean and that hurt his potential as well.
@@xanferra that's the main reason why he failed as an owner-driver. Darrell thought way too much as a driver, not as much as an owner. He was basically a team owner with a driver's mindset
Well figure Kulwicki had an engineering degree. Shows up to the garage with a briefcase. He was also business savy. He knew more things about a car inside and out. These other guys just didn't have that kind of experience
All good ol' boys* who, as far as I know, never even attended college, much less graduated. *Yes, the Bodines were from NY originally, but had spent enough time down south that they didn't really stick out until you heard them talk.
@@tomanderson6335 Well, they were from upstate NY, and anyone that's been there will tell you there's no shortage of hillbillies in upstate NY. So they fit in just fine.
@@zlinedavid I have a cousins wife from Pennsylvania who knew the Bodines by her side of the family... and I also have cousins who love that stuff... they worked on cars went to local short track races including the famous Williams Groves dirt track... heck they even go to Connecticut and New Hampshire to races there including Watkins Glen, Pocono and the now abandoned Nazareth Speedway. They even watch NASCAR modifieds every so often... You name it you bet your bottom dollar they did it and I wish I could’ve done the same as them but never made the cut to get involved. Or maybe I was involved but was not invited to keep them company and talk amazing racing stories for the ages or treating me like I’m an open seat in the theater or something and cared less about my interest in the sport... To be honest with ya they didn’t really tell me a whole lot of stories about racing here and there but I still wanted to know a lot more but some things are personal I guess...
I think Eli Gold put it best in the Year in Review 1993 video when talking about Alan Kulwicki's hauler leaving Bristol. "With sleet falling making the atmosphere even more sullen, fellow competitors and fans stood in silence as the Kulwicki race team transporter slowly made its way around the half mile Bristol International Raceway. NASCAR's assistant flagman, Mike Chaplin, saluted the champion by waving the chequered flag one final time," The fact that he had a degree in Mechanical Engineering, meant that he was able to look at the established ways other teams were setting cars up (4 grain scales on a 4 ft level) and thought," I can use my knowledge acquired through my education to make my car faster". Even though, perhaps not surprisingly being from a country that barely receives coverage of NASCAR, I had never heard of Alan before the Covid-19 pandemic, he is one of my favourite drivers in motorsport, anywhere. So much so that I purchased a T-shirt depicting Alan's iconic white and orange Hooters sponsored Ford Thunderbird on one side, and on the other, his various achievements, like 1986 Rookie of the Year, 1992 Winston Cup Series Champion and even the date he was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame
The fact that Alan’s story is being heard in multiple countries almost 30 years after his death warms my heart. Yes, he was a unique individual. Calculating, tenacious, and with a quiet confidence that came with belief in his unorthodox approach.
@@zlinedavid I think there was a moral aspect as well. He invested so much time, effort and what little money he had to build it up and as an owner driver he was responsible for the paychecks of his employees. Although he rode them to try to get the absolute best out of them, he knew that they needed the paychecks he was sending them to enable them to make a living. He said it himself when talking about turning down Junior Johnson's offer to drive the #11 car, "if I had had an offer like this before I started my own team, maybe I would have taken it, but I had so much at stake here that I stuck it out," and the fact that he proved everyone wrong by doing things his way, marching to the beat of his own drum to clinch a championship is truly remarkable. Yes, there have been owner drivers in F1 (the first form of Motorsport I got into) but that ended at the start of the 1980's. And even then, the only owner driver champion, Jack Brabham (who won the title in 1966 in his own car, after earlier securing titles in 1959 and 1960 for the Cooper team), he didn't have 100% ownership of his own team, it was in partnership with Ron Tauranac, hence his cars having the letters "BT" before the type number
Another great one S1apSh0es! No one can match Kulwicki. The man was indeed Special. The difficulties he faced growing up made him tough and his great knowledge of engineering made him a rare combination of skill and determination.
S1apSh0es, Just wanted to advise you about something regarding Geoff Bodine's 1994 season. This came directly from Geoff himself in multiple fan interviews/zoom meetings. When discussing the rigors of the 1994 season, it was Hoosier's first and eventually only season, with that, thousands of miles of testing was conducted, Geoff's team was the guinea pig for Hoosier. Geoff would advise that all the testing burnt out equipment, and with a shoestring budget, engines were blowing frequently. As for the drop off in '95, Geoff was advised last minute that Hoosier was dropping out of NASCAR. Due to his commitment to Hoosier the previous year, Geoff accused Goodyear of supplying substandard tires for the bulk of the '95 season. It wasn't until Geoff went directly to Bill France Jr. with overbearing evidence against Goodyear, that the supply issue was solved and Geoff started to turn things around slightly. However the damage was already done, and by mid-late 97, his team had run out of resources. Good piece, just wanted to advise of that side of things from Geoff's perspective.
Alan was also an engineer, and was able to out-engineer a car, which his competition knew...so he introduced engineering and so a lot of issues we have today (the $30M sponsors) are because everyone had to hire engineers which don't come cheap
I met Alan at Riverside international raceway in 1987 really great guy got his autograph still have it he is very missed he was one of my favorite drivers it was great for him to win the championship in 92 unfortunately what happened to him in 93 was tragic to NASCAR
That shortracker would win a championship 5 years later by being consistent but only won one race. Thanks to him Penske and Brain France unveiled the chase the next year. THAT's what ruined NASCAR.
Kulwicki had a Degree in Mechanical Engineering - he looked at the whole thing from the inside out. Not the outside in. That may be the difference. I also recall that bit him at least once. He ran hollow axle shafts in the rear end once and sheared one leaving pit road. Jeff Hammond (?) was stunned as that wouldn't translate to any real weight savings and definite loss of strength as proven.
Depends on how the shaft failed. In terms of flex and shear/twist….Alan was right. A hollow shaft is actually stronger and comparably lighter than a solid shaft of the same dimension. They are much harder to manufacture though, and getting the depth of the splines correct would take some very precise machining. I’m guessing that’s where the failure occurred. Execution failure, not theory.
GWIZ of the Stars made some of the music used in this video. You can checkout her work here:
ua-cam.com/users/gwizofthestars
soundcloud.com/gwizofthestars
♡
Should this be in the Atlanta 92 playlist?
Do you have a link somewhere to the Texas World Speedway music track from them? I looked through their UA-cam channel and Soundcloud and unless I'm hopelessly blind I completely missed it.
The music in this video brought it to a whole new level. Combining fantastic storytelling with music that suits the mood just right is what takes a video from good to great, in my opinion, and that’s what you’ve done here. I hope to see more videos like this in the future!
I agree. Dale Earnhardt would bring a better NASCAR season for 1993 and 94. And Alan went down in history like Buddy Holly in that plane crash. Regardless if he won the championship or not, Kulwicki's luck ran out and NASCAR ended up doing better with Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt. And all was not lost... RIP Earnhardt
I think the biggest thing that they overlooked about Kulwicki is that he had a mechanical engineering degree. Not saying that the other drivers weren't knowledgeable, but when you have the ability to understand the mechanics of the car at a deeper level you can really see things that others might overlook and prevent them. The best example is the fact that Waltrip couldn't get his engines right. When you do have an engineering degree, a lot more of the fine nuances can be understood at a deeper level compared to just practical experience.
he was an engineer in a world where everyone was a mechanic
Good point! I've also read that's what helped Ryan Newman early in his career before everything became more homogenized. Years with multiple poles, probably due to some tricky engineering they concealed in those cars
Then explain Dick Trickle. He dominated short tracks and he is arguable the greatest circle track driver of all time and didnt have a degree. He just knew from the start it was do or die. Waltrip, Bodine, Elliott, etc had success with others. It will change a guy. AK knew this. That is why he never joined Junior. He couldnt go back to that hunger. AK's hunger, hardened by be an outcast of not being a good ole boy was his edge. Not that degree.
Then explain Dick Trickle. He dominated short tracks and he is arguable the greatest circle track driver of all time and didnt have a degree. He just knew from the start it was do or die. Waltrip, Bodine, Elliott, etc had success with others. It will change a guy. AK knew this. That is why he never joined Junior. He couldnt go back to that hunger. AK's hunger, hardened by be an outcast of not being a good ole boy was his edge. Not that degree.
@@adventuresofabbott4374 i do understand what youre saying but when you do have an engineering degree its miles away different with how you view setting up the car. In Alan Kulwicki's documentary they say how Nascar started hiring more engineers after Kulwicki's success. What I was saying is that people overlook his engineering degree and how that definitely helped. Especially when you want to call all the other shots. There are exceptions to the rule, but if you look at all the examples given the lack of success of the other owner drivers and what made Alan different. He was a really talented driver, but hell an engineering degree does help lmaoooo
Certainties in life:
-Death
-Taxes
-S1ap mentioning Brett Bodine's final win
Don't forget the 1992 hooters 500 at Atlanta
That was Brett Bodine's ONLY win.
@@Matsumoto77 The 1992 Hooters 500 is the Kevin Bacon of NASCAR. Everything is tied to it in one way or another.
Or bring up Mark Martin
@@zlinedavid Richard Petty’s last race, including coming back from the fiery crash (“Get the f*ckin’ fire extinguisher!!!” lol), Jeff Gordon’s first race. The 3-way championship battle with Elliott/Allison/Kulwicki. I was 11, and that race is still my most vivid nascar memory of my early years. Then once we lost 2 of those three championship contenders a year later, it just added to the legend of that race.
One interesting story of a driver who almost went his own way but changed his mind was Terry Labonte.
Terry announced in victory lane after winning Talladega in July, 1989 that he was starting his own Oldsmobile team. However, in Janruary of 1990, he abandoned those plans and accepted an offer to drive Richard Jackson's #1 Oldsmobile.
He would go winless with Jackson in 1990 and wouldn't find much success when he reunited with Billy Hagan for 1991-93 (in 1992, he drove Olds, Fords, and Chevys).
Replacing Ricky Rudd in Rick Hendrick's #5 would revive his career and result in his second championship.
Yes. And I believe Terry Labonte was going to have Folgers as his sponsor, before they went over to Mark Martin's 6 car.
Fun Fact: In 1998 Matt Kenseth made his first cup start driving Bill Elliott's #94 at Dover filling in for Bill. He finished 6th. This was the third highest debut finish for any driver in NASCAR history.
Actually no, Rusty Wallace finished 2nd in his first start which was a one-off for Roger Penske and later Rusty would join Penske's operation in 1991.
@@evanwilliams6406 That's why I said it was the third highest debut. There were two others, one of them being Rusty Wallace and I can't remember the other, who had finished higher.
If it’s race then yeah Rusty was better, but in season it’s either James Hylton or Kevin Harvick
Makes one wonder if Alan had lived would he've expanded to a multi car organization with both the additional resources and clout to do as such and then nabbed Matt to drive for him instead of Jack Roush? I know that's something of rabbit hole territory, but had circumstances been different, seems halfway believable. They were both natively Wisconsin drivers from the Midwest and would Alan essentially see a younger version of himself in Matt as an upcoming driver? Even still, would Robbie Reiser still follow suit with the new team? Not too much really changes for Kenseth in this alternate timeline with winning his championship with Ford (On the other hand, would Alan eventually change manufacturers? Don't think he'd ever do it following some kind of fad, but if he saw better logical gains in terms of both the R&D as with making it affordable), but it's AK racing cars and Roush. Matt was very consistent like Alan and kind of an outsider. Maybe not to the extent that Alan was, but still. Would he've eventually jumped ship to Gibbs or stay with Alan his whole entire career? They probably would've been great friends. Sadly and in short answer, we'll never know.
@@davidtoups4684 It's Jim Roper, the first ever NASCAR race winner, in 1949.
I've said this to alot of racing buddies of mine for years. Had Davey or Bill won the '92 championship neither Gordon or Dale Sr rack up the win/championship totals they did because so many other people would have been in better equipment actively nicking top 5s and top 10s off of them.
As a casual fan, could you elaborate on the better equipment?
Nvm I think I get it with DWs failure?
You could add Tim Richmond to that part of the Gordon/Dale Sr conversation as well.
I don't know that it would have made a difference specifically if they won the title (Earnhardt had a major off-year in '92). But if Davey hadn't died in '93, now THAT would be disruptive to Dale and definitely Gordon.
@@BradRains And if Irvan never got injured, he'd definitely disrupt that order as well
If Davey, Alan, and Tim Richmond wouldn’t have died it would have definitely changed a lot.
The level of domain expertise & competencies that Alan had was the only reason it all came together. This video is a great documentation of how pure talent or industry know how only does so much.
This is similar to Jack Brabham's story in F1. He won the championship in 59 & 60. He then created his own team a year later and waited until 1966 to win the championship again. Bruce McLaren tried to copy him, but died in 1970 without a championship win- however, his team became one of F1's most successful after his death. John Surtees, Chris Amon & Emerson Fittipaldi also went down the driver-owner route in the 70s and all failed miserably.
Forgot to mention Graham Hill, but he was miles his past (and drove until he was 46). But tragically he, his team and Tony Brise were killed during 1975 in a plane crash
The rags to riches story of Alan Kulwicki defiantly deserves either a movie or TV series in my opinion.
I could listen to this guy describe paint drying. But bringing me to the brink of tears every time I hear the passion around Alan gets me every time.
Another banger Slap!
With the exception of Elliott, I don't think the other drivers that went owner/driver did it out of ego to put Kulwicki in his place. I think they saw a chance to make 100% of the investment and in turn make 100% of the profits. They saw one guy win it all doing this and saw it as the chance to dump the middle man.
I agree. I enjoyed the video but the argument Slap makes all hinges on assuming motivations for the drivers mentioned. The fact is, we do not know if Alan's success was their motivating factor.
Best comment on here
I am learning more about Nascar from this channel, and far more, than I could ever find myself. Thank you so much for all your hard work S1ap. It's truly appreciated.
This video just made me appreciate Kulwicki even more. Simply a renaissance man/genius, gone too soon.
Far too soon, if he was still with us NASCAR would be so much better.
What an absolutely tremendous video! I was just the boy when Alan was racing , but we were sure proud of him in Wisconsin. It was a sad day when he passed on. Real special guy
I was a teenager when he won it and now I'm old as dirt, it was great watching the little guy win it.
I was 21 when he did it, so now I'm dirt?
I do wonder what could’ve become of Waltrip in his late 40s. We got to see a little bit of that Ole DW Spark when he got to drive the #1 DEI car substituting for Steve Park. He even challenged for a win.
I cried with him… “they didn’t throw enough dirt on me….” In the interview.
I will say, that was a BRILLIANT comparison with Gant and Martin winning races in their early 50s. Well done.
Although he had some success, Waltrip was never the same after that big wreck at Daytona.
I think it's pretty cool that Spire Motorsports have not only the same shop as Alan Kulwicki did, but from the front of their Chevy, the combination of white and orange is a throwback to Alan being sponsored by Hooters :)
Once again, another great video! 🔥 Another good question is, "What if Dale Jr took over operations at DEI?" I believe, if he a taken over and still received the engine backing from RCR, the early 2000s would have looked a lot different.
This is one of the trickiest questions because with Teresa still owning DEI as a museum, a wedding venues spot and ETG or Earnhardt Technologies Group to make grassroots racing parts like sway bars, Drivetrains, suspensions, New DEI merch etc.
Now rewind the clock when Chance 2 was a thing to start up JR Motorsports today. Ty Norris on Jrs podcast talked about how Chance 2 would’ve been how Jr and Teresa would’ve figured out how to own teams together and they never butted heads from what I heard maybe a check up here and there and MTJ won back to back Busch Series championships which I thought was impressive
If Teresa agreed to the deal to Jr. to keep DEI afloat around 2007-2008 they would’ve figured it all out by finding new sponsorships and employees to do their jobs. My theory is that if DEI existed as a Cup Series team JR Motorsports would’ve been a stepping stone for drivers to race for DEI and DEI would’ve been what I called “A new powerhouse team for the ages” but JR Motorsports would’ve had Truck and Xfinity teams and DEI would’ve been Cup teams...
Lovely video. I would like to add a couple of points.
Darrell Waltrip: Another factor in his decline was Jeff Hammond leaving his team in the middle of '92. Hammond became frustrated because Waltrip had a business partner that had gotten in his ear and he became more concerned about making money instead of building a competitive race team. Hammond finally had enough and gave Waltrip the "It's him or me" ultimatum Waltrip sided with his new buddy and Hammond left after the team's victory at the July Pocono race.
"Suitcase" Jake Elder took over crew chief duties and yeah, they won two races together, but one could argue that he was just riding on the work that Hammond did. Hammond eventually left and came back to DW in '97, but by then it was too little, too late and the team was pretty much at rock bottom by then. Anyway, go listen to Hammond talk about it on the Scene Vault podcast. It's pretty good.
Brett Bodine: Read this in a Ryan McGee article sometime ago, but supposedly Brett and Geoff were going to have a technical alliance with their self-owned teams, but then the '94 Brickyard happened and their already shaky relationship went to crap.
I'm a very big Waltrip fan going back to about 1989-90 and I can tell going by your detail of the 1992 season that you know what you're talking about. I've never heard about a business partner from that time. Was this just someone that had Waltrip's ear at that time about how to run a business or was this an actual investor in the team? If so, who was it and long afterward were they involved?
What happened at the 1994 Brickyard race?
@@doomusrlc Brett spun Geoff
@@watchemfly8164 ah ok
Kulwicki also ended his stint in the last days of cheaper racing. Spending was starting to skyrocket and the height of the aero wars was starting at that point and there was no guarantee that Alan's model could persist through this era. He benefits a lot from the rose colored glasses of hindsight.
Once Hendrick got their act together of being able to successfully run a multi car team with 2 equal teams and cars that could legitimately win the title (Labonte and Gordon)... it was game over.
You assume that Alan doesn’t leverage that 1992 title into the finances to fund a 2nd team as well. I agree that with his controlling personality, it may have been a disaster, but you’ve got to consider that AK was an extremely intelligent man. He may have realized it was time to evolve and adapted quite well.
@@zlinedavid maybe, but still, while brains is a hell of a thing to have, to have the money Hendrick, Roush, Penske, Gibbs, and what not could bring in, along with additional brains to understand the engineering and aerodynamics of the cars, Kulwicki would have been like Rudd, Elliott, or Bodine. Eventually realizing they need to go back to good teams if they want wins, and realizing their operations aren’t going to be competitive enough.
@@PYLrulz1984 I could see Alan evolving into a situation like Roush-Fenway or a number of other teams: one side with primarily a financial interest, another primarily on the operations side. Basically....some financial muscle that wouldn't interrupt the hustle.
I never really gave thought to just how connected Bill Elliott and the elder Bodine brothers were through the Kulwicki fallout. The whole thing is a convoluted web of sorts that goes through the Junior Johnson organization.
Bill and the #11 team were a dream-team arrangement, and that '92 swing-and-miss really sent them reeling. Junior had divorced and remarried, and with two little kids on the way, he seemed to have new priorities. Bill was leaving a sinking ship. Brett Bodine inherited said sinking ship for '95.
After Alan's death, Hooters presented the Kulwickis with their own heir apparent, Loy Allen, Jr., who'd run some ARCA races with Hooters backing. Their plan was for Loy to drive the #7, with Loy's dad ultimately buying the operation. Gerry Kulwicki, who had guidance from Felix Sabates, opted not to sell to the Allens, losing the Hooters deal in the process. That opened the door for Geoff Bodine, who had his own earlier stint in the #11 Bud car, to purchase the #7 team from the Kulwicki family.
Loy Allen and Hooters went to TriStar Motorsports in '94, then moved teams in '95 to...Junior Johnson's #27, replacing McDonald's. Loy made it only a few weeks into the year before being fired. After '95, Junior (who supposedly said "two things I'm never gonna have again, an old lady or an old race car") sold the #11 to Brett and the #27 to David Blair.
Bonus #1: Todd Bodine made starts in '96 for Bill Elliott (after Bill broke his leg at Talladega) and in the #27 David Blair car.
Bonus #2: Johnson had a partnership in '94 with Travis Carter, who owned the #23 Camel/Smokin' Joe's car. Hut Stricklin, who ran Johnson's #27 in '93, was farmed out to the #23 car for Carter in '94. Jimmy Spencer replaced him, then went to the #23 car in '95. Brett Bodine was replaced at King Racing (the #26) by Steve Kinser, who was fired when he struggled to adapt to Cup cars. Who replaced Kinser? Hut Stricklin.
By my count, Jimmy Spencer replaced Hut Stricklin in a Cup ride four different times, including three straight: Rod Osterlund's #57 (1990), Bobby Allison's #12 (late 1992), Junior Johnson's #27 (1994), and Travis Carter's #23 (1995). It took Kenny Bernstein shutting his Cup team down at the end of the 1995 season to finally break the cycle. If there isn't a good video yet about Hut and Jimmy, there should be.
@@ClassicNortheastAutoRacing That's pretty incredible, really...the stars aligned just perfectly for their careers to match up like that. Stricklin was believed to have a lot of potential based on how he raced Davey straight-up in their youth, but he never really got into a ride at a particularly good time for that team.
Back then me and my dad went to an ASA race at Anderson speedway in Indiana. Right before the start of the race Alan flew into the parking lot in a helicopter and jumped in the #28 Hardee's car. He dominated the first 100 laps or so before going up in smoke with a blown engine. I'll never forget it.
Dude I love your take.
The one that most people don’t want to think of… Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. Sure, he didn’t leave RCR to go there, but I think that’s what he was planning. Had Dale survived Daytona it’s possible he ends up at DEI one day and they too go bankrupt.
Eh, I doubt it for the fact unlike these, he delegated the tasks of running the day to day operations of DEI to others, even when he was alive.
Dale Sr. also built it so that DEI was a multicar operation, while all of these were single car teams. Multiple Cars meant having multiple sponsors, meaning having more money, and the benefits of having the economy of scales.
I thought of a DEI scenario too... DEI was a definite roller coaster ride without Dale Sr. sure up to that point in the 2001 Daytona 500 DEI was on trajectory up to that point they had 4 championships in the lower series and two of them are the truck series from 1996 and 1998 by Ron Hornaday and Back to back xfinity titles in 1998 and 1999 both by Dale Jr.
But the question I ask is how many Cup series championships and wins would DEI would’ve scored if Dale Sr. survived his crash and going into the 2001 Cup season and beyond?
They were a championship contender in 03 by Dale Jr. and he was 207 points away from Kenseth and Kenseth performed with one win, 11 top 5s and 25 top 10s and then next year in 04 NASCAR jinxed the championship...
I think from the resources I gathered about DEI is that Dale Sr. raced for his own team in the Xfinity Series from 1984 to 1994 but he won a few races in DEIs early foundation years Dale won the Xfinity races at Daytona in 86, 90, 91, 92, 93 and 94 but keep in mind he never won the xfinity series title but he ran in the Xfinity series part time at tracks like Charlotte, Rockingham and Darlington.
Whatever the case is on why he raced in Xfinity part time will remain a question unanswered… I think that Sr. did that to use it as a side hustle on race weekends…
@@ElFuego35 Actually, Elliott was a 2 car team for a while. Jerry Nadeau drove the second car.
It’s always a good day when s1ap uploads
Kluwicki championship brought cars owners in during the 90's. At a time when corporate sponsorship was growing exponentially. This championship gave hope to new cars that they might have a chance in the sport.
Whoever ends up in the #28 has an excellent shot at the '94 title without any injuries, but I'm not so sure about '99. The circumstances of Irvan's injury and Jarrett replacing him led to a unique scenario which led to Yates opening a second car for '96 (fun fact: DJ was intending to go the owner-driver route in '96 if Yates hadn't done that. Jarrett would probably have ended his career with 4 wins in that universe!) If that hadn't happened, they likely don't start a second car in '96, and knowing Yates' conservatism, they might not have joined the multi-car train until it was too late, ruining their chances in the late '90's.
Man, I love "What If..." stories, especially with the Cup Series. Awesome video as always, S1ap.
I agree with what you said he did pretty great on the subject and hope to see more What If’s from S1ap... sure Iceberg did it for Dale and had a bit of depth and try to give us clues but I think S1ap does it with more depth...
Sure there’s ton of what if’s about this sport and that butterfly effect left a big gap on all the drivers we’ve lost overtime. Sure there’s the Different History Wiki page about Alan, Dale Sr and a few others...
Griffdawg and SonicRules 831 did a Dale Earnhardt survives scenario in the NR2003 computer game which is pretty decent but somethings of their personal what if scenarios was like “Ok umm I’m sorry what?” Like a guardrail across Bristols pit roads... definitely weird...
Alan Kulwicki and the "Underbird" would not even qualify for the Chase under current rules. Fortunately we were able to experience one of the most exciting NASCAR seasons in history.
Oh my God, S1ap is probably one of the Great NASCAR Historians on UA-cam along with Brock Beard and nascarman history.
Thanks S1ap This is something I never knew about Alan Kulwicki
I see new S1apSh0es video, instant like from me.
Also, your video made me know more about how Alan Kulwicki's championship resulted in the growth of owner-drivers in the 90s.^^
I was not aware of Lajoie’s Alan Kulwicki cosplay.
You don't think all these drivers made the choice to become owner/drivers? It wasn't Alan's fault. No one put a gun to their heads. It's not the trapeze artist's fault if I get hurt trying to follow him across the high wire.
You mention new fan subscribers in another video. I've been watching for 6 years learning as I go, a lot from you. I like Keselowski, but after moving teams he's abysmal. I'd love your take on what happened, what it means, and whether it's the owner/driver bug, his rep, Penske, or something else. It would be much appreciated.
1993 we lost 2 of the best drivers Nascar would have ever seen Alan then Davey
10:20 I'm not sure if any of the rides you're mentioning were open in 1995. Ken Schrader and Ted Musgrave were firmly in the 25 and 16 cars respectively and the Roush 99 car didn't even exist yet. I'm not even sure if the Childress 31 car existed yet. However, I did find two rides he could've taken.
Yates 28 - Ernie Irvan could've had an epic battle for the 1994 championship with Dale Earnhardt had he not gotten in a near-fatal injury at Michigan. I doubt that Robert Yates committed to Dale Jarrett before the 1994 season ended. Elliott could've taken over there then gotten the 88 car for the next couple of years and perhaps have gotten the success Dale Jarrett got with that team. Of course, when Jarrett went to Robert Yates, he left a vacancy at...
Gibbs 18 - Don't tell me this team was too young to thrive. Dale Jarrett had a top five season in this car in 1993. After Dale Jarrett left, Bill Elliott could've taken over this ride and really solidified this team after the shaky 1994 season. Alas, Bobby Labonte was significantly younger than Elliott and may have gotten the ride anyway.
31 car came along in 1993 for Neil Bonnett.
Ward Burton was considered for that Gibbs 18 car in 1995.
Alan Kulwicki Clinching The Championship in 1992 Magical Atlanta Motor Speedway In Hampton Georgia Thanks For Uploading
I never realized what revolving door moment this was for NASCAR. This has to be some of the biggest "what-if" moments in the sport.
Also, where does Denny fit in with all of this?
Alan Kulwicki was like the band leader frontman musician who wrote all the songs for his band and got mega success, while the rest were like his incredibly talented musician bandmates who thought that because they were great musicians they could do it, too. But there's more to music than just being able to shred on stage. They didn't have the songwriting, the charisma, the connections, etc. Alan knew what the hell he was doing.
I think what you're forgetting about the age thing, is that Bobby Allison, Harry Gant and Mark Martin are exceptions. By and large, mid to late 40s is when drivers tend to stop winning. And I think you're seeing that reflected in drivers of today not sticking around til they're 55. Hell, Richard Petty won his last race at 47. Gant and Martin were fast old men.
Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch now
@@Ob1tuber Harvick hasn't won in over a year, and Busch is getting to be that age.
Alan was amazing. What he accomplished was legendary. However he wasn't as good of a wheelman as Allison. To me he was more likely on the level of Elliott and Irvan. Kulwicki was a phenomenal driver but his intelligence as a mechanic and engineer, and his perfectionism and perseverance in all areas are what made him a legend. Along with Allison and Elliott's legendary chokes. They had monumentally more cash and experience, however Alan, Andrews, and company were near perfect. They saved their best for last in 1992. Not dominant( like Wallace winning 4 of the last 5 in 1988) but supremely consistent, routinely finishing in the top 5, while the 2 point leaders fell
apart down the stretch, allowing Kulwicki to enter the finale at Atlanta only 30 points behind Allison and ahead of Elliott. The two drivers who were the most dominant in 1992, had suddenly opened the door for the ultimate "Underbird." Allison persevered from early troubles but ultimately fell victim to the ultimate irony. Everyone thought Davey was the chosen one. Ford's champion. Destined to leave (like his phenomenal father) a legacy as a master champion of Nascar. Davey looked the part, hell he was the part. Shockingly destiny fell silent and unrewarded as Ernie Irvan crashed directly in front of the would be champion. Surely Davey would have another chance but no... like the unlikely champion Kulwicki... Davey Allison would be dead within 9 months. Kulwicki, who best I can figure, would've been a measly #13 in power rankings heading into the 1992 season, would shock the sports world and become champion. It's as good of an underdog story as I've heard. A northerner coming down south with nothing but a pickup truck, a trailer, a degree in mechanical engineering, and a dream... would within seven years do the absolute impossible. Win a championship, on his own, in the most commercial driven of all sports... NASCAR. It's an impossible fairy tale that came true. And the 1992 Hooters 500 will forever remain NASCAR'S most magical race. A glorious story of unlikely triumph and a heartbreaking glimpse of bright lights extinguished far too soon.
Very interesting! Combining my love of NASCAR and alternate realities. What a cool idea for a video.
I worked with Ricky Rudd, and he did a really good job as a driver owner.
Darrell Waltrip spent too much money too quickly to be successful.
Unfortunately Jeff Bodine did not the skills too get the job done!
Brilliant insights bro - I’d love to have a beer and talk racing with you
I really appreciate your use of halo music in your videos. Mark martin is you fav driver and you seem to like Halo. Are we related lol
Great stories! I had no clue about the owner/drivers out there!
Only problem with the Rudd taking the 28 car in 1994 was that Ernie took the 28 ride in 1993 after Davey's death under the advisement of Larry McReynolds absolutely honing in on Irvan specifically. Dale Jarrett's entrance into the 28 was by no mere coincidence. Jarrett, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A OWNER-DRIVER TOO, but the Hooter's sponsorship fell through and Yates offered him the 28 instead. That Jarrett team would have had R&D from Yates and engines from Yates as well.
The 2-time champ Rudd timeline was interesting.
Great video! I know it took a lot of work to make it, hope the views follow the hard work!
You know I'm not even a Nascar fan but I thoroughly enjoy your videos keep it up
Hey slapshoes, do you edit your own videos? Was the Real Estate theme from Yakuza 0 thrown in there on purpose or was it just coincidence?
Tiny detail, but pretty telling if you ask me. Look at the side by side with Kulwicki and Lajoie in front of their respective HQ
On Kulwicki's side, vast greenery as far as the eye can see, the vibrant orange of the HQ and sign. A tree in the middle that is very young, but full of potential to grow. On Lajoie's side, barren and almost greenless, the HQ a dull grey red. The tree has grown to immeasurable heights...but has lost the potency and health.
Yes I know this is likely due to the time of the year, but it perfectly encapsulates the health of NASCAR as a sport. The growth in the 90s can never be understated...and to see how far it has fallen, let's just say the new generation, the new car, and new everything have their work cut out for them in catching lightning in a bottle once again
Nah, it’s the build your own engine that became impossible and of course the emergence of the multi car teams !
Ray evernham
Pioneered fast stops, found sideforce, etc. he wrote the book on modern day nascar.
A little off topic, but you reference the scoring error that robs Darrell Waltrip of a win. A win that if he had been given credit for it would of tied him for the record of consecutive seasons with a win (because DW won the next two seasons after this error). Many will mention Richard Petty this year if and when Kyle Busch manages to tie this record. Sadly DW loses out being in this conversation due to an error.
Brett Bodine didn't have a career ending injury in 2003. He attempted one or two more races after that crash. Hooters leaving derailed Brett Bodine Racing. Brett wanted to run in 04 but didn't have any sponsors
TOP video and a great topic! as always you put it together SO WELL!
Ironic ya bring this up on the new repave at Atlanta. Geoff Bodidine carried the qualifying record since day one of the repave in 1997,,, yes in the #7
*Geoff Bodine was winning on Hoosier tires when he drove the #7 car.
He couldn't compete on Goodyear tires...lmao!
Robby Gordon was an Owner/Driver of the #7 car too...lol
A S1apSh0es vid is the 🐐
11:28 May those 2 buildings in the background rest in peace.
Shut up
Love your work, S1ap - excellent as always!
Everyone in the Wisconsin short track scene who was around when Alan was raving had a story about him being able to build a car better than anyone they have ever seen. The guy is an absolute legend
Awesome vídeo, Kulwicki still is a legend on his own
If "ifs & buts" were gifts & nuts, It would be Christmas EVERYDAY !
Such a great season. Kulwiki’s Underbird was a great story with a sad ending.
Early 2000’s is what ruined nascar
I love this channel because NASCAR has been terrible the past six or seven years, pretty unwatchable. But channels like these let me look back at the prime of NASCAR (1980-2003) and its pretty fun.
Alan was one of the best things to happen to NASCAR
For better or worse, I think you answer your own question the moment you start saying they should've "played it safe." Maybe it is a ego thing, I dunno, but who the hell hears the words "play it safe" and says, "Yeah, let's do that!" Better to try and fail than to just rest on your laurels or not go for whatever qualifies as the top prize. Getting a Winston Cup is one thing; doing it yourself is kind of an irresistible goal once it looks remotely viable. Also, I don't know if it's quite on point to say that guys like Bill Elliott needed to prove they were better than Kulwicki or that '92 was a fluke. I think it's entirely possible he just wanted to prove he could do it himself, his way. And I really can't fault guys like Elliott or Waltrip for trying, either. They already won the Cup before. If you're not reaching higher, taking risks on the road less travelled, that's gonna wind up being unfulfilling for a LOT of people, no matter how much money is involved.
And there's also the question I have to ask: what was the cut their previous owners were taking? Seems obvious that if you can win races on your own dollar and reap 100% of the rewards, that's preferable to giving up who knows how much to someone who isn't out there risking their neck. Not to mention that every one of those guys have to be thinking they wouldn't be in the driver's seat forever. Being a successful owner could ensure that you still have an income in the future while also providing a seat for future younger drivers.
It's just that none of them could actually get it done. Don't know until you try.
The stock footage bro at 11:16, though…
I was like, wait I know this clip.... ua-cam.com/video/fT4lDU-QLUY/v-deo.html
i’d like to hear your top 10 drivers
Long Live Alan Kulwicki!
This is one of the best NASCAR takes/observations I’ve ever heard. I don’t know how you come up with these concepts but hats off to you sir.
Well, the title alone got my attention.
I appreciate all the work
I do a polish victory lap everytime I win a race in Nascar Heat 5
The Mark Martin and Alan Kulwicki channel.
My all time favorite driver in history!🙏🏻
This is an interesting, and accurate take. I never really thought about it, but, you're right. AK was definitely an innovator in more ways than one.
Alan was smart, no doubt about it… but unless he had someone help him out (like Tony Stewart with Haas), the multi-car team craze would have buried his team to backmarker status in the late-90’s, much like most of the rest. Kulwicki would have to be swallowing a lot of pride by that point. Either have someone help run his operation, or do what he didn’t do in 1991, and join a quality team to extend his legacy.
fun fact.when kulwicki died felix sabatese stepped in 2 run the team as kulwicki wanted.he put jimmy hensley in the car 2 drive as kulwicki also wanted however hooters said they would pull their sponsorship if hensley was 2 drive the car.sabatese told them he was going 2 drive the car and that if hooters wanted out they could leave and they did.crappy way 2 honor kulwicki as hensley should have been given a chance and wasnt.and that is y i will never step foot in a hooters.
"There was so much potential in the 90s that was lost in pursuit of besting a dead man"
Damn, that line really hits
Yeah not a very proper way to word that
That’s the problem with comparing yourself to others. You’re always going to find someone who’s just better than you at whatever. Nobody can really be king, because someone out there will have done it better, whether through just having more talent, or more money, or whatever. Just focus on doing things the way that works for you, and if it takes you longer to get to where you want to be so be it. The thing about goals is that accomplishing them is accomplishing them. If it takes you two years, or ten years, you still did it.
@@markstrock6999 no not politically correct but it pretty much was the truth
I'm not religious, but plenty of people chase Jesus to no avail.
Jesus was God, and he's not dead.
Alan Kulwicki was the bridge from the past to the future regardless of the topic in life
He was The Engineer before NASCAR even had engineers
And he was The Owner/Driver when Owner/Drivers were on their way out
Not completely, you have BK and Denny Owner/Drivers though Denny doesn't ride with the team he owns.
@@clipobserver True But still
He was also the first Yankee to win Nascars top prize.
@@Seneka51 I believe only the second Catholic as well, after Bobby Allison
@@clipobserver they may be owner/drivers in name, but in practice, while they may be putting their money in it, they aren’t gonna run their teams like Kulwicki, Waltrip, Bodine, and others did.
Another factor was that Kulwicki wasn't married, didn't have children, didn't own any other businesses, didn't race in any other series or have any other interests. 100% of his life's focus, effort and energy was that#7 race team. Hard to compete with that. None of the other owner/drivers could say that.
NBA during the 1990s: "Be like Mike"
NASCAR during the 1990s: "Be like Alan"
Although Alan’s strategy as a driver and owner may have altered the 90s and not in a great way in NASCAR, but I think that made him more of a legend. He did something that greats like Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, and Ricky Rudd couldn’t do. He bested all of these guys even after his death. This in my opinion, makes him one of the most underrated legends in all of sports.
Absolutely right
Thing is, when all these drivers chose to go independant car owner, they were in a part of their career that they were actually just running experimental parts. Remember back in the mid 90's Earnhardt got tired of running experimental parts in his mainstream ride; because of reliability issues, so he was able to get other drivers hired on to do so in the background. Similar to what went on behind the scenes of the tire war days. Tires were just a part of the experimentation going on at that time. Metals and part designs were being tested and mainly during actual races, that had cost Dale Sr. a few races. In reality that was all Darrell was at Hendrick. Same with the others you mentioned. Bill went on with the Dodge team, ended up tutoring Kasey Kahne, and helping the driving aspects at the newly designed Dodge racing. Bodine wasn't that great, he just had the most money in NASCAR behind him at the time. Same with Rudd, whose claim to fame was being able to shift without the clutch, hinse the foot cam....
Only thing different was that they actually carried a much better sponsor and more money with them than Kulwicki did when he was doing it. He did it with a dirt track budget compared to a Waltrip, that already had much of his garage and team set up way before the move had even taken place.
@@kramnull8962 In 1992, Alan spent *less* than $3 million
@@kramnull8962 I beg to differ on Rudd. Def not the most talented at all specially compared to Waltrip and Elliot. But he was a damn good driver who could over drive equipment he was in. I think Rudds problem was bitterness that made him an outcast in the garage. Earnhardt took over the 3 car in 84 and Childress kicked Rudd to the curb. This all happened after he was excitedly explaining what they were working on in 83 to Earnhardt. He actually talks about this in an interview with Dale Jr. It honestly seemed like he burned bridges and isolated himself a lot. This was pretty evident when he called out the Roush engine program for not supplying him with the same equipment as Jarrett causing a huge fight. If he would've gotten over it earlier i think he could've had a more successful career.
@@arturo2017 Well not using the same equipment was what I was stating about the others as well. They were just bargaining chips for the teams to run cars with manufacturer logos but only to do one task. That task had nothing to do with winning. Not that every driver didn't start a race with best intentions, but the car owners knew there would be only 1 really good car.
Kyle Busch was in the same boat with the #5 team at Hendrick. With Kyle he did everything wrong. He was supposed to know he wasn't going to win and he was supposed to bring the car home.
Kyle chose to overdrive under developed equipment into the wall if he had to do so to make it win...
I'll admit though, if there was a problem with tires or fuel mileage race, Rudd was the one that could nurse it home for sure. He just never was aggressive to win the races that took banging in the doors and fenders for a position.
Which was also much of Bill Elliott's problem as well.
death, taxes, *S1ap making a video that has something to do with the 1992 Hooters 500 in it…*
Thats the thing I think a lot of these drivers didnt get, Alan was an engineer first and a driver second. He knew how to run a team and engine program as well as drive, and most of these guys knew only how to drive. Darrell Waltrip admits he couldnt get out of the drivers mindset and that hurt his team.
Its interesting to think what we could have seen if the owner driver craze hadnt happened. DW likely would have broken 90 wins, and could have broken 100 with the Hendrick power that came about in the Gordon era. Bodine likely breaks 25 wins and gets into the HOF. Elliott winning a second title that he barely missed out on in 92. The only guy whose career doesnt change much is Rudd, but even he probably gets a couple better points finishes and one or two more wins.
You honestly think Bodine would have suddenly come up with 24 wins, when he never had any real chances beyond the 1 win he did get, scoring controversy aside ?? And Rudd wouldn't have done any better at all ?? Rudd would have benefited far more then Bodine, he had a better record beforehand, and better equipment & engines that those teams offered would have made him a even stronger driver. Just look at what he DID accomplice as an O/D, it was far better then Bodine, Waltrip, Elliott. Only Stewart has a better record, and as stated, he had the benefit of being a PART owner. Rudd, also compared to the others, again, bar Stewart, never changed his driver mind set, was in a good, competitive part of his career, and was the most consistent. He didn't do worse the he had when he was a team driver, but actually made improvements to his record. Rudd, unlike the others, AFTER closing his team down, was a sought after driver, that won races & was competitive, only Elliott can even attempt to make the same claim, he did win in a dodge after closing his team. I take nothing away from any of these great drivers for going out & trying to repeat what A.K. did. All of them could've had better results having gone to other teams, POSSIBLY, or they may NOT. But to say that the least winning driver, would have suddenly become one of the most winning drivers of those seasons, you said 25 wins, is a stretch. And to say that the MOST SUCCESSFUL of all these drivers would do no better at all, is an even bigger stretch. Rudd was the most successful of these drivers as an owner, and had a good career AFTER he went to another team, only Elliott did anything AFTER owning a team. And, RPM, Rudds team, was the ONLY team to NOT be in debt, in some cases MASSIVE DEBT.
Unless you were referring to Geoff Bodine, he might have gotten to 25
@@sleeperdave Yeah I should have clarified that I meant Geoff getting to 25 wins, not Brett. Brett would be lucky to get one more if anything.
I think Rudd's win totals do increase, as he stays competitive longer, but even before going owner/driver he was typically a high average finish but low wins type of driver, so I see him ending up in the 25-30 wins tier. The bigger question is if, were he to take a ride like the 18 over Labonte or the 88 over DJ, he would have gotten a Championship.
I would hope Rudd could have gotten one. I will admit, I am slightly biased, as I was a Rudd fan, & am typing this surround with TIDE memorabilia, along with RUDD era Havoline, wood brothers, Piedmont, etc cars & posters. I do believe, that of all of them, Rudd & Geoff Bodine were the only two that tried it when they still had a lot of good racing career left. Elliott may have won a couple, but those dodges did have an advantage, and they all ran strong, so no real surprise he got those wins, no disrespect to Elliott.
Kulwicki knew when to tap out on his engine building knowledge because in one season he’s blew up nine engines after hiring engine guys he the following year he blew up one.
Kind of ironic that Davey Allison and Kulwicki were the first Nascar drivers I ever heard of (even had a model of the 28 bought from a car show). Even over the Atlantic, in pre-internet days, two top drivers both dying in air crashes was newsworthy.
I really really wish we could've seen 90's/00's NASCAR with Davey and Alan. They died as legends.
@@bigsteve302 Davey Vs Jeff is a rivalry we never got to see unfortunately
Yeah it is very suspect at best. Seeing how Chevy and their cronies were hating so much on all the Fords many many years. The hate they were spewing for so many years was this. "There is no way the Fords are outrunning us; with as much money as we are pumping into racing".....
Also translates: "we should be getting more wins because we sell more Tshirts; do something NASCAR"....
@@kramnull8962 you're correct-I could go on and on about nascrolet and SHITROLLING favoritism for over 50 years!!!!!! Modern era - chevy countdown to pass Ford victories in the 80's - shitty's winning moment 90's - Nascrolet actually had these showcased on tv!!!!!! Wtf??????? WTF??????? MASSIVE, MASSIVE SHITROLLING/GARBAGE MOTORS FAVORITISM - FU NASCROLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@bigsteve302 Also Tim Richmond. Hell, Tim and Alan could even have a separate competition for skirt chasing if they had lived.
Had Waltrip been healthier and kept using Hendrick engines, he would have been the most successful out of all of them. He got hurt in 1995 and was old, and it all fell apart. If he'd stayed healthy and kept Hendrick engines, he'd been fine
The other problem was Darrell was an agreessive driver and was at his best when he didnt care about tearing the equipment up. As an owner, he needed to keep things clean and that hurt his potential as well.
He's said it on Fox, starting his own engine shop was a mistake.
@@xanferra that's the main reason why he failed as an owner-driver. Darrell thought way too much as a driver, not as much as an owner. He was basically a team owner with a driver's mindset
The biggest mistake he made was to go to in-house engines. If he had stuck with Hendrick engines it would have been a completely different story.
The engine shop, and the series of bad sponsors is what did DW racing in.
Well figure Kulwicki had an engineering degree. Shows up to the garage with a briefcase. He was also business savy. He knew more things about a car inside and out. These other guys just didn't have that kind of experience
All good ol' boys* who, as far as I know, never even attended college, much less graduated.
*Yes, the Bodines were from NY originally, but had spent enough time down south that they didn't really stick out until you heard them talk.
@@tomanderson6335 Well, they were from upstate NY, and anyone that's been there will tell you there's no shortage of hillbillies in upstate NY. So they fit in just fine.
@@zlinedavid I have a cousins wife from Pennsylvania who knew the Bodines by her side of the family... and I also have cousins who love that stuff... they worked on cars went to local short track races including the famous Williams Groves dirt track... heck they even go to Connecticut and New Hampshire to races there including Watkins Glen, Pocono and the now abandoned Nazareth Speedway. They even watch NASCAR modifieds every so often... You name it you bet your bottom dollar they did it and I wish I could’ve done the same as them but never made the cut to get involved. Or maybe I was involved but was not invited to keep them company and talk amazing racing stories for the ages or treating me like I’m an open seat in the theater or something and cared less about my interest in the sport...
To be honest with ya they didn’t really tell me a whole lot of stories about racing here and there but I still wanted to know a lot more but some things are personal I guess...
@@zlinedavidthat applies to almost all northern states, the more north you go, the more south it seems
I think Eli Gold put it best in the Year in Review 1993 video when talking about Alan Kulwicki's hauler leaving Bristol.
"With sleet falling making the atmosphere even more sullen, fellow competitors and fans stood in silence as the Kulwicki race team transporter slowly made its way around the half mile Bristol International Raceway. NASCAR's assistant flagman, Mike Chaplin, saluted the champion by waving the chequered flag one final time,"
The fact that he had a degree in Mechanical Engineering, meant that he was able to look at the established ways other teams were setting cars up (4 grain scales on a 4 ft level) and thought," I can use my knowledge acquired through my education to make my car faster". Even though, perhaps not surprisingly being from a country that barely receives coverage of NASCAR, I had never heard of Alan before the Covid-19 pandemic, he is one of my favourite drivers in motorsport, anywhere. So much so that I purchased a T-shirt depicting Alan's iconic white and orange Hooters sponsored Ford Thunderbird on one side, and on the other, his various achievements, like 1986 Rookie of the Year, 1992 Winston Cup Series Champion and even the date he was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame
The fact that Alan’s story is being heard in multiple countries almost 30 years after his death warms my heart. Yes, he was a unique individual. Calculating, tenacious, and with a quiet confidence that came with belief in his unorthodox approach.
@@zlinedavid I think there was a moral aspect as well. He invested so much time, effort and what little money he had to build it up and as an owner driver he was responsible for the paychecks of his employees. Although he rode them to try to get the absolute best out of them, he knew that they needed the paychecks he was sending them to enable them to make a living.
He said it himself when talking about turning down Junior Johnson's offer to drive the #11 car, "if I had had an offer like this before I started my own team, maybe I would have taken it, but I had so much at stake here that I stuck it out," and the fact that he proved everyone wrong by doing things his way, marching to the beat of his own drum to clinch a championship is truly remarkable.
Yes, there have been owner drivers in F1 (the first form of Motorsport I got into) but that ended at the start of the 1980's. And even then, the only owner driver champion, Jack Brabham (who won the title in 1966 in his own car, after earlier securing titles in 1959 and 1960 for the Cooper team), he didn't have 100% ownership of his own team, it was in partnership with Ron Tauranac, hence his cars having the letters "BT" before the type number
Imagine if Alan was still alive, he would have told a lot of stories of his racing career and his championship on Dale Jr.’s Podcast
Or he died in a race 😑
Another great one S1apSh0es! No one can match Kulwicki. The man was indeed Special. The difficulties he faced growing up made him tough and his great knowledge of engineering made him a rare combination of skill and determination.
S1apSh0es,
Just wanted to advise you about something regarding Geoff Bodine's 1994 season. This came directly from Geoff himself in multiple fan interviews/zoom meetings. When discussing the rigors of the 1994 season, it was Hoosier's first and eventually only season, with that, thousands of miles of testing was conducted, Geoff's team was the guinea pig for Hoosier. Geoff would advise that all the testing burnt out equipment, and with a shoestring budget, engines were blowing frequently. As for the drop off in '95, Geoff was advised last minute that Hoosier was dropping out of NASCAR. Due to his commitment to Hoosier the previous year, Geoff accused Goodyear of supplying substandard tires for the bulk of the '95 season. It wasn't until Geoff went directly to Bill France Jr. with overbearing evidence against Goodyear, that the supply issue was solved and Geoff started to turn things around slightly. However the damage was already done, and by mid-late 97, his team had run out of resources. Good piece, just wanted to advise of that side of things from Geoff's perspective.
Alan was also an engineer, and was able to out-engineer a car, which his competition knew...so he introduced engineering and so a lot of issues we have today (the $30M sponsors) are because everyone had to hire engineers which don't come cheap
I met Alan at Riverside international raceway in 1987 really great guy got his autograph still have it he is very missed he was one of my favorite drivers it was great for him to win the championship in 92 unfortunately what happened to him in 93 was tragic to NASCAR
Reminder that Bill Elliott and his team gave some young shortracker from Wisconsin hid first start. That driver was Matt Kenseth.
And not only that in his first start ever he got a top 10 which is impressive
Yep, Matt got called on because Bill was attending George's funeral.
That shortracker would win a championship 5 years later by being consistent but only won one race. Thanks to him Penske and Brain France unveiled the chase the next year. THAT's what ruined NASCAR.
No matter the topic in life
It will always come back to the 1992 Hooters 500
"Six degrees of the 1992 Hooters 500"
Kulwicki had a Degree in Mechanical Engineering - he looked at the whole thing from the inside out.
Not the outside in.
That may be the difference.
I also recall that bit him at least once.
He ran hollow axle shafts in the rear end once and sheared one leaving pit road.
Jeff Hammond (?) was stunned as that wouldn't translate to any real weight savings and definite loss of strength as proven.
Depends on how the shaft failed. In terms of flex and shear/twist….Alan was right. A hollow shaft is actually stronger and comparably lighter than a solid shaft of the same dimension. They are much harder to manufacture though, and getting the depth of the splines correct would take some very precise machining. I’m guessing that’s where the failure occurred. Execution failure, not theory.
@@zlinedavid
Thank you for the expertise!