- AK Racing
NASCAR former team
Company_Name = AK Racing
| Owner(s) Name = Bill Terry,Alan Kulwicki
Racing Series =Winston Cup ,Busch Series
Championships = 1
Wins = 5
Car Number(s) = #7, #35
Notable Driver(s) =Alan Kulwicki | Notable Sponsor(s) =Zerex ,Hooters
Manufacturer = Ford
Shop Location =North Carolina
Year Opened = 1982
Year Closed = 1993AK Racing is a former
NASCAR Winston Cup Series team. It was originally owned by Bill Terry before he sold it to rookie driver Alan Kulwicki, who controlled the team until his death in 1993. Kulwicki won all five of the team's race wins and the only championship in AK Racing's history in 1992.The team debuted at the 1982 Cracker Barrel Country Store 420 at
Nashville Speedway USA withBob Jarvis driving it as the #32Clinomint Buick , finishing 28th out of 30 cars. Two races later, the #32 ran again at theWorld 600 , withBosco Lowe qualifying 40th and finishing 16th. Lowe drove the car in theDaytona 500 the following season, finishing 39th after a crash.Tommy Ellis drove their next race, bringing theBig Daddy's Buick to a 15th place finish at Charlotte.Butch Lindley drove the final race of the 1983 season for the team atMartinsville Speedway , finishing 25th after suffering rear end problems.The team was inactive until 1986, when it fielded a full time car driven by rookie
Alan Kulwicki . The car was now the #35Quincy's Steak House Ford. After 14 starts, Terry sold the team to Kulwicki. After winning Rookie of the Year honors, Kulwicki changed the number of the car to #7 and got sponsorship fromZerex . Kulwicki won three pole positions and finished 15th in points. In 1988, Kulwicki won his first career race atPhoenix International Raceway . In celebration, he drove the now-famousPolish Victory Lap . He won once more in 1990, but lost hisZerex sponsorship. After beginning 1991 with no sponsor, he got a one-race deal withHooters after their regular driver,Mark Stahl , failed to qualify. The deal blossommed into a multi-year deal. and Kulwicki won three more races over the next two years. He shocked everybody when he defeatedBill Elliott for the 1992Winston Cup championship by 10 points. Kulwicki died five races into the 1993 season.Following his death, The team ran under Kulwicki's name with
Jimmy Hensley andTommy Kendall driving, beforeGeoff Bodine purchased the team. Bodine ran the team asGeoff Bodine Racing .External links
* [http://www.racing-reference.info/owner?id=terrybi01 Bill Terry Owner Stats]
* [http://www.racing-reference.info/owner?id=kulwial01 Alan Kulwicki Owner Stats]
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