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 = 1993

AK 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 with Bob Jarvis driving it as the #32 Clinomint Buick, finishing 28th out of 30 cars. Two races later, the #32 ran again at the World 600, with Bosco Lowe qualifying 40th and finishing 16th. Lowe drove the car in the Daytona 500 the following season, finishing 39th after a crash. Tommy Ellis drove their next race, bringing the Big Daddy's Buick to a 15th place finish at Charlotte. Butch Lindley drove the final race of the 1983 season for the team at Martinsville 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 #35 Quincy'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 from Zerex. Kulwicki won three pole positions and finished 15th in points. In 1988, Kulwicki won his first career race at Phoenix International Raceway. In celebration, he drove the now-famous Polish Victory Lap. He won once more in 1990, but lost his Zerex sponsorship. After beginning 1991 with no sponsor, he got a one-race deal with Hooters 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 defeated Bill Elliott for the 1992 Winston 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 and Tommy Kendall driving, before Geoff Bodine purchased the team. Bodine ran the team as Geoff 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]