Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 9, 1993 TAG: 9304090087
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
FRIENDS HONOR KULWICKI
Alan Kulwicki was remembered and mourned Thursday in a memorial Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.It was full of sadness, but Kulwicki's sense of humor and compassion for others - the "secret side" of the Winston Cup champion - were recognized.
"How he ever accomplished what he did is somewhat of a mystery," said Father Dale Grubba, a Catholic priest from Kulwicki's hometown of Greenfield, Wis., and a close friend. "Alan saw himself as an underdog, and I think that's the reason why there has been such an outpouring of support in this crisis and in this time."
Kulwicki, 38, died a week ago Thursday night in a plane crash near Bristol, Tenn., where he was headed to defend his race victory in last weekend's Food City 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race. The cause of the crash has not been determined. Also killed were the pilot and two others.
Grubba, a NASCAR enthusiast and contributor to Stock Car Racing Magazine, took pleasure in revealing "the secret side of Alan Kulwicki," whose intensity and drive often made him seem unpleasant and aloof at the track.
Kulwicki was deeply religious, but not many people knew it because he took pains to keep it private, said Grubba, who also celebrated Kulwicki's funeral Mass Wednesday in Wisconsin.
"He was the type of person who hid a St. Christopher medal underneath the seat of his [race] car," Grubba said. "And we know that on his final day on the earth, he was here in this church, praying to God in his own fashion and his own way. Here is a person who would never miss church."
His compassion led him to donate $50 to someone standing on the side of the road holding a "Will Work For Food" sign. And it prompted him to put $500 in each savings account of the three children of one of his crew members after hearing the man talk in an interview of the family sacrifices one has to make in racing, Grubba said.
Kulwicki was a fashion-conscious man who always kept a comb in his race car and issued "fashion citations" to friends who failed his apparel test. And when he slipped and wore one black and one brown shoe to a function, he told the priest, "I think I got a fashion citation last night."
This sense of humor also came to the surface years ago when he was taken to the hospital after a bad racing wreck in his ASA stock car racing days, Grubba said.
"I said, `Alan, what did the doctor say,' " Grubba recalled.
"And he said, `The doctor said I should have took a quarter turn of stagger out of the left rear.' "
Kulwicki never married, although he loved kids and was searching for the right woman, Grubba said.
Several hundred people packed the small church, including Richard and Lynda Petty and a large contingent of other drivers and their wives. Outside, fans lined up three and four-deep and watched the service through the church's plate glass windows. The service ended with the singing of "Amazing Grace."
After it was over, team members began looking ahead.
"We're going to go racing the way he would have wanted us to," business manager Don Hawk said. "We're not going to cut corners and we're going to do everything the right way. And we'll go out every week and do our best for him."
Hawk said that Jimmy Hensley, assuming he accepts the offer, will drive. In recent weeks, Kulwicki had said he wanted Hensley to take over if he was hurt.
Meanwhile, Kulwicki's father, Gerald, appointed close friend and Winston Cup team owner Felix Sabates executor of his son's estate. Gerald Kulwicki, who also was at the Thursday service, is the sole beneficiary.
Sabates said he hoped to sell the team in the next four weeks. He said he had heard from "11 real qualified buyers," including four current Winston Cup drivers and two Indy car team owners. He said he would like to see a stock car driver take over.
But the name will remain Alan Kulwicki Racing the rest of this year, Sabates said, and the team is being sold with the understanding that it will be kept intact.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING