Alan Kulwicki Racing’s 1992 championship victory can be considered one of the greatest underdog stories in NASCAR history. By their acknowledgment, Alan Kulwicki’s team was nothing but a band of misfits, with a common thread linking them together. A love for racing is all that they had. Other teams would always out-qualify them, out-race them, but never outwork them. This is why, with little money and limited sponsorship assistance, AK Racing still managed to win a championship.

From the highest of highs in 1992 to the lowest of lows in 1993, Alan Kulwicki’s legendary crew chief, Paul Andrews, shared it all in a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

An unconventional way to win

What’s the most important part of a race team? Is it the sponsorships, the cars, or the engines? While they are important, success for any race team depends on making the best use of limited resources. During the 1992 championship-winning season, Alan Kulwicki appointed racers for every position. Steering away from the conventional, Kulwicki’s desire to achieve results in his way, combined with his meticulous attention to detail, helped him overcome the many constraints AK Racing faced on their way to a championship win in 1992.

In a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr on his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, Alan Kulwicki’s crew chief Paul Andrews revealed that the secret behind their championship victory was his unconventional way of handling situations. He said, “Everything went through Alan you know. He ran the team as far as a financial standpoint, he didn’t have a bookkeeper, he had a secretary and I mean, you look at checks, I still get somebody to send me a picture of a check of his name signed on. He signed the checks whenever I buy something you know, if I had to, if it was something big, we obviously talked about it.”

A difference maker is what Alan Kulwicki was as a team owner and a driver. A college graduate with an engineering degree, Kulwicki is known for his innovations in the sport when it came to setting up a race car. This gave AK Racing a competitive advantage on race weekends, as the team was able to get more laps in the practice sessions. Reminiscing about the old days, Paul Andrews said, “He ran it all you know, he likes setting up his own cars too you know. He set up most of his cars. He was right there doing the whole time, that’s just what you did back then you know. And again, small budget.”

After experiencing the highs of AK Racing’s only championship win in 1992, the team experienced the lowest of lows the following year. Alan Kulwicki passed away on April 1, 1993, along with three others, as their plane crashed while flying in for a race in Bristol. The crash sent shockwaves within the NASCAR community while the team lost its racer, owner, and leader. The team and its assets were eventually purchased by Bud Moore Engineering driver Geoff Bodine, who renamed it Geoff Bodine Racing.

How did Alan Kulwicki win his first and only championship?

Considering how underfunded AK Racing was, it’s remarkable that they were able to compete, let alone win the 1992 championship. Having crashed at Dover International Speedway and finished P34, Alan Kulwicki was 248 points behind leader Bill Elliott with just six races to go. Yes, the “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” or the “Million Dollar Bill that the community loved and still loves.

It is impossible to win under the circumstances, right? But wrong, as Kulwicki went on to finish no lower than P12 in the final six races, entering the final race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway just 30 points behind new leader Davey Allison.

The race was a significant one for many reasons. It was seven-time champion Richard Petty’s last race of his career and the first race for future champion Jeff Gordon. What an era it must have been! As luck would have it, Allison was the victim of a crash, which meant winning the championship depended on the result between Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki. AK Racing’s strategy was to pursue the five-point bonus given to the driver with the most laps led. It paid off!

Despite Kulwicki finishing P2 in the race behind Bill Elliott, the bonus for most laps led gave the AK Racing driver and owner a 10-point lead to win the championship. A proof that Alan Kulwicki could win his way, against all odds, against the best lot of NASCAR, and that too with limited resources. All through a combination of perseverance, hard work, and a relentless winning mentality.

His championship victory in 1992 stands as a testament to his ingenuity, determination, and the spirit of his AK Racing team. Their story continues to inspire as Paul Andrews narrated, showcasing that with unwavering dedication and innovative thinking, even the underdogs can achieve greatness in the world of NASCAR.