Portal:Wisconsin/Selected biography/8

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Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 – April 1, 1993), nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) racecar driver. He arrived at the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States with only a borrowed pickup truck, a race car, no sponsor, and a limited budget. Despite starting with meager equipment and finances, Kulwicki earned the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award and later won the 1992 Winston Cup championship by the then-closest margin in NASCAR history. Kulwicki was known for being a perfectionist and doing things his own way: his scientific approach to NASCAR racing inspired the way teams are currently run, and he was insistent in driving for his own race team during most of his NASCAR career despite lucrative offers from top car owners. His publicist indicated that Kulwicki was "a real hard type of person to get to know," and he remained a bachelor throughout his life.

In 1998, five years after his death in a light aircraft accident, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He was inducted into the numerous halls of fame, including the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.