Today In NASCAR History

1988: Alan Kulwicki notches his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series, winning the Checker 500 — the first race for the tour at Phoenix International Raceway. Kulwicki, who won the 1992 series title, took command when Ricky Rudd retired with engine failure after leading a race-high 183 laps. The Wisconsin native took the checkered flag 18.5 seconds ahead of runner-up Terry Labonte and celebrated with what would become his trademark — the backward “Polish Victory Lap.” Davey Allison, Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace completed the top five.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.