Mike Klapak
American racing driver (1913–1997)
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Michael Klapak (March 8, 1913 – March 13, 1997) was an American racing driver. Klapak won three championships of the NASCAR Sportsman division, in 1950, 1951, and 1952.[2] He also competed in USAC Stock Cars, winning the 1957 Trenton 500.[3]
March 8, 1913
| Mike Klapak | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Michael Klapak March 8, 1913 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | March 13, 1997 (aged 84) Niles, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Retired | 1964 | ||||||
| Debut season | 1931 | ||||||
| Car number | 23 | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 1931-1947 1949-1954 1957-1962[1] | Midget car racing Modified racing USAC Stock Car | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1950, 1951, 1952 NASCAR National Sportsman Champion 1954, 1955 MARC Sportsman Champion | |||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 13 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 98th (1950) | ||||||
| First race | 1950 Poor Man's 500 (Canfield) | ||||||
| Last race | 1953 Race 5 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| |||||||
| ARCA Menards Series career | |||||||
| Incomplete stats available[1] 75+ races run over 12 years | |||||||
| |||||||
Racing career
Klapak began racing at the Sharon Speedway on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border in 1931, and by 1950 regularly competing with NASCAR, where he won the first of three consecutive NASCAR Sportsman Division (predecessor of currently O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) titles in 1950, 1951 and 1952.[4] He also entered 13 events in the Grand National Division (now NASCAR Cup), including multiple times at Florida's Daytona Beach Road Course.[3]
Klapak spent much of his career in the Midwest Association for Race Cars, now ARCA, where he won two more titles.[5] He also often raced in USAC.
Klapak was the 2009 pioneer selection for the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame.[6]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Grand National Series
| NASCAR Grand National Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | NGNC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||
| 1950 | Mike Klapak | 23 | Ford | DAB | CLT | LAN | MAR | CAN 14 |
VER | DSP 25 |
HAM | DAR | LAN 40 |
NWS | VER | MAR | WIN | HBO | 98th | - | [7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nash | DSP 15 |
MCF | CLT | HBO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951 | Perry Smith | Studebaker | DAB 42 |
CLT | NMO | GAR | HBO | ASF | NWS | MAR | – | – | [8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Marcum | 77 | Nash | CAN 8 |
CLS | CLB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mike Klapak | 35 | DSP 26 |
GAR | GRS 24 |
BAI 26 |
HEI 42 |
AWS | MCF | ALS | MSF | FMS | MOR | ABS | DAR | CLB | CCS | LAN | CLT | DSP | WIL | HBO | TPN | PGS | MAR | OAK | NWS | HMS | JSP | ATL | GAR | NMO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1952 | Marshall Teague | 4 | Hudson | PBS | DAB 47 |
JSP | NWS | MAR | CLB | ATL | CCS | LAN | DAR | DSP | CAN | HAY | FMS | HBO | CLT | MSF | NIF | OSW | MON | MOR | PPS | MCF | AWS | DAR | CCS | LAN | DSP | WIL | HBO | MAR | NWS | ATL | PBS | 199th | - | [9] | ||||||||||||||||
| 1953 | Bill Adams | 18 | Oldsmobile | PBS | DAB | HAR 6 |
NWS | CLT 8 |
RCH | CCS | LAN | CLB | HCY | MAR | PMS | RSP | LOU | FIF | LAN | TCS | WIL | MCF | PIF | MOR | ATL | RVS | LCF | DAV | HBO | AWS | PAS | HCY | DAR | CCS | LAN | BLF | WIL | NWS | MAR | ATL | - | - | [10] | |||||||||||||