Roland Wlodyka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
October 15, 1938
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Lake Wylie, South Carolina, U.S.[2]
| Roland Wlodyka | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Roland Leonard Wlodyka[1] October 15, 1938 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | January 30, 2020 (aged 81) Lake Wylie, South Carolina, U.S.[2] | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 11 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 44th (1978) | ||||||
| First race | 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last race | 1978 World 600 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| |||||||
Roland Leonard Wlodyka (October 15, 1938 – January 30, 2020) was an American stock car racing driver and mechanic, driving in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the 1970s and later crew chiefing in the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series in the 1980s and 1990s.
Wlodyka quit drag racing to begin oval track competition in 1970.[citation needed] By the beginning of the 1977 season, Wlodyka had joined Rod Osterlund to drive in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. By May 1978, Roland had given up the driver's seat after 11 races[3] to take on his new role of Team Manager of Osterlund Racing, while Dave Marcis finished out the 1978 season behind the wheel. For the 1979 season, Wlodyka hired Dale Earnhardt who drove for Osterlund until the conclusion of the 1981 season.[4] In the late 1980s, Wlodyka served as a part-time crew chief in the Cup Series, working with Buddy Baker, Rodney Combs and Hut Stricklin.[5] In the late 1990s, Wlodyka crew chiefed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, working for Akins-Sutton Motorsports, Circle Bar Racing, Liberty Racing and Phelon Motorsports,[5] working with future Cup champion Kevin Harvick while at Liberty.[6]
Death
Wlodyka died in Lake Wylie, South Carolina on January 30, 2020.[1]
