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Mike Klapak

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Mike Klapak
BornMichael Klapak
(1913-03-08)March 8, 1913
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 13, 1997(1997-03-13) (aged 84)
Niles, Ohio, U.S.
Retired1964
Debut season1931
Car number23
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 finish98th (1950)
First race1950 Poor Man's 500 (Canfield)
Last race1953 Race 5 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 3 0
ARCA Menards Series career
Incomplete stats available[1]
75+ races run over 12 years
Wins Top tens Poles
2+ 37+ 3+

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]

Racing career

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Klapak was the winner of the 1957 Trenton 500

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 Xfinity 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 the Daytona Beach Road Course.[2]

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

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Career Results by Series - Mike Klapak". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Mike Klapak". Legendsofnascar.com. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  3. ^ "Mike Klapak To Be Inducted May 24 Into Northeast Modified Hall Of Fame". DIRTcar Racing. May 9, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "NASCAR XFINITY Series Results". The Third Turn. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "Special Features - Julian Buesink". Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  6. ^ "Stock car racing: Thompson finally breaks through at Albany-Saratoga". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  7. ^ "Mike Klapak – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Mike Klapak – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Mike Klapak – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "Mike Klapak – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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