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. He also competed in USAC Stock Cars, winning the 1957 Trenton 500.
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. He also entered 13 events in the Grand National Division (now NASCAR Cup), including multiple times at Florida's Daytona Beach Road Course.
Klapak spent much of his career in the Midwest Association for Race Cars, now ARCA, where he won two more titles. He also often raced in USAC.
Klapak was the 2009 pioneer selection for the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame.
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 Pts Ref 1950 Mike Klapak 23 Ford DAB CLT LAN MAR CAN14 VER DSP25 HAM DAR LAN 40 NWS VER MAR WIN HBO 98th - Nash DSP15 MCF CLT HBO 1951 Perry Smith Studebaker DAB42 CLT NMO GAR HBO ASF NWS MAR–– John Marcum 77 NashCAN 8 CLS CLB Mike Klapak 35 DSP26 GAR GRS24 BAI26 HEI42 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 DAB47 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 - 1953 Bill Adams 18 Olds PBS DABHAR 6 NWSCLT 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 - -
References
External links