Mike Klapak

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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

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)

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 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

[edit]

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

Grand National Series

[edit]

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]
1950	Mike Klapak		Nash							DSP 15	MCF	CLT	HBO																																98th	-	^[7]
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	Nash												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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^ ^a ^b "Career Results by Series - Mike Klapak". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Mike Klapak". Legendsofnascar.com. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
^ "Mike Klapak To Be Inducted May 24 Into Northeast Modified Hall Of Fame". DIRTcar Racing. May 9, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
^ "NASCAR XFINITY Series Results". The Third Turn. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
^ "Special Features - Julian Buesink". Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
^ "Stock car racing: Thompson finally breaks through at Albany-Saratoga". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
^ "Mike Klapak – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
^ "Mike Klapak – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
^ "Mike Klapak – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
^ "Mike Klapak – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2023.

External links

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Mike Klapak at Find a Grave
Mike Klapak driver statistics at Racing-Reference

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