Published: Dec. 13, 2016
Prunty earns 2016 Kulwicki Cup
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
Before 2016, Alex Prunty had one season of racing in a super late model under his seat belt.
It was a good one.
He earned 2015 Rookie of the Year in the super late model division at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells.
The representatives from the Kulwicki Driver Development Program
thought that was good enough and Prunty was one of seven drivers
selected for the second class of the program. The winner was the
recipient of the Kulwicki Cup and more than $54,000.
The inaugural winner was Seymour’s Ty Majeski, who is in the Roush Fenway Driver Development Program.
Some people disagreed with Prunty’s inclusion. They thought he got the
chance only because he was a Prunty, a family that’s won more than 20
championships on the short tracks of Wisconsin, and two Slinger
Nationals titles.
The 24-year-old heard a lot of criticism on social media.
“I think a lot of people felt the KDDP took a ‘chance’ on me as I
didn’t really have much super late experience,” Prunty said. “I felt
it was my duty to prove (KDDP) right.”
He didn’t disappoint.
In a season that saw eight winners at Slinger Super Speedway — the
most since 2010 — Prunty finished third in the super late model points
standings during his rookie season, which helped him capture the
Kulwicki Cup.
He will be honored at a banquet Thursday in Charlotte.
Prunty finished 28 points behind champion Chris Blawat in the super
late model division. He was one of three drivers still eligible to win
the championship on the last race of the season.
Prunty won one feature this season in his 14th career start at
Slinger. He was also second five times and third three times in 17 points races.
His worst finish was 11th.
Excluding that result and 21st at Slinger Nationals (a non-points race),
Prunty didn’t finish lower than eighth. He did that in the season
opener.
After Slinger Nationals, in seven starts, he finished top 5 in each of them.
“It was beyond expectations,” Prunty said. “I came into the season
with the Kulwicki Program, it was such a big deal to make it in. Now I
have to prove myself.”
“I think it was pretty impressive that he won a race, which is hard to
do in a rookie season,” said Rodney Erickson, co-promoter at Slinger.
“He was consistent. That was impressive. It was an impressive run.”
When asked what was impressive about Prunty’s season, Slinger
co-promoter Todd Thelen said, “How fast he adapted to the super late
model and how consistent he was.”
Of the five drivers that started 17 races, Prunty had the best average
finish (4.2), better than division champion Blawat (5.0) and threetime
(2013-2015)champion Steve Apel (4.6).
“He was a rookie and ran really well,” Thelen said.
It was made more impressive, and spoke of his talent, that Prunty used old equipment and managed his own finances. He got little to no help from family for the latter — his father, Dan, helps on the car.
Alex has said his father and uncles are there for help if needed. Otherwise, it’s learn on his own.
“The money thing is one thing a lot of people don’t know about my
team,” Alex said. “My dad told me Day 1 when I started in 4 cylinders
that if I wanted to race, I needed to pay for it. I’ve paid my dad’s way
into the race track since I was 16. I manage all finances. It’s my
checkbook.”
He won a
Slinger Bees championship in 2010. Two years later, he won the first of
two limited late model championships in a 1996 Lefthander chassis. The
other title was in 2015. It was his uncle Dennis’ old super late model.
Prunty sold that car to raise money to get tires for 2016. His super
late model this season was a 2006 Pathfinder with a 2012 engine.
“To be in the talk of running for a championship, it’s a hard feat,
especially at Slinger,” Erickson said. “A lot of people come here and
fail. It was pretty impressive.”
It was the season Prunty needed to make a statement. He is a Prunty, but he has the talent to back it up.
“He’s achieved something that’s really great,” Thelen said.
Thelen added there is still work to be done.
“He’s only going to get better. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Thelen said.
Prunty admitted this season had a different tone. The KDDP was one reason.
“It’s always been Dennis (Prunty) first in the garage, then my limited
late would come next,” Alex said. “But they pushed for me to believe in
me. It was almost every week. Go out and show what Alex Prunty can do.”
On-track performance wasn’t the lone evaluator for the Kulwicki Cup champion. Off-track performance was accounted for, too.
Prunty is active in Slinger’s Memorial Go-Kart mentor program and also
talks to students at local schools about racing, and the mechanics of
the sport.
“It’s still sticking around in my head,” Prunty said. “Where do I go from here?”
When you win more than $50,000, things change. One of the first things
was to update the engine. In a super late model, that’s about $25,000.
The rest, he said, will likely be spent on other parts upgrades.
He also hopes to travel more than in the past, in addition to going
after a super late model championship at Slinger, now that he knows
he’s capable and talented enough to win one.
Alex wants to compete in
a full season with the TUNDRA Series, a regional super late model
touring series, and perhaps the Red-White-Blue series at Wisconsin
International Raceway in Kaukauna.
“Next year, I need more seat time at bigger tracks,” Prunty said. “One step at a time.”
He also hopes he can follow Majeski’s footsteps and said the dream of NASCAR is still there.
“Ty has been a great example that if you’re really good, you can still make it on talent,” Prunty said.
His involvement in KDDP changed his life, attitude, confidence. He
consistently thought of a phrase once said by the late Alan Kulwicki,
the KDDP namesake: “If you don’t believe, you don’t belong
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