Published: May 22, 2018
2018 ALAN KULWICKI MEMORIAL
Alex Prunty wins one for mom
Prunty wins Kulwicki Memorial super late
model feature after mother released from hospital
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
SLINGER — Alex Prunty’s mother, Janine, is out
of the hospital, after a 10-day stay following a brain aneurysm. However, a lot
of unknowns linger, especially with brain surgery scheduled.
But for one night, there were plenty of smiles
and tears for the Prunty family.
Alex Prunty won one of the biggest and most
emotional races of his career, winning Sunday’s 60-lap super late model feature
during the 25th anniversary of the Alan Kulwicki Memorial.
“The whole night I was thinking, ‘It’s got to
happen. We’ve got to get this one,’” Alex said.
He won the Kulwicki Driver Development
Program’s national championship in 2016, and is forever tied with Kulwicki, the
Greenfield native who won the then-NASCAR Winston Cup championship in 1992. He
died five months later in an airplane crash.
While grateful for the opportunities given to
him through the KDDP and winning one of Slinger’s most coveted races, this one
was all about mom.
“Alan was a huge role model and a huge part of
getting me into super late model racing, but everybody loves their mom to
death,” Alex said.
On Sunday, Janine was at the races for the
first time since being released from the hospital. She missed the opener April
29 and the following race. Those were the first two races Janine had missed in
Alex’s career, which started about 10 years ago.
“With the near-death experience she had, it
means a lot being the first race she’s been able to make,” Alex said. “To have
her back here tonight and win the Alan Kulwicki Memorial, I don’t think you can
really put an emotional stamp on which one is bigger.”
The first Alan Kulwicki Memorial at Slinger was
in 1993, 13 months after Kulwicki’s passing. It was won by Matt Kenseth. It’s
been held annually every year since then, minus three rain outs (2007, 2011 and
2012).
Kulwicki was wellknown within the racing
circles for his determination to succeed. Alex needed a similar attitude to
pick up Sunday’s checkered flag.
Alex fought off four challenges from his uncle,
Dennis Prunty, to win Sunday. Dennis finished second to follow up back-toback
victories at Slinger.
“It’s really awesome that she was here to see
that,” Dennis said of his sister-inlaw.
Dennis stuck the nose of his car on the inside
of Alex on laps 39, 44, 49 and 53, but couldn’t finish the pass.
“It’s a big win and a proud moment for the
entire team,” Alex said.
Steve Apel finished third, Gary LaMonte was
fourth and Brad Mueller rounded out the top five.
Slinger’s Jack Stern won the 40-lap limited
late model feature, his first feature victory at Slinger since Sept. 7, 2014,
in the midwest sportsman division.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Stern said in
victory lane.
The Kulwicki Driver Development Program, which
started in 2015, aims to assist up-and-comers develop as drivers and as
positive role models off the track through scholarship funding. Seven people
are chosen from a pool of applicants to serve as finalists for the Kulwicki
Cup. The program’s annual winner is determined through ontrack performance and
offtrack performance, such as peer mentoring. The winner gets more than
$54,000, a trophy and the designation of national champion.
“I was born the year he died,” Alex said,
referring to Kulwicki. “I grew up helping my uncle David and Alan was his role
model. I got to really know who (Kulwicki) was because Dave was an engineer and
I got into engineering as well. They said Alan was an incredible person. Wish I
could’ve met him, but I know he’s looking down smiling and so is the entire
Kulwicki program.”
Alex celebrated Sunday’s victory appropriately
with a Polish victory lap — driving the wrong way for one lap.
“I’ve seen a lot of really cool videos of Alan
when he did that first victory lap,” he said. “And it means the world to me to
be able to do this tonight because ... down the backstretch, I was having
flashbacks of the Kulwicki banquet and all the people I met through that. It
meant a lot to me.
“It was at a time in my life where I thought
maybe I kind of reached the end, limited lates was all I could afford and
Alan’s legacy and everyone with the program pushed me to get to this level.
We’ve been accomplishing things that I never thought was possible.”
A week after Mother’s Day, this one was also
for mom.
“I think she started crying before she even got
to me,” Alex said. “The first thing she said was ‘I love you so much.’” Janine
still has an openbrain surgery planned.
“Brain surgeries are always a really scary
thing,” Alex said. “We’ve been praying everyday that she makes it through that
all the doctors can make it a successful surgery.”
He added, “It’s a really great night for the
family. We’re just really happy to have mom here.”
25th ALAN KULWICKI MEMORIAL Feature winners Super late model: Alex Prunty
Limited late model: Jack Stern
Super Beez: Tom Berens
Slinger Bees: Marty Tackes Figure 8: Ryan Lovald Fast qualifiers Super late model: Gary LaMonte (11.243 seconds)
Limited late model: Kyle Chwala
(12.161)
Super Beez: Tom Berens (13.867)
Slinger Bees: Garrett Konrath (15.216)
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