Paul Andrews Shares Emotional Story About Alan Kulwicki's Plane Crash
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- In this emotionally charged episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, longtime NASCAR crew chief Paul Andrews shares his story about narrowly avoiding a fatal plane crash that claimed the life of beloved driver Alan Kulwicki. Through candid storytelling and raw emotions, he recounts the decision to stay back for pit stop practice, the haunting moment they learned of the crash, and the lasting impact of Alan’s presence on the team. Join us as we explore the depths of loss, resilience, and the spirit that drives NASCAR forward.
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Alan needs to be remembered forever.
I have never forgotten.
Wisconsin Sports Hall of Fame. Outside of UW-M Panther arena in downtown Milwaukee, his plaque is in there, not far from Bob Uecker, Bud Selig, Vince Lombardi and many others.
i never saw Alan race... i started watching nascar in the mid 90s when i was 3 or so... born in 91... didnt have the attentiveness until 2000 and i know as if i saw those races. i know who Alan was... if anyone pays attention they know. Alan was incredible... im just blessed with modern tech and youtube that i can go back and see those races... i will say one thing that really helped was the polish victory lap...
30+ years later and Paul still gets choked up talking about it. Goes to show how much it affected him. I haven't seen or talked to Paul in 15+ years but hope he's doing well
Goodness. Made me tear up. You know, if after you go grown men talk about your loss and your presence like this then you know you were an asset to humanity. Thanks Alan.
Dale does such a great job of asking the right questions in a sensitive and respectful manner. Kudos Dale Jr.!
What a nice, honest man. Deep respect for a man who isn’t ashamed to show emotion like him.
Wow, that’s just raw emotion. How I felt when my Dad dropped dead 30 plus years ago at the age of 50. Now that I’m sixty and not over his death. I realized how much of life he missed. So love hard everyone nothing is forever ❤️ Alan you will always be remembered 💙
This interview shows why Paul and Alan were such a team. Holding back tears 30 years later, and the first thought was the pit stops at Darlington weren't great.
RIP Underbird. God heal Paul of his burden. Although 93 was heartbreaking for a lot of us fans, this is another level.
It breaks my heart to see Paul so tore up over it even 30 years later. Just breaks my heart straight up.
It hit’s different when you see an older man get choked up!
The Raw Emotion flowing from Paul Andrews 30 years later is Gut Wrenching. You know by listening to him talk about Alan and the tragedy itself that He and Alan had one helluva friendship/business relationship.
A couple years after this, I toured the Kulwicki shop, Bodine had taken over but they left Alans office exactly as it was before the accident.
A Classy move on their part. Alan touched a lot of people in a short time.
1992 was such a great year for Nascar. There was the greatest championship fight probably ever. If I remember correctly, there were like 6 drivers still with a mathematical chance to win the championship in the last race. Such an awesome time in Nascar. Then 1993 happened, and we lost Alan and then Davey. It was such a difficult time. I still wonder what might have been. It tells you something that when 31 years later, Paul Andrews can't talk about Alan without getting choked up.
Paul Andrews Crew Chief Number 7 Alan Kulwicki Clinching 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship Thanks For Uploading
Alan is still a a hero here in Wisconsin.
Greenfield Wisconsin’s favorite son…
In Daytona too ♥️
And rightfully so
Alan was the first driver I followed in Nascar. An oldies station in Charlotte would recap the race on Monday mornings. Kept hearing his name and for some reason it stuck with me. My daughter took dance lessons and one of the girls in the class, her father died in a small plane crash. The girl and her mom were the sweetest people and the dad was very nice too. It wasn’t till years later, we realized he was one of the individuals on the plane killed with Alan. Hearing Mr Andrews brings it all back. So sad for him and everyone involved. 😢❤
Wow. Glad he was able to share. Can’t imagine what that man went through.
Honesty takes courage. You have to respect Paul Andrews for discussing this despite how much it still hurts. I'm glad he was able to continue on and have a great career in racing.
It was definitely an unthinkable tragedy when we lost Kulwicki in 93. God Rest his soul.
And it really does hit so differently when you hear Paul Andrews, his long time crew chief, and maybe even best friend, get choked up over it. But I can't blame him.
My favorite years of NASCAR. Paul seems to be such a great guy.
Alan Kulwicki... such an amazing talent!
Hell of an interview Junior... well done.
I live here in Bristol. We have never forgotten. God love Paul's heart.
I am in southwest Virginia also my friend !
Lots of pain he still carries. Prayers sir
Without dale jr podcast we would not have seen the hurt and love that paul has for alan. Everyone please see this interview for what it is.
Bless ur heart brother❣️we got ur back
1993 was a sad year on NASCAR with the loss of Alan and Davey. Both incredible talents in NASCAR.
What is AMAZING about this is that this is the FIRST time Paul Andrews ever said Publicly that he was supposed to be on the Airplane, Tom Roberts said Years ago he also was supposed to be on the Airplane but I was a HUGE A.K Fan from Day 1 and Again Paul Andrews never Stated that Before, What a Good Man & Loyal Friend Mr Andrews was/Still is To Alan Kuwlicki. 1993 Was a Terrible Year for NASCAR with the loss of Both Alan Kuwlicki & Davey Allison. My Nascar was REALLY NEVER the Same after 1993, It Really Wasn’t.
It’s terribly sad to see the 30+ year emotions well up in Paul. Everyone knows how tragic these high profile deaths were (are) in this sport, but watching how “fresh” these wounds are to him is so very tough…
I pray he finds peace and solace someday. Alan was a GREAT NASCAR Champion!
What a wonderful interview. My wife passed away in my arms, suddenly. It never leaves you, the pain.....
I’m very sorry for your loss. I hope you have started to heal and your wife’s memory remains strong…
💙
I really feel for Paul. That was tough. This brought back so many memories. Me and my dad were at AMS in November of 1992 and saw Alan win the Winston Cup. I can't imagine how painful that plane crash was for Paul. I'm glad he couldn't make the flight and hope he's doing alright now.
Watched Alan race at Slinger Speedway in Slinger Wisconsin. He was determined to succeed and boy did he. Hooters 7 forever!!
Wow...very powerful and emotional even after 30+ years. God bless his memories 🙏
Alan was my driver, the reason I even payed attention to NASCAR. He was the owner-driver, pit guy, truck driver, janitor, underdog... all of it, and winning that championship was huge to me. I stopped paying attention after we lost Alan Kulwicki.
As a fan, I remembered how shocking and sad that time was.
I was at his last race in darlington with my dad. We had a connection with markIII vans. I got too meet all kinda big wigs and drivers. I remember hearing the news. Sucked bad. RIP you polish hero
And Jr you are a very considerate man.
I commend Paul for talking and pushing thru this interview. I grew up going to races mainly at The Rock and Darlington, back then being in the pit area you had more access to drivers and the whole operation. I first met Davey Allison with his cowboy hat still on.. there wasnt much of a crowd it being like a Weds or something and I literally saw him walking and asked for his autograph. He did and chatted with me for what seemed like forever and Im maybe 7yrs old. I got into NASCAR/Winston Cup over the next few yrs. Davey was my Fav and I just loved the Texaco car. I still rem the only race I ever went to at Charlotte is when he and I think Kyle petty wrecked at the finish and Davey had to be cut out of the car. I cried in the stands. When my father told me he passed later on , I think I cried for like 3 days.. just as a fan. I stopped following/watching Nascar after Dale passed. As an older man now, thru TH-cam Ive watched some clips of Davey and I still get chocked up. I cannot imagine the pain Paul felt and still feels losing such a great person as evidenced by I dont think Ive ever heard anyone say anything negative about Alan K.
Tough to watch and hear his pain but glad to hear the story told. Alan was headed for greatness but it wasn't in the cards. He was a quiet genius. Hats off to dale jr for keeping those memories of the great times and talents we had in Nascar then going strong!
That was so emotional, had me in tears but shows how entwined lives become ❤
That was the first year I started watching nascar, it was an absolute heartbreaking year. I can't imagine what Paul went through with the accident.
Hand to heart, Sir. Don't we miss them all...
I truly believe grief is love with no place to go. Paul's grief, still this raw over 30 years later, breaks my heart for him. March 1997, Paul's brother Rick would be presumed dead, lost at sea and the search was called off 5 years to the day of Kulwicki's death. Talk about a one-two gut punch.
Much love and prayers of comfort for Paul, and anyone dealing with a sense of utter gloom and despair. When we are on our knees, the only thing we can do is look up.
Again Dale!! Thank You for for these interviews!! hard to type this with tears in my eyes. I watched Alan race in Milwaukee and Kaukauna and Slinger!! Wisconsin here!!
Alan was a great driver, an innovator and one of the true gentlemen of the sport. And he created the Polish Victory Lap.
Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison’s passings had a HUGE effect on NASCAR. Paul Andrews went from an emotional high to the lowest of lows in a matter of months. I always looked for other teams to grab him up for his tremendous talent. But honestly, I don’t know if he could ever have given his full potential to another team. 31 years later you can still tell his devotion was to Alan Kulwicki. God Bless you, Paul.
Alan Kulwicki was absolutely first class as it comes. He accomplished so much in the so little time he had on this earth. I’ll always remember getting up the morning and hearing about his plane crash which was absolutely devastating to say the least. He made the world a better place for sure. God Bless.
This one hits hard because I remember it like yesterday, along with others of the era. NASCAR was so popular then and everyone loved Alan.
Wish that was true...but the truth is Alan winning in 92 got huge backlash from fans in the South...GA, AL, the Carolinas, that absolutely despised AK for coming in and "stealing" the Cup from Davey and Bill...
he was a northerner, in what, at the time was still a very southern sport, and had just beaten 2 Southern heroes in Bill and Davey....the two most popular drivers in the sport at the time.
I dont know how it was outside of the south....but alan was booed when he returned to Atlanta for the spring 93 race...and cheered when he backed it into the turn 4 wall mid race....i was there, top row of the old wheeler grandstand right under the pressbox. a few weeks later he was gone and no one outside of the garage area seemed to care. But when Davey died 3 mos later the outpouring of grief was everywhere.
Rusty Wallace, another non-southern outsider led the tributes to alan, and at the 93 awards banquet served as an unofficial tribute to Davey....Kyle Petty, who had grown up playin with Davey in the infield while their dad's traded paint used his speech for finishing 5th in the standings to talk about how much he would miss alan because his loss had been almost forgotten when Davey died.
It was probably 98 during the 50th anniversary season before people finally started to give Alan the credit he deserved and acknowledging the man's legacy
Somehow reading about Hut Stricklin today led me to read about Alan on Wiki literally two hours ago. Watching nascar religiously until the passing of the intimidator, I had forgotten about Alan. What a coincidence that this video was posted 24 minutes ago. Wow.
Alan must have been a very special person to have had such an impact on another person. All my best wishes to Paul from Finland. 🇫🇮💖 Thank you for this excellent interview and discussion.
Those people did something that nobody will be able to do ever again. They went through all the ups and downs together, but they always had the utmost respect for Allan. It was like they were all connected as one person. Those guys were totally dedicated to Allan and all the rest to each other. They did the impossible with next to nothing.
God bless you Paul
My college best friend, Brian Johnson (Go Vols!), was working at the Knoxville Hooters that night. We were at Atlanta in November, he rooting for Alan and me rooting for Davey. Little did we know how much Nascar history would happen in that race: Petty's last race, Gordon's first race and the engineer from up north calculating his finishing position to win the title.
This absolutely breaks my heart
Obviously Alan Kulwicki was a great guy. This man still grieves for him so many years later, and still “feels his presence” around him. Amazing. RIP Alan and may all who were affected feel at peace.
Great respect for Paul Andrews. Bless this guy
Watching this really tugs at my heart, So much more I would like to say here but I will just say this..Thank you AK for the memories...
1993 was a really rough year for a NASCAR fans. At least I got to see Davey Allison get his last win before he passed. Alan was a different character, and followed him too... I had #6, #7, #11 and the #28 apparel, stickers and hats all over my truck and toolbox at work. Tough times
WOW! Too much to carry for the rest of your life. Prayers for your Sir. Thanks for sharing your story.
You handled that simply beautifully, Jr. Splendid job. I have lots of respect for you. Thanks!
Great job on carrying on!!Thank you Dale Jr for sharing!!
Thanks for listening
I grew up watching Alan Kulwicki racing Thursday nights at Wisconsin International Raceway. Witnessed him winning at Rockingham. Met him in January 1993 at Greenfield High School in suburban Milwaukee. I loved wearing Kulwicki shirts at the track. There was never another driver like him.
Alan’s 92 championship was the best championship run in all of nascar.
Settle down
@@bradsanders407 ok then. Tell me a better championship….
He loved Alan and it is still tough for him to relive , takes a lot of courage to talk about it .
Super emotional just to watch this. That’s a large weight of pain to still carry 31 years later.
Breaks my heart to watch this video!!!!
So sorry!
Jr does a great job with his delivery of questions. This personal story reaches others with relatable experiences and gives hope to make it through tough times.
He really is a great host. And then he's smart enough to sit back and let the guest expand on his or her feelings and thoughts instead of talking over them.
Very hard to see Paul get choked up like that. You hear about how tight Larry and Davey Allison were. To hear about how much Paul respected Alan and see how choked up he gets talking about it and I don't blame him. Talking about it is good therapy for him. I am sure he misses Alan dearly. You always hear about Larry McReynolds but you never hear about Paul Andrews. Hope he is doing well.
Seeing Paul Andrews get so emotional got me shedding some tears as well.
WOW! That was powerful, God Bless Paul Andrews, he seems like a great individual. Nascar lost a great talent in Alan.
Went to the Bristol race there talking about it was b4 or after the race they took the hooters semi around the track.
Worked for Paul at Cunningham Motorsports back in 2010-2012. He rarely talked about Alan. He did have one of Alan's Zerex helmets in the shop. I miss those days so much. Paul knows his ways around a racecar.
That was a tough day. Hang in there Paul. We are with you.
Instant tears.. poor guy man 😢 you can tell this has just tormented him Alan wouldn’t have wanted that.
He was the best and still a champ
The racing community feels the same way, some can hold it back and his team family is a whole different scenario.
He remains the maker of one of the best decisions in sports history with the call he made in the Atlanta race in 1992.
NASCAR has been through it, god bless u sir. Rip Alan
That's love, pure and simple.
In this modern era with the way our society has become so cruel to one another it’s sad but gives me hope to at least know there’s still some people with empathy.
My Mother taught us from a very young age that everyone handles death and the way someone passes differently and they should never be judged on it.
Alan was my favorite driver, I wish I could have met him. I had the honor to go over the wall with Paul for his son's race car. Thanks to some friends who put the deal together.
I remember when Alan passed. That was tough. The polish victory laps. It’s been some time, might be good to talk with a grief counselor about it, find some peace and relief…
Buddy this still hurts after this long says everything about Paul and Alan’s relationship
Survivor guilt is such a sad burden to bear.
AK being an engineer is a big reason my son is a mechanical engineering student.
I’m going to Bristol Cup and Xfinity races this fall and plan to go by the area of the crash to pay my respects. My tickets for the races are in the Earnhardt terrace and Kulwicki terrace for a reason.
How sad to lose a friend like that
3 of worst days ever, Davey, Alan & Dale Sr. !!!!
UNC Charlotte has an automotive performance technology degree and the program is named in his honor. RIP AK
Best family sport ever and sometimes families fight and sometimes they come together ❤
Still missing you Alan K. still miss you. 🏁
Love Paul..
Did a great job with Jeremy too
men that cry are stronger, they get it out. men that refuse to let it fester I learned that when my father passed away. I didnt break down for a few years but when i did it was bad
Paul's emotions are directly related to his respect and admiration for Alan, even 30 years later. It must have been utterly devastating to most of the men on that team.
After all these years... IT STILL HURTS.
It was a crazy time in Nascar 1993, we lost a defending champion Alan and short time after Davey and the start of Daytona in 94 another legend Neil Bonnett passed away all in 10 months.
It's interesting that everyday working people get so sad about the passing of a sports figure or someone famous whether or not they ever even met them, when that now deceased person wouldn't have cared at all if it were the everyday working person who had been the one who died.🤷♀️
Racing teams are
Without a doubt sometimes the
Tightest family groups
One could ever know
WOW ❤
Love you P
OMG 😢
When someone doesn't come out right away with a person's condition----it's the worst.