Doug Wolfgang (born July 26, 1952 in Sioux Falls, SD) was an American racing driver. He holds 107 World of Outlaws sprint car series wins (fifth all-time), 37 All Star Circuit of Champions wins, and is a five-time Knoxville Nationals champion and two-time Kings Royal winner. He finished second in the Outlaws standings four times and had four seasons with over ten wins.
Video Doug Wolfgang
Early life
Maps Doug Wolfgang
Racing career
Early Career
Wolfgang's first experience behind the wheel of a racecar came in a B-modified at Huset's Speedway in 1970. His early goal was simply to make a living driving racecars. As he put it, "My design from day one was to become a full-time race car driver. Not to win Daytona, not to win Knoxville or Indianapolis--but to make my living in a race car." He began driving sprint cars in the mid-1970s with that aim in mind.
Sprint Car Racing
Wolfgang found his first regular sprint car seat with Dave Van Patten in the mid-1970s. Shortly thereafter, he teamed up with car owner Bob Trostle in 1976 and won 45 races the following year, including the Knoxville Nationals. Amid talk that Bill Smith was planning an Indy program, Wolfgang teamed with Smith in the Speedway Motors 4x. The team won 24 races in 1978 along with Wolfgang's second Knoxville Nationals. 1980 saw Wolfgang driving for Doug Howells, and the pair spent three seasons together, resulting in two second-place World of Outlaws point finishes. Wolfgang spent 1983 in the #18 Gambler house car owned by C. K. Spurlock, however despite 11 feature victories in that car, he was let go before the end of the year. It wasn't long before he found his way to Pennsylvania owner Bob Weikert, where he would remain for several years. In his time with Weikert and mechanic Davey Brown, Sr., he won the Knoxville Nationals twice and the 1985 Kings Royal, as well as three straight victories at the Williams Grove National Open, but ran a varied schedule across multiple series and therefore his final position in the World of Outlaws standings from 1984 to 1987 was unremarkable. By 1988, Wolfgang felt the lure of a World of Outlaws title and left Pennsylvania to run full time in that series in the Fred Marks/Les Kepler Kodiak # 18. Joining 21-year-old owner Danny Peace in 1989, Wolfgang earned over $500,000 in prize money, and won his final Knoxville Nationals as well as a $50,000-to-win race at Selinsgrove. Wolfgang would grab his final major victory in 1990, winning the Kings Royal for Ray & Jay Williams, before being released at the end of the year. He rejoined Max Rogers in 1991 for a reduced schedule, hitting the major races and otherwise staying relatively local.
Injury
On April 3, 1992, Wolfgang was competing in a World of Outlaws event at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City. During qualifying, he was involved in a fiery crash that resulted in burns over 30% of his body, a broken vertebrae, and injuries to his right hand. Following his recovery, upon climbing back into the seat, Wolfgang was never again as dominant as he had once been. Speaking about the incident, Wolfgang stated, "I have absolutely zero interest in getting hurt again. I've had all the fun I can handle with that. I also know what it takes to win, and I guarantee you I don't have that anymore." While he would never again be a dominant force in the World of Outlaws, he did go on to win the IMCA 360 sprint car championship in 1995 and the ASCA 360 Nationals in 1996 before retiring in 1997.
Knoxville Nationals
Wolfgang was a five-time Knoxville Nationals champion. His first, in 1977, was with Bob Trostle. He followed that up with Bill Smith in 1978, Bob Weikert in 1984 & 1985, and Danny Peace in 1989. In 1990, he famously "ran the alphabet", advancing from the D-main, through the C & B, to finish fifth in the feature.
Awards & Recognition
- National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, 2003
- South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, 2007
- Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee, 2002
- National Sprint Car Poll Driver of the Year, 1985 & 1989
- National Motor Press Association Driver of the Year, 1985
Motorsports Career Results
(key)
World of Outlaws
Knoxville Nationals
Kings Royal
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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