Nord Krauskopf (January 26, 1922 – August 3, 1986) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race car owner whose career spanned from 1966 to 1977.[1] He was the owner of K&K Insurance and a part of the business since its foundation in 1952.[3] This was a position that he kept in the corporate world while having a second career in the motorsports industry as a car owner. This dual role lasted until the 1970s when he left the NASCAR circuit to focus on running his insurance company.[4] His team would field mostly Dodge Chargers and Dodge Daytonas to the Cup Series races.[5]
Nord Krauskopf | |
|---|---|
 Mr. and Mrs. Krauskopf at the K&K Insurance offices. They managed and marketed a benevolent fund for NASCAR drivers before, during, and after his ownership career. | |
| Born | January 26, 1922 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 1986[1] Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | NASCAR team owner/businessman |
| Known for | One of the first NASCAR Cup Series owners to become a millionaire |
| Spouse | Theodora[2] |
Career
editHe was known for employing veteran NASCAR drivers like Bobby Allison, Charlie Glotzbach, Bobby Isaac, Sam McQuagg, and Dave Marcis.[1] Krauskopf has seen his drivers participate in 345 races with 43 victories (first victory at the 1968 Columbia 200 – last victory at the 1976 Dixie 500), 171 finishes in the "top five," and 214 finishes in the "top ten.[1]" These drivers also managed to lead 15,705 laps out of 90,001 while finishing 12th place on average.[1] Krauskopf also become one of the first millionaires in NASCAR history by collecting a grand total of $1,225,994 in his 12-year career ($6,164,305.91 when adjusted for inflation) while his employees drove 91,890.6 miles (147,883.6 km) of racing action.[1] He would also see his drivers go to the pole position 69 times.[1] A major part of Krauskopf's career would be Bobby Isaac's championship victory during the 1970 NASCAR Winston Cup Season.[6]
The constant changes of NASCAR in the 1970s would render Krauskopf's team uncompetitive, and mid-way through the 1976 race season he put his racing team and its assets (shops, cars, etc.) on the market and then sold it to coal mining magnate Jim Stacy.[7] As a result, he would constantly be at odds with NASCAR officials.[7]
Krauskopf retired in 1980 as chairman and owner of K&K Insurance Group. He sold his ownership share of the company in 1984.[2] He died in 1986.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Nord Krauskopf career information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
- ^ a b c Tadevich, Debra (March 2002). "K&K Insurance Celebrates 50 Years of Success". Rough Notes. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
- ^ "Career of Nord Krauskopf (1966–67)". Freewebs. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
- ^ "Company history - K&K Insurance". K&K Insurance. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ "Bobby Isaac and the K&K Insurance NASCAR Chargers". Street Legal TV. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ "Legends of NASCAR (Bobby Isaac in 1970)". Legends of NASCAR. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ a b "The End of Nord Krauskopf's Career and his Death". Freewebs. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2011-07-21.