rdfs:comment | - Mike Klapak (March 8, 1913 - March 13, 1997) was a NASCAR driver from Warren, OH. He competed in twelve Sprint Cup Series events in his career, earning three top-tens. Klapak's debut came in 1950, when he competed at Canfield Speedway. It was a respectable start for the driver, who wound up with a mid-pack 14th place finish. He also ran well in his next start, finishing 15th at Daytona International Speedway. But those runs were offset later in the year when Klapak ran poorly to 25th at a later Dayton race and to a 40th place showing at Langhorne Speedway.
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abstract | - Mike Klapak (March 8, 1913 - March 13, 1997) was a NASCAR driver from Warren, OH. He competed in twelve Sprint Cup Series events in his career, earning three top-tens. Klapak's debut came in 1950, when he competed at Canfield Speedway. It was a respectable start for the driver, who wound up with a mid-pack 14th place finish. He also ran well in his next start, finishing 15th at Daytona International Speedway. But those runs were offset later in the year when Klapak ran poorly to 25th at a later Dayton race and to a 40th place showing at Langhorne Speedway. Klapak stepped it up to a five-race schedule for the 1951 season, starting the year off by competing at the famed Daytona Beach Road Course. Despite a poor 42nd place finish, Klapak returned to Canfield looking for success. He did find quite a bit of it, running his way to a solid 8th place finish. Even then, though, Klapak couldn't keep the momentum on his side. He struggled to finishes of 26th at Dayton and Bainbridge and then closed out the year with a last (42nd) place run at Pittsburgh. Klapak then only made one start during the 1952 season, dragging his equipment back down to Daytona Beach. It was another rough day at the Beach for the driver, finishing 47th with rear end gear issues. Klapak, though, seemed to save the best for last. During the 1953 season, he competed in his final two events, driving his way to a career-best 6th place run at Harnett Speedway, just one day after qualifying on the outside pole for the race. He quickly followed that up with a solid 8th place finish at Charlotte, that effort coming in his final career race.
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