{{Short description|American racing driver (1913–1997)}} {{Infobox racing driver | name = Mike Klapak | image = | caption = | birth_name = Michael Klapak | birth_date = {{Birth date|1913|03|08}} | birth_place = Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|03|13|1913|03|08}} | death_place = Niles, Ohio, U.S. | first_year = 1931 | car_number = 23 | prev_series = Midget car racing<br>Modified racing<br>USAC Stock Car | prev_series_years= 1931-1947<br>1949-1954<br>1957-1962<ref name="TT1">{{cite web|url=https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/Mike_Klapak|title=Career Results by Series - Mike Klapak|publisher= The Third Turn|accessdate = September 3, 2024}}</ref> | titles = 1950, 1951, 1952 NASCAR National Sportsman Champion<br>1954, 1955 MARC Sportsman Champion | retired = 1964 | module1 = {{Infobox NASCAR driver|embed=yes | Total_Cup_Races = 13 | Years_In_Cup = 4 | Best_Cup_Pos = 98th (1950) | First_Cup_Race = 1950 Poor Man's 500 (Canfield) | Last_Cup_Race = 1953 Race 5 (Charlotte) | Cup_Wins = 0 | Cup_Top_Tens = 3 | Cup_Poles = 0 | Total_ARCA_Races = <small>Incomplete stats available<ref name="TT1"/></small><br>75+ | Years_In_ARCA = 12 | ARCA_Car_Team = | Prev_ARCA_Pos = | Prev_ARCA_Year = | Best_ARCA_Pos = | First_ARCA_Race = | Last_ARCA_Race = | First_ARCA_Win = | Last_ARCA_Win = | ARCA_Wins = 2+ | ARCA_Top_Tens = 37+ | ARCA_Poles = 3+ }} }}

'''Michael Klapak''' (March 8, 1913 – March 13, 1997) was an American racing driver. Klapak won three championships of the NASCAR Sportsman division, in 1950, 1951, and 1952.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last=Erazo |first=Siera |date=November 18, 2022 |title=A Case Full of Firsts |url=https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/a-case-full-of-firsts |accessdate=June 19, 2025 |website=NASCAR Hall of Fame |publisher=}}</ref> He also competed in USAC Stock Cars, winning the 1957 Trenton 500.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Wimmer |first=Walt |date=May 9, 2009 |title=Mike Klapak To Be Inducted May 24 Into Northeast Modified Hall Of Fame |url=https://dirtcar.com/dirtcar-ne/big-block-modifieds/super-dirtcar-series/mike-klapak-to-be-inducted-may-24-into-northeast-modified-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=September 3, 2024 |publisher=DIRTcar Racing}}</ref>

== Racing career ==

thumb|left|Klapak was the winner of the 1957 Trenton 500

Klapak began racing at the Sharon Speedway on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border in 1931, and by 1950 regularly competing with NASCAR, where he won the first of three consecutive NASCAR Sportsman Division (predecessor of currently O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) titles in 1950, 1951 and 1952.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/Mike_Klapak|title=NASCAR XFINITY Series Results|publisher= The Third Turn|accessdate = June 28, 2023}}</ref> He also entered 13 events in the Grand National Division (now NASCAR Cup), including multiple times at Florida's Daytona Beach Road Course.<ref name=":0" />

Klapak spent much of his career in the Midwest Association for Race Cars, now ARCA, where he won two more titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chautauquasportshalloffame.org/buesinkBio.php |title=Special Features - Julian Buesink |publisher=Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame |date= |accessdate=2016-03-05}}</ref> He also often raced in USAC.

Klapak was the 2009 pioneer selection for the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 22, 2009 |title=Stock car racing: Thompson finally breaks through at Albany-Saratoga |url=https://dailygazette.com/article/2009/05/22/0522_stockcars |accessdate=2019-04-20 |website=The Daily Gazette |publisher= |place=Schenectady NY}}</ref>

== Motorsports career results ==

=== NASCAR ===

(key) (<span style="font-size:85%">'''Bold'''&nbsp;– Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics''&nbsp;– Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. *&nbsp;– Most laps led.</span>) ====Grand National Series==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%" ! colspan=57| NASCAR Grand National Series results |- ! Year ! Team ! No. ! Make ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 ! 29 ! 30 ! 31 ! 32 ! 33 ! 34 ! 35 ! 36 ! 37 ! 38 ! 39 ! 40 ! 41 ! {{Tooltip|NGNC|NASCAR Grand National classification}} ! Pts ! Ref |- ! rowspan=2| 1950 ! rowspan=2| Mike Klapak ! rowspan=3| 23 ! Ford | DAB | CLT | LAN | MAR | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| CAN<br><small>14</small> | VER | colspan=4| | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| DSP<br><small>25</small> | HAM | | DAR | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| LAN <br><small>40</small> | NWS | VER | MAR | WIN | HBO | colspan=22| ! rowspan=2| 98th ! rowspan=2| - ! rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Klapak – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/klapami01/1950/W/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |work=Racing-Reference |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC}}</ref> |- ! Nash |colspan=6| | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DSP<br><small>15</small> | MCF | CLT | HBO |colspan=31| |- ! rowspan=3| 1951 ! Perry Smith ! Studebaker | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAB<br><small>42</small> | CLT | NMO | GAR | HBO | ASF | NWS | MAR | colspan=33| ! rowspan=3|– ! rowspan=3|– ! rowspan=3|<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Klapak – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/klapami01/1951/W/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |work=Racing-Reference |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC}}</ref> |- ! John Marcum ! 77 ! rowspan=2| Nash |colspan=8| | style="background:#EFCFFF;"|CAN <br><small>8</small> | CLS | CLB |colspan=30| |- ! Mike Klapak ! 35 | colspan=11| | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| DSP<br><small>26</small> | GAR | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GRS<br><small>24</small> | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| BAI<br><small>26</small> | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| HEI<br><small>42</small> | AWS | MCF | ALS | MSF | FMS | MOR | ABS | DAR | CLB | CCS | LAN | CLT | DSP | WIL | HBO | TPN | PGS | MAR | OAK | NWS | HMS | JSP | ATL | GAR | NMO |- ! 1952 ! Marshall Teague ! 4 ! Hudson | PBS | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAB<br><small>47</small> | JSP | NWS | MAR | CLB | ATL | CCS | LAN | DAR | DSP | CAN | HAY | FMS | HBO | CLT | MSF | NIF | OSW | MON | MOR | PPS | MCF | AWS | DAR | CCS | LAN | DSP | WIL | HBO | MAR | NWS | ATL | PBS | colspan=7| ! 199th ! - ! <ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Klapak – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/klapami01/1952/W/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |work=Racing-Reference |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC}}</ref> |- ! 1953 ! Bill Adams ! 18 ! Olds | PBS | DAB | style="background:#FFDF9F;"|HAR <br><small>6</small> | NWS | style="background:#FFDF9F;"|CLT <br><small>8</small> | RCH | CCS | LAN | CLB | HCY | MAR | PMS | RSP | LOU | FIF | LAN | TCS | WIL | MCF | PIF | MOR | ATL | RVS | LCF | DAV | HBO | AWS | PAS | HCY | DAR | CCS | LAN | BLF | WIL | NWS | MAR | ATL |colspan=4| ! - ! - !<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Klapak – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/klapami01/1953/W/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |work=Racing-Reference |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC}}</ref> |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Racing-Reference driver|Mike_Klapak}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klapak, Mike}} Category:1913 births Category:1997 deaths Category:NASCAR drivers Category:NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champions Category:USAC Stock Car drivers Category:Racing drivers from Ohio Category:Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame Category:Sportspeople from Youngstown, Ohio