Michael Paul Stefanik (May 20, 1958 – September 15, 2019) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed mainly in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but also made appearances in the Busch Grand National series and the Craftsman Truck Series. A seven-time champion in the Modified series, Stefanik was named the second greatest NASCAR Modified driver of all-time in 2003.[2] His nine total championships (two in the Busch North Series) tie him with Richie Evans for the most in NASCAR history.[3] Stefanik is a member of the 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.
| Mike Stefanik | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stefanik at Nazareth Speedway in 2000 | |||||||
| Born | Michael Paul Stefanik May 20, 1958 Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | September 15, 2019 (aged 61) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. [1] | ||||||
| Achievements | 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006 Whelen Modified Tour Champion 1997, 1998 Busch North Series Champion | ||||||
| Awards | 1999 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year 1997, 1998, 2001 Featherlite Modified Series Most Popular Driver 1995, 1997, 1998, 2004 Busch North Series Most Popular Driver Named one of the "NASCAR Modified All-Time Top 10 Drivers" (2003) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2022) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 26 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 56th (2000) | ||||||
| First race | 1992 Budweiser 300 (Loudon) | ||||||
| Last race | 2000 Miami 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 26 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 13th (1999) | ||||||
| First race | 1998 Sam's Town 250 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
| Last race | 1999 NAPA Auto Parts 200 (Fontana) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics current as of September 15, 2019. | |||||||
Racing career
editWhelen Modified Series
editStefanik ran his first full Whelen Modified Tour season in 1987.[4] He recorded his first championship in 1989, winning in seven of his 26 starts.[5] He continued to be a major player in the 1990s, winning the 1991 series championship, finishing out of the top ten just once that season.[6] After not running a complete schedule for a few years, Stefanik finished fifth in 1995[7] and won the 1997[8] and 1998[9] titles while simultaneously racing full-time and winning the championship those same years in the Busch North Series. Taking the 2000 season off to run full-time in the Camping World Truck Series, Stefanik won the championship his first two years back, not winning too many races but consistently placing in the top ten.[10][11] Again pursuing other interests (this time K&N series), Stefanik did not contend in 2003, 2004, or 2005 but won the 2006 season opener, completed every lap that season and only was out of first place for one week, winning the championship.[12] Steadily trending downward from there, Stefanik's first full winless season came in 2010.[13] He won his last race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2013,[14] and started his last race in 2014.[15]
In 2013, Stefanik competed in the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway. On the final lap, he was leading until contact with Steve Park sent him spinning; he finished 13th in the race.[16] Afterwards, when Speed reporter Ray Dunlap arrived to interview him, Stefanik angrily stated he is "that freaking pissed. This is just bullshit."[17] The interview was subsequently aired on The Jay Leno Show.[18]
K&N Pro Series East
editStefanik won in only his third start, which came in 1991.[19] He ran his first full season in 1993[20] while racing Modifieds and won the 1997 and 1998 championships, pocketing over $100,000 for each season.[21][22] In doing so, he became the first driver to win two NASCAR championships in consecutive years; Lee Petty is the only other person to have won two championships in one year.[citation needed] Stefanik raced full seasons in 2003, 2004 and 2005 while stepping away from Modifieds, but did not have the same amount of success.[23]
Craftsman Truck Series
editStefanik moved up to the Craftsman Truck Series, racing for Phelon Motorsports and finishing in the top ten nine times during 1999,[24] achieving Rookie of the Year honors.[25]
Halls of Fame
editStefanik was elected to the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted Nov. 11, 2018 by writer Mark "Bones" Bourcier. In 2013, Michael accepted his late brother Bob's induction. Bob and Michael are the fifth pair of brothers enshrined in the NEAR Hall.[26]
Stefanik was first nominated to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, and was elected to the Hall in 2022.[27]
Death
editAccording to Connecticut State Police, on the afternoon of September 15, 2019, Stefanik took off in a friend's Aero-Works Aerolite 103 from Riconn Airport (Greene, Rhode Island), and was headed back when it experienced mechanical problems causing it to lose power and crash in a wooded area in Sterling, Connecticut. He was airlifted to Rhode Island Hospital, where he died from his injuries.[28][29][30][31]
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)
Busch Series
edit2 Competed only in companion events with Busch North Series as BNS driver and ineligible for Busch Series points
Craftsman Truck Series
edit| NASCAR Craftsman Truck 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 | NCTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||
| 1998 | Phelon Motorsports | 66 | Ford | WDW | HOM | PHO | POR | EVG | I70 | GLN | TEX | BRI | MLW | NZH | CAL | PPR | IRP | NHA | FLM | NSV | HPT | LVL | RCH | MEM | GTY | MAR | SON | MMR | PHO | LVS 8 |
49th | 142 | [41] | |||||||||||
| 1999 | HOM 2 |
PHO 13 |
EVG 24 |
MMR 14 |
MAR 12 |
MEM 11 |
PPR 11 |
I70 7 |
BRI 22 |
TEX 28 |
PIR 13 |
GLN 11 |
MLW 13 |
NSV 8 |
NZH 8 |
MCH 7 |
NHA 13 |
IRP 16 |
GTY 6 |
HPT 10 |
RCH 16 |
LVS 32 |
LVL 9 |
TEX 31 |
CAL 9 |
13th | 3074 | [42] | ||||||||||||||||
Busch North Series
editWhelen Modified Tour
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hall of Fame Awaits for NASCAR Champion Mike Stefanik" The Providence Journal Retrieved September 23, 2019
- ^ "News & Media". Archived from the original on 2004-02-17. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "All-Time Top 10 Modified Drivers | NASCAR Home Tracks". hometracks.nascar.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1987 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1989 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1991 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1995 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1997 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1998 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2001 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2002 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2006 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Steve Park wins at Daytona in Modifieds race". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ Ley, Tom. "Adult Race Car Driver Turns Into Pouty Baby During Post-Race Interview". Deadspin. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "National Sensation: TV Outburst In Daytona Takes Mike Stefanik All The Way To Hollywood". racedayct.com. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1991 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1993 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1997 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1998 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 2004 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Driver Mike Stefanik 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Where are they now? – Mike Stefanik". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Hall of Fame – New England Antique Racers". 5 December 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2015". NASCAR Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Awaits for NASCAR Champion Mike Stefanik" The Providence Journal Retrieved September 23, 2019
- ^ "NASCAR champion killed in single-seat plane crash in Sterling" wtnh.com Retrieved September 16, 2019
- ^ "Former NASCAR Champion Mike Stefanik killed in Plane crash in Connecticut" wwlp.com Retrieved September 16, 2019
- ^ Courchesne, Shawn (15 September 2019). "Nine-Time NASCAR Champion, Modified Racing Legend Mike Stefanik Killed In Plane Crash". RaceDayCT.com. Retrieved Sep 16, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1992 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1993 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1994 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1995 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1996 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1997 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1998 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1999 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2000 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1991 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1992 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1993 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1994 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1995 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1996 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1997 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1998 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2001 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2003 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2004 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2005 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1985 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1986 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1987 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1988 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1989 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1990 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1991 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1992 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1993 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1994 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1995 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1996 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1997 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 1998 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2000 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2001 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2002 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2003 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2004 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2005 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2006 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2007 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2012 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Stefanik – 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
External links
edit- Mike Stefanik driver statistics at Racing-Reference