THE DON HUNTER COLLECTION

ALAN

On April 1, 1993, reigning Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki, along with Mark Brooks, Dan Duncan and Charles Campbell were killed in a plane crash near Blountville, Tenn., while en route to that weekend's race at Bristol.

That saddest of days remains firmly entrenched in the NASCAR psyche. Teams and fans lined the track as Kulwicki's transporter was driven out of the facility on the cold and dreary afternoon, and then race winner Rusty Wallace honored his fallen friend with a backward "Polish victory lap.

Sadly, the heartbreak was only just beginning.