Nord Krauskopf: Difference between revisions

|caption = Mr. and Mrs. Nord Krauskopf at the K&K Insurance offices. They managed and marketed a benevolent fund for NASCAR drivers before, during, and after his ownership career.

|birth_date = January 26, 1922

|birth_place = [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]], [[Indiana]]U.S.

|death_date = 1994August 3, 1986<ref name="nord" />

|death_place = [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], U.S.

'''Nord Krauskopf''' (January 26, 1922 &ndash; August 3, 1986) was a [[NASCAR]] [[SprintNASCAR Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]] race car owner whose career spanned from [[1966 in NASCAR|1966]] to [[1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1977]].<ref name="nord">{{cite web | url = http://racing-reference.info/owner/Nord_Krauskopf | title = Nord Krauskopf career information | publisher = Racing Reference | accessdate = 2011-07-20}}</ref> He was the owner of [[K&K Insurance]] and a part of the business since its foundation in 1952.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.freewebs.com/danno340/kkd/66-67.html | title = Career of Nord Krauskopf (1966–67) | publisher = Freewebs | accessdate = 2011-07-21 | deadurlurl-status = yesdead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121024213639/http://www.freewebs.com/danno340/kkd/66-67.html | archivedate = 2012-10-24 | df = }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kandkinsurance.com/Pages/CompanyHistory.aspx | title = Company history - K&K Insurance | publisher = K&K Insurance | accessdate = 2011-07-25}}</ref> His team would field mostly [[Dodge Charger]]s and [[Dodge Charger Daytona|Dodge Daytona]]s to the Cup Series races.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/bobby-isaacs-kk-insurance-nascar-chargers/ | title = Bobby Isaac and the K&K Insurance NASCAR Chargers | date = 3 February 2011 | publisher = Street Legal TV | accessdate = 2011-07-25}}</ref>

He was known for employing veteran NASCAR drivers like [[Bobby Allison]], [[Charlie Glotzbach]], [[Bobby Isaac]], [[Sam McQuagg]], and [[Dave Marcis]].<ref name="nord"/> 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.<ref name="nord"/>" These drivers also managed to lead 15,705 laps out of 90,001 while finishing 12th place on average.<ref name="nord"/> Krauskopf also become one of the first [[millionaire]]s in NASCAR history by collecting a grand total of $1,225,994 in his 12-year career (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1225994|1977|r=2}}}} when adjusted for inflation) while his employees drove {{convert|91890.6|mi|km}} of racing action.<ref name="nord"/> He would also see his drivers go to the [[pole position]] 69 times.<ref name="nord"/> A major part of Krauskopf's career would be Bobby Isaac's championship victory during the [[1970 in NASCAR|1970]] NASCAR Winston Cup Season.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Bobby_Isaac.htm | title = Legends of NASCAR (Bobby Isaac in 1970) | publisher = Legends of NASCAR | accessdate = 2011-07-22}}</ref>

The constant changes of NASCAR in the 1970s would render Krauskopf's team uncompetitive, and mid-way thruthrough 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]].<ref name="careerover">{{cite web | url = http://www.freewebs.com/danno340/kkd/epilogue.html | title = The End of Nord Krauskopf's Career and his Death | publisher = Freewebs | accessdate = 2011-07-21 | deadurlurl-status = yesdead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121024213751/http://www.freewebs.com/danno340/kkd/epilogue.html | archivedate = 2012-10-24 | df = }}</ref> As a result, he would constantly be at odds with NASCAR officials.<ref name="careerover"/>

Krauskopf wouldretired eventuallyin sell1980 as chairman and owner of K&K Insurance Group. He sold his ownership share inof the original company duringin the early 1990s1984.<ref name="careeroverroughnotes" /> He died in 19941986.<ref name="careeroverroughnotes" />

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