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Roland Wlodyka

{{Short description|American racing driver (1938–2020)}}

{{Infobox NASCAR driver

|name = Roland Wlodyka

|image =

|caption =

|birth_name = Roland Leonard Wlodyka

|birth_date = {{birth date|1938|10|15}}

|birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|1|30|1938|10|15}}

|death_place = Lake Wylie, South Carolina{{cite web |title=Roland Wlodyka Obituary |url=http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Roland-Leonard-Wlodyka-108111718 |website=Tributes |accessdate=February 6, 2020}}

|Total_Cup_Races = 11

|Years_In_Cup = 2

|Best_Cup_Pos = 44th (1978)

|First_Cup_Race = 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 (Michigan)

|Last_Cup_Race = 1978 World 600 (Charlotte)

|First_Cup_Win =

|Last_Cup_Win =

|Cup_Wins = 0

|Cup_Top_Tens = 0

|Cup_Poles = 0

}}

Roland Leonard Wlodyka was an American stock car racing driver and mechanic, driving in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the 1970s and later crew chiefing in the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series in the 1980s and 1990s.

Racing career

Wlodyka quit drag racing to begin oval track competition in 1970.{{cn|date=February 2020}} By the beginning of the 1977 season, Wlodyka had joined Rod Osterlund to drive in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. By May 1978, Roland had given up the driver's seat after 11 races[http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/Roland_Wlodyka Career statistics for Roland Wlodyka] at Racing Reference to take on his new role of Team Manager of Osterlund Racing, while Dave Marcis finished out the 1978 season behind the wheel. For the 1979 season, Wlodyka hired Dale Earnhardt who drove for Osterlund until the conclusion of the 1981 season.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=20060414&id=MQI1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=P08KAAAAIBAJ&pg=4590,3586856|title=Whatever happened to...Roland Wlodyka?|date=April 14, 2006|work=Bangor Daily News|page=C5|accessdate=2013-03-04|location=Bangor, ME}} In the late 1980s, Wlodyka served as a part-time crew chief in the Cup Series, working with Buddy Baker, Rodney Combs and Hut Stricklin.{{cite web |title=Roland Wlodyka Crew Chief Statistics |url=https://www.racing-reference.info/crewchiefs/Roland_Wlodyka |website=Racing Reference |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC |accessdate=February 4, 2020}} In the late 1990s, Wlodyka crew chiefed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, working for Akins-Sutton Motorsports, Circle Bar Racing, Liberty Racing and Phelon Motorsports, working with future Cup champion Kevin Harvick while at Liberty.{{cite web |title=Ford Racing Roland Wlodyka - Crew Chief |url=https://us.motorsport.com/nascar-truck/news/ford-racing-roland-wlodyka-crew-chief/1752636/ |website=Motorsport |accessdate=February 6, 2020}}

Death

Wlodyka died in Lake Wylie, South Carolina on January 30, 2020. {{cite web |title=Roland Wlodyka Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/roland-wlodyka-obituary?pid=195251310 |website=Legacy.com |accessdate=February 2, 2020}}

Motorsports career results

=NASCAR=

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

==Winston Cup Series==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=44| NASCAR Winston Cup 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

! {{Tooltip|NWCC|NASCAR Winston Cup classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

rowspan=2| 1977

! rowspan=4| Osterlund Racing

! 91

! rowspan=3| Chevy

| RSD

| DAY

| RCH

| CAR

| ATL

| NWS

| DAR

| BRI

| MAR

| TAL

| NSV

| DOV

| CLT

| RSD

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MCH
29

| DAY

| NSV

| colspan=13|

! rowspan=2| 64th

! rowspan=2| 219

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/wlodyro01/1977/W|title=Roland Wlodyka – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=December 6, 2023}}

rowspan=3| 98

| colspan=17|

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| POC
31

| TAL

| MCH

| BRI

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR
36

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| NWS

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CLT
39

| CAR

| ATL

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ONT
15

rowspan=2| 1978

| style="background:#FFCFCF;"| RSD
DNQ

|

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RCH
26

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAR
32

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ATL
18

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BRI
27

| DAR

| NWS

| MAR

| TAL

| DOV

| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| CLT
21

| NSV

| RSD

| MCH

| DAY

| NSV

| POC

| TAL

| MCH

| BRI

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| NWS

| CLT

| CAR

| ATL

| ONT

! rowspan=2| 44th

! rowspan=2| 549

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/wlodyro01/1978/W|title=Roland Wlodyka – 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=December 6, 2023}}

Buick

|

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DAY
19

| colspan=28|

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{Racing-Reference driver|Roland_Wlodyka}}
  • {{Racing-Reference crewchief|Roland_Wlodyka}}

{{Liberty Racing}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wlodyka, Roland}}

Category:1938 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:Sportspeople from Sunnyvale, California

Category:Racing drivers from San Jose, California

Category:NASCAR drivers

Category:American people of Polish descent

{{NASCAR-bio-stub}}