CONCORD, N.C. – Officials of the Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP) announced today 10 additional racers that will join the semifinalists for their 2021 program. These 10 drivers will join the 15 competitors who were selected for the 2020 edition of the program, which fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. The end result will see a total of 25 semifinalists vying to be among the seven finalists selected to be among the organization’s sixth class members.
The 10 additional semifinalists for the KDDP for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
Cameron Bolin, 16, Sharon, South Carolina – @cameronbolin67
2020 Greenville-Pickens (SC) Speedway Late Model Stock Car Track Champion
Cooper Bouchard, 22, Hinesburg, Vermont – facebook.com/BouchardMotorsports
2020 feature winner at Thunder Road (VT) Speedway
Nick Egan, 24, Lomira, Wisconsin – @nickegan13
Multiple feature wins at Slinger, Madison, Hawkeye Downs, La Crosse, and Wisconsin Dells
Brandon Farrington, 24, Tucson, Arizona – @B_Farrington25
Multi-time Super Late Model Track Champion at Tucson (AZ) Raceway Park
Max Kahler, 17, Caledonia, Illinois – @max_kahler
2020 Big 8 Series Late Model Champion; 2020 National Short Track Championship Feature Winner
Janson Marchbanks, 17, Anderson, South Carolina – @ut_marchbanks
2020 South Carolina 250 feature winner at Florence (SC) Motor Speedway
Becca Monopoli, 31, Lakeland, Florida – @BeccaMonopoli
89 feature wins and 17 track championships in various series over the last decade
Ryan Millington, 19, Statesville, North Carolina – @Ryan_M_Racing17
3rd place, 2020 NASCAR AAWS National Points; 2-time Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway LMSC Champion
Hunter Wright, 19, Lebanon, Tennessee – @HunterWright29
2019 Nashville (TN) Fairgrounds Speedway Rookie of the Year (PLM)
Dylan Zampa, 17, Napa, California – @zampa_dylan
Won first ever Pro Late Model start at Madera (CA) Speedway in 2019
Those 10 drivers join these 15 racers who were chosen as semifinalists last season before the organization went on hiatus due to the pandemic:
Wyatt Alexander, 21, Ellsworth, Maine – @WAlexander_96
Granite State Pro Stock feature winner at Beech Ridge (ME); Boss Hogg 100 winner at Wiscasset (ME)
Danny Benedict, 24, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada – @Dannybenedict54
2019 KDDP Finalist, 2018 Provincial NASCAR Whelen All American Series Champion
Jackson Boone, 20, Franklin, Tennessee – @jacksonboone7
2019 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Pro Late Model Champion
RJ Braun, 20, Wales, Wisconsin – @rj_braun
2019 Big 8 Rookie of the Year; 2019 Slinger Speedway SLM ROY; 2020 SLM winner at Kaukauna (WI)
Chad Butz, 21, Howard, Wisconsin – @ButzCbr8
Youngest Super Late Model winner in Norway Speedway (Michigan) history at the age of 15
Luke Fenhaus, 16, Wausau, Wisconsin – @luke_fenhaus
2019 KDDP Finalist, 2018 State Park Speedway Champion, 2020 Slinger Nationals Pole Winner
Marcel Gravel, 24, Wolcott, Vermont – @Gravel86Marcel
2017 Milk Bowl pole position winner; all-time Thunder Road track record holder
Austin Herzog, 18, Clovis, California – @Austin11Herzog
2019 Nut Up Pro Late Model Champion at Madera Speedway
Garrett Huffines, 18, Selah, Washington – @GarrettHuffines
2019 Fall Classic winner (Yakima Speedway) & Pro Late Model Track Champion
Ryan Kuhn, 20, East Bridgewater, Massachusetts –
2018 Seekonk Speedway Late Model Champion; pole winner, 2020 Milk Bowl at Thunder Road (VT)
Reilly Lanphear, 21, Duxbury, Vermont – @reillylanphear
Full-time competitor on the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) in 2020
Jacob Nottestad, 19, Cambridge, Wisconsin – @Jnottestad97
2x Slinger Speedway Late Model Track Champ; feature winner in first SLM start at Oktoberfest (2020)
Kole Raz, 17, Lake Oswego, Oregon – @RazKole
2019 NASCAR Whelen All American Arizona State Champion; 2020 Tucson Speedway Champion
Riley Stenjem, 21, Stoughton, Wisconsin – @77stenjem77
Won 2 of 3 Late Model features at 2019 Jefferson Speedway Wisconsin State Championships
Brooke Storer, 22, Land O’ Lakes, Florida – @brookestorer9
7 feature wins in 2020, including with the 5 Wheelman Late Model Series; 150 total feature wins
“We had an incredibly impressive group of competitors who applied during the most recent application period,” said KDDP executive director Tom Roberts. “I applaud our great board members for their diligent work in selecting the 10 additional semifinalists.
“They certainly have a monumental task ahead of them now in selecting our seven finalists from this fantastic group of racers,” Roberts added. “Each and every one of the semifinalists are very deserving and I’m confident that Alan would be proud to have all of them carrying his colors this season.”
The additional semifinalists will be participating in interview sessions with KDDP officials during the next two weeks, with the recordings of last year’s semifinalist interviews also being distributed to the voting board members.
The KDDP board will reconvene during the week of March 8-14 and their final vote will take place shortly after.
The seven 2021 KDDP finalists will be officially announced and interviewed live on the Monday, March 22 edition of Speed51.com’s “The Morning Bullring.”
The seven selected drivers will each receive a one-time stipend of $7,777 to cover operational expenses. The organization will work to provide the drivers assistance in important aspects such as publicity, marketing, sponsorship development and industry networking during the season as they compete for the “grand prize.” The Kulwicki Cup winner will pick up an additional check worth seven times the initial award ($7,777 x 7 = $54,439) and a special unique trophy. Seymour, Wisconsin’s Ty Majeski was the 2015 Kulwicki Cup winner during the inaugural year for the program. Lomira, Wisconsin’s Alex Prunty claimed the 2016 title and Marietta, Georgia’s Cody Haskins was the 2017 KDDP Champion. Brett Yackey, from Greeley, Colorado, claimed the 2018 Kulwicki Cup and Upper Lake, California’s Jeremy Doss earned the 2019 crown.
The Kulwicki Cup competition goes from April 1 through Oct. 31. The contest’s points system is based on a combination of judging input from members of the advisory board and the drivers’ on-track performance. Drivers are given points for both their success in chasing checkered flags and for community engagement, program representation and social media activities.
The KDDP urges you to keep up with all of its news and activities by regularly visiting Speed51.com, the organization’s official media partner.
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For additional information on the Kulwicki Driver Development Program, please visit the official website at www.kulwickiddp.com. Please follow us on Twitter at @KulwickiDDP and be looking for our possible expansion to other social media platforms.
About the KDDP:
The Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP) was established in 2014 by the family of late NASCAR Champion and Hall of Fame member Alan Kulwicki for the purpose of helping worthy drivers toward reaching their dreams while at the same time keeping Alan’s memory and legacy alive. The Program provides drivers with financial assistance along with support in publicity, marketing, sponsorship development, industry networking and relationship building. Based in Concord, N.C., the KDDP is a non-profit organization with the mission of playing a significant role in developing the next era of America’s short-track racers while educating new generations about the life, passion and values of the 1992 NASCAR Champion.
Contacts:
Tom Roberts – [email protected] – (256) 508-2595
Jeff Kollath – [email protected] – (608) 516-0448
Jan Beatty – [email protected] – (704) 262-2345
Mark Horn – [email protected] – (704) 331-3540
-Kulwicki Driver Development Program Press Release
