Hoar Becomes First Vermont Resident Ever Selected For Kulwicki Driver Development Program

Late Model competitor and second-generation driver Taylor Hoar is the first Vermont resident to be selected as a finalist in the prestigious Kulwicki Driver Development Program.

The daughter of eight-time American-Canadian Tour champion Brian Hoar, Taylor also is the first female KDDP finalist since Kate Re in 2022.

A 22-year-old sophomore in Champlain College’s online program, Hoar made her Late Model debut in 2024 with five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 22 races. Last year, she became the first female to record a podium finish at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont, in more than a decade. The same feat applied to the Milk Bowl where she qualified without the use of a provisional. She also is a recipient of the Ed Carrol Memorial Sportsmanship Award.

This year, Hoar plans to compete in ACT races at Thunder Road, Oxford (Maine) Plains Speedway, Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway and Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire, the weekly races at Thunder Road, and the Late Model Series at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.

During last year’s racing season, Hoar and her brother Justin took their race cars to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta for a day during its “Rev Your Engines” themed week. The special summer camp in South Hero, Vermont, is for children who are battling cancer or are in remission. Hoar says the day left her with a “full heart and an even deeper appreciation for the power of perseverance.”

This year, as a KDDP finalist, Hoar will compete against four other drivers from across the United States to determine the 2025 Kulwicki Cup winner. In addition to on-track performance, the five finalists will be judged on off-track civic participation, program promotion, fan interaction, and stewardship of Alan Kulwicki’s story.

In the only driver development program that pays its participants, each driver will receive $7,000 in monies, goods and services. During the season, the drivers will receive training sessions that focus on fitness, interviews, media presentation and social media so they will be better prepared to take their careers to the next level. Throughout the season, the five finalists will compete against each other for $30,000 in monies, goods and services to be divided among the top three finishers at the end of the season. Each driver is required to compete in a minimum of 14 races.

KDDP: Created in 2014 by Alan Kulwicki’s family to perpetuate the NASCAR Hall of Fame member and 1992 NASCAR Cup champion’s legacy, the Kulwicki Driver Development Program has had 46 drivers from 17 states and two Canadian provinces compete in the North American initiative. Even though the program was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, it still has awarded $979,902 in stipends and championship awards. Overall, the nine classes have competed in 1,438 races, produced 230 victories, and 719 top-five and 1,018 top-10 finishes. Ty Majeski, the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, was the program’s inaugural winner.

-Kulwicki Driver Development Program Release
-Photo provided by Kulwicki Driver Development Program