Kulwicki DDP Culminating 2023 Season With Awards Banquet on Thursday

The class of 2023 for the Kulwicki Driver Development Program will gather on Thursday evening at the Speedway Club at Charlotte Motor Speedway for its year-end Awards Banquet.

The Awards Banquet has traditionally been held on Thursday during the week of Kulwicki's birthday. As fate would have it for the 2023 version of the banquet, it falls on December 14, which would have been Kulwicki's 69th birthday.

The Kulwicki Driver Development Program was established in 2014 by the family of 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.

Since its inception, Kulwicki Driver Development Program champions include Ty Majeski (2015), Alex Prunty (2016), Cody Haskins (2017), Brett Yackey (2018), Jeremy Doss (2019), Luke Fenhaus (2021) and Dylan Zampa (2022).

Max Cookson will be recognized as the 2023 Kulwicki Driver Development Program champion and presented with the Kulwicki Cup as part of this year's Awards Banquet. During a history-making year for the program in which all seven finalists went to victory lane at least once on the track, Cookson claimed the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North and National championships as well as the Oxford Plains Speedway Super Late Model track championship.

READ MORE: Max Cookson Wins 2023 Kulwicki Cup Championship

In addition to honoring the KDDP Class of 2023, members of Alan Kulwicki’s 1992 NASCAR Championship Team will gather to recount the “Rest of the Story.” Renowned Fox Sports broadcaster Larry McReynolds will lead the “roundtable” discussion and will be joined by NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine to add the finishing touches to one of the most compelling stories in racing history.

READ MORE: The Alan Kulwicki 1992 Championship Team: The Rest of the Story

Fans will be able to watch the Kulwicki Driver Development Program Awards Banquet for free both on RacingAmerica.TV and Racing America's social media platforms. The broadcast will begin at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET.

-Photo credit: Will Bellamy/Racing America