Two Wisconsin drivers are Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalists
Wisconsin drivers have gone 2 for 2 in winning the top prize in the Kulwicki Driver Development Program, and the 2017 season will provide two chances to keep that streak alive.
Braison Bennett of Neenah, the 21-year-old son of a longtime local standout, and Justin Mondeik, a 20-year-old from Gleason, are among the seven finalists announced Thursday.
Bennett won the 2017 late-model championship at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna and plans to defend that title while also running the TUNDRA Super Late Models series and other super-late races as time allows. His father, Lowell, has won seven track championships at Slinger Speedway and five at Wisconsin International Raceway.
Mondeik won rookie titles at State Park, Golden Sands and Marshfield speedways in 2016. He plans to race full time in the ARCA Midwest Tour and TUNDRA series and total more than 40 races.
The Kulwicki Driver Development Program was established to assist promising young racers both financially and with industry guidance, as well as carry on the legacy of Alan Kulwicki, the late 1992 NASCAR champion from Greenfield. The winners so far are Ty Majeski of Seymour (2015) and Alex Prunty of Lomira (2016).
The seven finalists were awarded a $7,777 stipend — an allusion to Kulwicki’s car No. 7 — and will compete for the $54,439 Kulwicki Cup.
The other finalists are:
• Cole Butcher, 20, Porter’s Lake, Nova Scotia, the first Canadian to be part of the program, champion of the Maritime Pro Stock series.
• Cody Haskins, 25, Marietta, Ga., also a finalist in 2016, who plans to run the full CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car series, some other regional events and prepare to return to super-lates later in the year.
• Mike Ostdiek, 19, Lakeville, Minn., the third-place finisher in the 2016 Kulwicki Cup standings, who is moving up to the ARCA Midwest Tour in ’17 while also racing a limited Big 8 Series schedule as well as at Elko Speedway, his home track.
• John Peters, 20, Westbrook, Maine, a semifinalist last year and a regular at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, who will expand his schedule to include races in the PASS North and Granite State Pro Stock Series.
• Brett Yackey, 17, Greeley, Colo., champion at Colorado National Speedway, who will step up to super-lates in 2017, racing at Colorado National and I-25 Speedway in Pueblo.