Third-generation Wisconsin racer Penn Sauter is one of five finalists in the 2026 Kulwicki Driver Development scholarship competition.
The selection of the 16-year-old from DeForest was announced March 13, making him the last to be introduced.
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The KDDP honors the legacy of Alan Kulwicki, the late 1992 NASCAR champion from Wisconsin, while helping young stock-car drivers pursue their dreams with financial support and career guidance.
Sauter is the son of 2016 NASCAR truck champion Johnny Sauter and grandson of the late Jim Sauter, a longtime Wisconsin competitor who competed in 82 NASCAR national series races.
Under his father’s guidance and with backing from ThorSport, Johnny’s longtime truck team, Penn Sauter posted six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes in 26 races last year against high-level Midwest and national super late model competition.
The KDDP format underwent significant changes before 2025.
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The five finalists will be judged on fan interaction, community involvement and the promotion of Kulwicki’s story and the program itself, as well as on-track performance in a minimum of 14 races. They receive media, social media and fitness training as well as cash, and the top three finishers will share in another $30,000 in money, goods and services.
The other finalists are Michael Bumgarner, 22, of Taylorsville, North Carolina, a two-time late model champion at Hickory (North Carolina) Speedway; Carson Haislip, 18, of Raleigh, North Carolina, late model champion at Wake County (North Carolina) Speedway; Chase Johnson, 17, of Midlothian, Virginia, who finished second in NASCAR’s national weekly racing championship; and Ryley Music, 18, of Norfolk, Virginia, who also competes in late models.
Three racers from Kulwicki’s home state have come out on top in the KDDP competition, beginning with Seymour native Ty Majeski in 2015, Alex Prunty of Lomira in 2016 and Luke Fenhaus of Wausau in 2021. Minnesotan Ty Frederickson, the 2025 winner, competes extensively in Wisconsin.
Sauter’s inclusion means there has been a Wisconsin finalist every year since the program’s inception.
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He was one of four Wisconsin racers among 15 semifinalists, along with Billy Braun of Wales, Jevin Guralski of Wausau and Jayden Johnson of Ixonia.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin teen among Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalists
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