Board Members
Cal Lawson
Originally from the Green Mountain State, Adam relocated to Charlotte in May 2025. For the past seven years, he has worked as a Staff and Senior Accountant for his Vermont-based firm, specializing in tax preparation, attestation, and bookkeeping services. Adam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, and Mathematics from Syracuse University (2016) and a Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Vermont (2017). Outside of work, Adam is a lifelong NASCAR enthusiast, having attended over 40 Cup races and has competed as an avid sim racer on iRacing. He actively volunteers with local organizations, including his high school, where he assists with concession stands, bookkeeping, and scoreboard operations at sporting events. Adam is also an Eagle Scout, having earned the rank in May 2010. Adam is passionate about leveraging his expertise to further strengthen the Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP) and honor Alan Kulwicki’s legacy.
Jan Beatty-Hendley
Prior to joining Pinnacle Asset Management, an affiliate of Raymond James, Jan Beatty-Hendley was a Senior Vice President and Trust officer for Wells Fargo. Jan met Thelma and Jerry Kulwicki during Alan’s estate administration. After Jerry’s death, she assisted Thelma alongside her legal advisors with her own legacy planning that would create several of the avenues that honor Alan today, including the Kulwicki Driver Development Program. Jan is an acting KDDP board member and previous voting committee member. In her role at Pinnacle Asset Management, she works closely with the team that manages the assets and administrative duties of KDDP. She says KDDP “has embodied everything Thelma wanted in the program-which, primarily, has been to help aspiring young drivers develop to the next level, learn about Alan and not to forget Alan’s contribution to racing.” In her free time, Jan enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.
Deb Williams
Deb Williams is a contributing editor for Autoweek and an acting board member for the Kulwicki Driver Development Program. Before Alan became a full-time driver, she worked with the publication that took him under their wing and went on to cover him for his entire NASCAR cup career. Alan would often call her for advice and she eventually became close friends with Jerry and Thelma Kulwicki. During KDDP’s initial founding Deb aided in writing press releases, and now as an acting board member she continues to do so. She says she enjoys the newfound life KDDP has breathed into Alan’s team, as if they are continuing to work for him to keep his legacy alive. It is important to her that drivers understand and adopt his philosophies and drive, and says, “With every obstacle he always found a way. You may not have all the money in the world but you can work, give back, and influence people. You’ve always got to do your best because you never know who is watching.” Deb is committed to her work and spends her free time focused on her goals, but has always enjoyed sports and embroidery.
George Kail
George Kail currently works for Hendricks Motorsports as the tour guide and representative for the Hendrick car collection. He has always had an interest in cars and founded the Cars and Coffee event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in his time working for the Speedway Club. His interest in racing as a sport came after Alan’s passing and he began sitting in on the Kulwicki Driver Development’s annual banquets out of interest for both the organization and the legacy of Alan Kulwicki. George says he came to know Alan through the people who knew him in life and found his driven personality inspiring. As a member of the board, George leverages his connections in the racing world to support KDDP and loves getting to support new drivers. Watching them come up in the racing world is inspiring to him and he enjoys seeing the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality take hold in them. In his free time, George loves learning about cars, sharing his passionate knowledge for them, and meeting new people.
Paul Andrews
In 1988, Paul Andrews moved to North Carolina to be the Crew Chief for Alan Kulwicki’s team and developed a close relationship with Alan through their work together. Since it’s founding Paul has been a voting member of the Kulwicki Driver Development Program and has since joined the board. Alan was an inspiration to him in his life and after his passing, and Paul says he is passionate about preserving the spirit of his colleague. He offers representation for Alan as someone who knew him personally and tries to act as Alan would have in order to carry his perspectives and strategies in the program. He says all he tries to do is “do things the right way, like he [Alan] would have.” He says it is inspiring to see how far the program has come and places a lot of pride and emphasis on how KDDP utilizes a unique approach to mentorship, community service, connections, and personal and professional development. In his free time Paul enjoys attending his grandchildren’s sports games, going to the beach with his wife, and working on hands-on personal projects in his shop.
Stefan Joens
Stefan Joens currently runs a manufacturing company as a second-generation leader after his father. He was approached to join the Kulwicki Driver Development Program after getting to know Ryan Zeck, who was interested in how Stefan ran his business and offered for him to join the KDDP board. Although Stefan was unfamiliar with Alan Kulwicki, his relationship with Ryan and trust in his direction inspired him to aid the program’s development. He got to know Alan through KDDP and found his strong attitude and underdog personality inspiring both personally and professionally. As a member of the board, Stefan offers a business-focused mindset and emphasizes the importance of an outside industry perspective on the program’s development. He focuses on branding, financial knowledge, and core values in order to expand the reach of the program. Stefan personally adopts the “those who care more, win more” philosophy and enjoys supporting and fostering the growth potential of KDDP. In his free time, he runs a woodworking business and enjoys any kind of outdoor activity.
Elliott Forbes-Robinson
Motorsports Hall of Fame member Elliott Forbes-Robinson is a retired race car driver who now works as a driver advisor reviewing replays of incidents to determine who is responsible or penalized. He previously was on the board for the Motorsports Hall of Fame for America and founded US Legend Cars International with Humpy Wheeler. Elliott had met Alan at several cup races and after learning of KDDP he believed the organization was something important that needed to be maintained. Elliott primarily leverages his professional connections to aid KDDP in any way he can. Although he is unfamiliar with short track racing as a sports car person, he says KDDP is a “really a great thing and whatever I can do to help I want to.” In his free time, Elliott loves the work he puts in to maintaining his home property and motorcycle.
Jeff Jones
Jeff Jones is a law firm owner and previous representative of former registers in racing. Previously, he has worked as an attorney in Cabarrus county, President of JBS Liberty Securities, and County Commissioner for Cabarrus county. He formed a business relationship with Ryan Zeck and was asked to join the Kulwicki Driver Development Program after his father-in-law, who previously was on the KDDP board, stepped down. His father-in-law was close friends with Alan Kulwicki and Jeff found that his passion for keeping Alan’s legacy alive was important to maintain. Alan’s hard-working attitude and his refusal to let others hold him back was inspiring for Jeff. As a member of the board, Jeff helps oversee operations and ensures KDDP is carrying out their mission properly. Any time he can help out, he loves to do so. In his free time, he enjoys spending time on his farm with his family.
Ryan Zeck
As President of the Kulwicki Driver Development Program, Ryan Zeck oversees their organizational operations, growth, and financial information and determines how the program can best serve its drivers. Ryan, the first recipient of the Alan Kulwicki Memorial Scholarship, pursued mechanical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and formed a close relationship with Thelma and Jerry Kulwicki, whom he feels himself indebted to for the aid they have provided him. After moving to North Carolina from California to pursue his dream of racing, he came to see Alan as a point of inspiration for his determination no matter the odds and his reputation as somewhat of an outsider. Alan often used to quote, “obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal,” and this sentiment has stuck with Ryan throughout his career. Ryan loves being able to uplift the drivers within the program and inspire them with Alan’s legacy of “knowing that you can accomplish something that you may not think you can,” and appreciates the opportunity to give back to the Kulwicki name that has supported him. In his free time, Ryan enjoys hiking, woodworking, and fly fishing.
Adam Deblasio
Adam Deblasio, a lifelong fan of NASCAR, serves as the Kulwicki Driver Development Program’s Treasurer and is in charge of the program’s financial logistics. His passion for the field has driven him to pursue a career in NASCAR and led him to KDDP, where he tries to employ his Eagle Scouts mentality to “leave the organization better than [he] found it.” He is grateful for the ability to connect with new people in Charlotte after having recently moved to the city, and aims to spearhead KDDP becoming a 501c3. While not directly involved with the Kulwicki family, Alan’s drive to pave his own path and sense of leadership is something Adam has come to resonate with and take inspiration from. Any time he does iRacing, an online e-sports racing simulation, he takes a victory lap like Alan would. In his free time, Adam enjoys attending NASCAR races and playing with his cat Eevee.