Founder & CEO

With more than 40 years of experience in motorsports, performance driving, and driver education, Jeff Payne is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading experts in defensive driving and advanced vehicle dynamics. Jeff began racing at the age of 17 and, by 21, found himself in Europe and Japan alongside many of the world’s top drivers, including Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard.

Following his professional racing career, Jeff founded Autopian Motorsports Country Club, where he designed and led high-performance driving programs, corporate events, and advanced driver training experiences for automotive manufacturers, government agencies, and private clients. Throughout his career, he has trained thousands of drivers and designed specialized driving events for organizations including the U.S. Air Force, Disney, Hilton, the City of Las Vegas, McDonald’s, the PGA Tour, and numerous automotive manufacturers. His clients have also included celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Jon Bon Jovi, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Vince Neil, Dwight Yoakam, John F. Kennedy Jr. and others.

In 2002, Jeff combined his passion for driving with a desire to make a lasting difference by founding Driver’s Edge. Since then, the nonprofit has provided advanced behind-the-wheel education to more than 160,000 teens and parents across the United States and Canada. Jeff’s work has been featured on Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous national television programs, and he was honored as a CNN Hero for his commitment to helping save young lives through driver education.

Today, Jeff continues to lead Driver’s Edge while remaining actively involved at every event, working alongside the organization’s exceptional team of instructors to deliver life-saving driver education to the next generation.