Maynard Family Racing
Tony Schumacher Bows Out Early in Phoenix
CHANDLER, AZ – Tony Schumacher and the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team had an early day at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports 
Park after tire smoke ended the eight-time world champion’s race day in the first round of eliminations Sunday morning. Schumacher still leaves the final running of the NHRA Arizona Nationals as the winningest Top Fuel driver at the historic facility.
Schumacher, a five-time winner of the Arizona Nationals, made his best run of the weekend in the third qualifying session on Saturday. Racing in front of a sold-out crowd for the second consecutive race, he laid down a 3.762-second pass at 330.07 MPH to put him in the No. 10 spot going into race day.
“We have had so much success at this track and I hope to God that this isn’t the last time we race here,” said Schumacher, who was the first NHRA driver to eclipse the 330-mph barrier (330.23-mph) during the 1999 Phoenix event. “We’ve seen it in the past where we hear that a track is going away and then it gets added back to the schedule for whatever reason. The crowd was just fantastic this weekend, the people have been great, and winning here five times brings a lot of good memories back. This is truly a dynamite place to come and race. We come here early in the year and the conditions are so good.”
Quarterfinal Finish for Tim Wilkerson in Phoenix
CHANDLER, AZ – Tim Wilkerson and the Maynard Wilkerson Racing Funny Car team battled tricky track conditions and some early-
season gremlins throughout qualifying at the NHRA Arizona Nationals to place 10th on the Funny Car eliminations ladder. Wilkerson drew No. 7 qualifier Terry Haddock as his first-round competitor and led his opponent from start to finish to take the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang into the quarterfinal round.
Next up for Wilkerson was a match with Alexis DeJoria. The 22-time race winner lined up next to DeJoria and was eager to score his second win light of the day but his machine started hazing the tires near the 330-marker while DeJoria made a clean pass for the win in the opposite lane.
“Still sneaking up on my car,” said Wilkerson, the 2016 NHRA Arizona Nationals event champ. “It’s doing stuff to me that I don’t really like, and I don’t understand why it’s doing what it’s doing but I’m analyzing it and actually making it go here and there. It shouldn’t have done what it did in the second round so I’m trying to get to the bottom of that and we’ll see how it goes. We’ll try again next weekend.
“I did get to meet a lot of SCAG dealers and distributors this weekend and that was a lot of fun. We surely appreciate their support, and hopefully, we can put on a good show for them soon.”
Wilkerson SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Team on to Phoenix
Chandler, AZ – With a first round exit at the Gators Tim looks for a better outing in Phoenix. He understand the track and has clocked his 
career-best E.T. (3.844 seconds) during the 2017 event.
Tim joins the rest of the racers thinking about the last race in Chandler, “It’s real sad to see us lose a race track, especially this particular one. Hopefully we can find another facility that was as neat as that one. It’s a great area with a strong drag racing fan base. We won there in 2016, beat John Force in the finals, and it was the last race I ran with a car that I had for actually 10 seasons, so that’s one of those memories that will always stand out to me about the Phoenix track.”
NHRA Arizona Nationals Event Highlights: 2016 event champion, 2008 No. 1 qualifier
2022 NHRA Arizona Nationals Recap: Qualified fourth; Semifinal finish (defeated Bobby Bode in E1, Cruz Pedregon in E2; defeated by Matt Hagan in E3)
JCM Racing’s Tony Schumacher Heads to Phoenix in the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel Dragster
Chandler, AZ – Schumacher leads the Top Fuel class in number of wins at Phoenix with five over the years. He also leads the class in number 
of No. 1 qualifiers at Phoenix with six. He became the first NHRA driver to eclipse the 330-mph barrier (330.23-mph) during the 1999 Phoenix race and reset both ends of his career-best numbers during the 2018 event with a 3.649-seconds et at 336.57 MPH!
“Phoenix will be a bittersweet race. Going there for the last time is going to be tough. We were the first team to ever run 330.23-mph and that is where we did it. Some great memories for sure and would love to make one more amazing one this weekend with our SCAG team.” explain Tony.
NHRA Arizona Nationals Event Highlights: Five-time event winner (2000, 2002, 2005, 2013, 2015), Six-time No. 1 qualifier (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2018), Raced to a runner-up finish in 2012
2022 NHRA Arizona Nationals Recap: Qualified No. 12; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Justin Ashley in E1; defeated by Clay Millican in E2)
Wilkerson Debuts New SCAG/LRS Ford Funny Car at NHRA Season-Opener
GAINESVILLE, FL – Tim Wilkerson made his professional NHRA debut at Gainesville Raceway during the 1996 Gatornationals, and at the 
2023 NHRA Camping World Series season-opener, Wilkerson enjoyed another Gainesville ‘first,’ debuting his new SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Funny Car. The weekend marked the start of a new era in Wilkerson’s career, as he hit the track as a co-owner of his Funny Car team after operating solely as a privateer for more than two decades.
Starting race day from the No. 12 seed, Wilkerson faced tough competition in his first-round opponent, lining up against No. 5 qualifier and three-time world champ Matt Hagan. Wilkerson launched off of the starting line and appeared to be on a good run until he neared 500 feet and his machine started hazing the tires. In the opposite lane, Hagan made a clean pass for the win, ending Wilkerson’s day early.
“We’re going to give ourselves a D-minus for performance, but we’re going to work on that,” said Wilkerson, who serves as both the driver and crew chief of his Maynard Wilkerson Racing entry, which he co-owns with Joe and Cathi Maynard. “These new parts are throwing me a curve, but we’ll get to the next race and figure out what we’re doing wrong. We hope to improve our performance a little bit at a time. Obviously, it was a disappointing weekend performance-wise, but it was great to be able to spend time with all of the SCAG folks, and meet the dealers and distributors.”
Schumacher Scores first Win Light of 2023 Season
GAINESVILLE, FL – Eight-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher started the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series season armed 
with a new team, a new car, and a renewed partnership with SCAG Power Equipment, the principal backer of his 11,000-horsepower machine.
Crew chiefs Mike ‘Zippy’ Neff and Jon Schaffer joined JCM Racing over the off-season and have been hard at work getting the SCAG dragster prepped and ready for the NHRA Gatornationals season-opener.
In front of a sellout crowd, Schumacher made his best run of the weekend during Saturday’s final qualifying session, clocking a 3.774 E.T. to set up a first-round contest with Josh Hart, the No. 7 qualifier. Hart looked unstoppable on Saturday as he clinched the Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Call Out race win, but he was no match for Schumacher and the SCAG team come Sunday morning. Schumacher and Hart were the first pair of Camping World Series competitors to hit the track on race day, and Schumacher used his holeshot advantage to capture the first win light of the year, effectively stopping Hart in his tracks as he attempted to go two-for-two at Gainesville Raceway. Round two featured a battle between two Top Fuel titans as Schumacher lined up opposite Steve Torrence. Once again, Schumacher left the starting line first, but his machine lost traction as he approached the 330-foot marker, and Torrence made a clean pass for the win.
Maynard and Wilkerson Funny Car Team headed to the Gators
Gainesville, FL – Tim Wilkerson, driver of the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang made his professional NHRA debut 
at the 1996 Gatornationals. The 2023 Gainesville race marks a new era in Wilkerson’s career as he will hit the track as a co-owner of his Funny Car operation, Maynard Wilkerson Racing, after competing as the sole owner/operator of his race team for more than two decades.
Wilkerson starts the season as a 49-time finalist and is looking to reach his 50th championship round at the Gainesville season-opener.
“Very excited about a new season, of course. First few runs of testing, the new parts are fighting me a little bit, along with the race track conditions, but by Friday we’ll have this thing turned around and acting like it’s supposed to. It’s not quite acting like the car I had last year just yet. That’s why I always say, ‘never brag about your kid or your car.’ But all jokes aside, we’re very excited about the whole year and hopefully, we can get it figured out by this weekend and get this season started off on the right foot.” stated Tim.
Tony Schumacher and JCM Racing Top Fuel heads to the NHRA Season Opener
Gainesville, FL – An eight-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion, Schumacher will begin his campaign for a ninth series title when the season 
commences with the Gatornationals. Leads the Top Fuel class in number of wins at Gainesville (five).
Top Fuel: Tony Schumacher driver of the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel Dragster stated “What an awesome way to start a new year. Gainesville Fla., where we’ve had so much success, will be the kick off race to our 2023 season. We have a three-year deal with SCAG and a new teammate in Tim Wilkerson. It’s great to have (crew chiefs) Mike Neff and Jon Shaffer along with Phil Shuler. Seriously a power team. Let’s roll.”
NHRA Gatornationals Event Highlights: Five-time event winner (2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017), Four-time runner-up (2000, 2011, 2012, 2015), Three-time No. 1 qualifier (2006, 2011, 2017)
CTS Custom Trailers Pledges Support to Maynard Wilkerson Racing Funny Car Team
BROWNSBURG, IN – Veteran NHRA Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson has a knack for retaining long-term partnerships within his team’s 
roster of sponsors, including most notably, Levi, Ray and Shoup, a backer of the fan-favorite driver since 1999, and Summit Racing Equipment, which has been along for the ride with ‘Wilk’ for 15 years. As he gears up for the 2023 NHRA Camping World Series season, Wilkerson is pleased to announce the addition of another long-term marketing partner to his Maynard Wilkerson Racing (MWR) entry. CTS Custom Trailers will join Wilkerson in his new MWR venture as an associate-level sponsor of the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang.
Owned by father/daughter duo Jason and Lakin Curry, CTS Custom Trailers is a newly-launched division of Curry’s Truck and Auto Repair, Wilkerson’s sponsor of the past 11 years. Based in Muscatine, Iowa, CTS Custom Trailers is dedicated to building customized boat trailers that fit the unique needs and lifestyle of every boat owner and manufacturer.
“Curry’s Truck and Auto Repair has been a loyal supporter of our Funny Car operation for well over a decade, and I’m proud that the Currys have decided to continue on with our Maynard Wilkerson Racing team. They’re a family-based company with strong mid-Western values, and that’s important to me. We’ve enjoyed flying the colors of Curry’s Truck and Auto for all these years, and are excited to now represent the Curry’s new CTS Custom Trailers brand,” explained Wilkerson, a lifelong resident of Springfield, Ill.
Maynards Announce Launch of the JCM Racing Driver Development Program
BROWNSBURG, IN – NHRA team owners Joe and Cathi Maynard are pleased to announce the launch of the JCM Racing Driver 
Development program. In addition to its two Camping World Series entries piloted by Tony Schumacher and Tim Wilkerson, JCM Racing will lend support to three up-and-coming speedsters in 2023. Junior drag racer Waylon Bennett, 10, Super Comp driver Kayleigh Hill, 21, and Super Stock racer Wyatt Wagner, 21, make up JCM Racing’s inaugural class of developmental drivers.
The JCM Racing Driver Development program was created to offer young racers the opportunity to hone in and perfect their driving and sponsor relation skills as they work towards a career of competing in the NHRA’s professional ranks. While JCM Racing developmental drivers receive funding to help offset their operational costs, Joe Maynard believes that the true value of the program lies within the access the developmental drivers have to the JCM Racing team and its resources.
“It’s important to us to help the next generation of racers,” explained Maynard. “We’re here for the long haul and are committed to the growth of this sport. Our developmental drivers are the future, so we want to keep them on the track and performing at a high level, but there’s more to being a great racer than just driving skills. The most obvious benefit is the financial investment, and this program offers so much more than that. At any time, our developmental drivers can call upon Tim or Tony and receive guidance from two of the greats. They have a direct line to our front office staff and can consult with them on how to interact with sponsors or ask for advice on things such as putting a marketing deck together, for example. We’ve also already held a PR and social media seminar with the group.
