NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

A year ago, Joe and Cathi Maynard fulfilled a long dream of becoming NHRA team owners by assuming control of the team of eight-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher, going from sponsoring partner of the then Don Schumacher-led team to full owners and forming JCM Racing with partners Eric and Kim Lehman.

Tony Schumacher, who has run only select events since the departure of his long-running U.S. Army sponsorship, responded immediately, winning the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, delivering Wally No. 1 for JCM Racing. Since that time, the JCM Racing organization suffered the loss of Cathi Maynard but also has blossomed into a three-car powerhouse with the additions of Tim Wilkerson and Justin Ashley, who teamed up with JCM to form Maynard Wilkerson Racing and Maynard Ashley Racing, respectively. Add a burgeoning driver development program overseen by Maynard’s son, Joe C. Maynard, to the mix, and it’s not hard to see how the JCM Racing organization has taken the NHRA world by storm in just one year’s time.
 
Team patriarch Joe Maynard and Tony Schumacher reflect on the past year and what’s ahead for the operation.

Q: Joe, your life has changed immensely in the last decade, going from being a fan to a sponsor of a team to now an owner. With the ups and downs of the sport and the responsibilities of team ownership, how has that changed your life in terms of both reward and stress?

MAYNARD: I always tell the story of how 14 years ago, the first Top Fuel car that Cathi ever saw was Tony going by on Friday night qualifying in Bristol at about 330 miles an hour. She came back with the grin that we all know and said, "I want one, and it has to be him." So we got into the position where we could actively bring Tony back, that was an easy deal.

I'm a firm believer that there is no stress in life unless you create for yourself, so I don't think that we added stress. What we added was opportunity because Cathi and I always looked at owning anything we've done in our life as not just how does it better our lives — it certainly does; it's great hanging out at the track with the team and the other owners, the other crew chiefs, the other drivers, it's a new family for us — but in reality, the most important and what makes it no stress is the fact that we get to impact those people who work for our team. 

I don’t look at them as employees, more like their partners of mine. We get to help those families out and make a better life for them. That's what's really rewarding, and you can't do that as a sponsor, and that's why Cathi and I wanted to be owners. To be brutally honest, we thought we could help some people out somewhere, somehow.

Q: What has surprised you the most with this venture?

MAYNARD: There are some things that have been eye-opening, particularly with how much the costs are as it relates to parts and pieces, and how quickly they can add up. But not a whole lot really surprises me because at the end of the day, I’m a businessman that also happens to be a big drag racing fan, so I anticipated a lot of this going into it. Not to mention, I had a great mentor in Don Schumacher. He gave me all of the insight I could’ve ever asked for, so I felt very comfortable going in.

Q: If you could describe your first year as an NHRA team owner in three words, what would they be?

MAYNARD: High, low, and excitement. There have been several highs. Winning that first race with Tony last year in Seattle, partnering with Tim Wilkerson and him winning a race at his sixth event since we announced the Maynard Wilkerson Racing partnership and again in Seattle, and then partnering with Justin and him winning two of the first three races, those are the highs. Obviously, Cathi’s passing was the low, but I will say, the way that the whole NHRA community came together to show their support is a great example of how it’s one big family out here. And the excitement? It’s just being out here. We love it, my family loves it; it’s something we can all enjoy together.

Q; Starting this with your wife, Cathi, and having your son, Joe C., out there now has to be a blessing.

MAYNARD: Cathi and I started this dream together and now it's pretty good for me to get to work with my son. I just tell you that. Joe said it best in an interview we did a couple of weeks ago, that it's hard to work for me because I've been doing this a long time and he hasn't. He's adapted well, he's got a personality that fits the race world. And it's all going pretty dang good. Eric and Joe represent the future of the team. They’re the same age, which makes them a lot younger than me, so I can get those guys brought up right and keep Tony around even when he gets through driving. 

Q: Joe C. is also running your driver development program. Do you have any new news from that?

MAYNARD: We'll make an announcement pretty soon. He's really excited. This year we're going after Jr. Dragsters more than anything, to find those people that can come up and get into the seats like the one that Tony will eventually get out of when he's ready. Everything we're doing is looking towards what's 15 or 20 years down the road to keep NHRA a viable sport.

Q: Tony, in the 20 years before this, you were part of a mega team with your dad. Has this been a different process for you as you struggle a bit this season?

SCHUMACHER: As long as you hire the right people, no. This year, the difference is we literally started with all brand-new DSR parts and without a tune-up that a crew chief could come in and start to fine-tune and work his own tune-up into. Everything about that car is brand-new parts. I think there are very few crew chiefs out there who could start with brand-new stuff, with no book, and pull it together this quickly. It’s something that you got to work on. I mean, such simple things like every single clutch-lever angle: Which ones do you use? We had to go through piles and piles of them to get the car to move, then we had to go through piles and piles of secondaries, then they didn't work together, so you’ve got to switch, and then we find power. It’s little things.

Q: How has your long run of success and experience benefitted that process?

SCHUMACHER: It's really easy to have a lot of smiles when you're winning. What really pulls a team together is when you're not, but you know what's coming, and you can just keep it going. I think that the most important part of being a team leader is being able to hold it together when things are rough. And, to be honest, take the blame when it's your blame. You know, it's one of the things where too many drivers you see push and blame around.

Q: Like your first-round holeshot loss in Sonoma?

SCHUMACHER: I took heat on Facebook because I took blame. That's on me. I was just late. I took a beating because they thought I was blaming the Tree. I wasn't blaming the Tree. I don't think the Tree came on at the wrong time. I think I hit the gas at the wrong time. It was kind of a simple thing. 

But adversity is a gift, if you use it as a gift. The tough times make the wonderful times just that much more beautiful. And I think we're getting it. We hired the right people for a reason: Let them do their jobs. We knew it takes some time, maybe possibly takes a little longer, but I'll bet there's teams out there that would kill to have it come together this quick. So, it's all in how you look at it. We’ve got great parts, we’ve got great owners, we’ve got phenomenal sponsors, and we're gonna win. We're not a team that's out there kicking each other — “What's the matter? What's the matter?" — we get it, we get the situation, we understand it. And we're gonna start pulling our weight real soon.

Q: Joe, since you formed JCM, you also have bought into the teams of Tim Wilkerson and Justin Ashley. To me, they're three different kinds of teams: Obviously, Tony, one of the greatest drivers in history. Wilk has always had all the potential in the world,  just not the money, and Justin is a young star. How do you go about picking these people with which you want to align yourself?

MAYNARD: I don't pick them. We pick each other. Tim and I became friends before we talked business. We have a plan for the future that I won't go into yet, because I can't — it's not that time — but we do have a plan for the future. And obviously, Justin, I'm hoping that that as Tony winds down his career over the next 10 or so years, I hope that by that time Justin's got four or five championships and Tony gets to 12 [championships]. That's the idea. What you're seeing is the ability to help young drivers, and whoever follows them. Tony is that guy right now, and then we'll find somebody to replace Tony when Tony's ready, and that's our overall strategy right there. Just as simple as I can put it.

Q: It had to be a great weekend for you when Tony and Justin squared off in the Epping final in Bristol. Who's side of the track did you stand on?

MAYNARD: My wife and I brought Tony Schumacher back to racing, so I stand with Tony at all times. He's the mothership. Tony and I have a pretty good personal relationship, not just business, and I'm making it no secret to Justin or anybody that he’s the mothership because, No. 1, it’s what I own the most of, and, No. 2, it's what got us here, so I'm not changing anything. My hope is that all of our drivers and crew chiefs are standing with their other team drivers and crew chiefs, and we've got a united front. 

Q: What do you see for all three of the teams you’re involved with?

MAYNARD: I think there's a few more Wallys in our future the rest of this year. Tim is running great. Tony and I know that car is ready, and Tim's got more money than he's ever had, and that's a huge deal, and the Ashley team is very stable financially, so I think we'll make some noise the rest of the year, that's for sure.

Q: You also made a little bit of noise earlier this year talking about adding another car. Is there anything more you can say about that? 

MAYNARD: We are talking with people. I'm not in the position to just go start another team from scratch, but we are talking with other smaller teams and the future for next year is having one more car — hopefully a Funny Car. I'd love to have two in each of the top lanes. And then see what happens below that; maybe an alcohol car. You never know. But we're only talking to two or three people to do something right now, and I won't share a lot other than just to say that we ain't done yet.

Q: If you're looking at a Funny Car guy, are you looking for another guy like Wilk, who's got all the potential in the world, but needed some money? 

MAYNARD: I think that depends on whether we do a partnership with another team. You can do a partnership, which might bring some extra funding or something to another team, or it could be a very well-established team where, if we get the right sponsor backing, we might look at bringing back someone older, that's been around, and then establishing the team that way and building, looking for the driver to follow him in. It's a little bit to be determined.

Q: Tony, for you, a guy that grew up in the sport and whose father did kind of the same thing, gave a lot of opportunities to a lot of people, what is it you see in Joe that you liked so much?

SCHUMACHER: I see a lot of similarities. My dad loved nothing more than to be needed. If you didn't go out and win, it was on you because he gave you all the best parts, and he allowed you to pick the best crew chiefs. He knew how to run a race team, and he and Joe both came from running corporations. Both know how to do the financial side, they can read a spreadsheet and understand how to balance it. They're not drivers trying to own a team. They're business people, bringing that part of it, and letting the drivers do their job, letting the crew chiefs do their job. It's pretty amazing how those two fell together and came together and how the situation has all panned out.

Q: Do you feel a camaraderie with those guys, you know, being under the same umbrella?

SCHUMACHER: I'm glad Joe picked a guy like Justin. I love him. And I've been racing Tim since our Alcohol Funny Car days. Tim's one of those guys, we kind of always hoped we would have the right opportunity and the right chance. We’re super proud of that. And Justin is just a great guy, and it’s great for him being able to work with Mike Green, who won two championships with me. If you had your choice of crew chiefs, he's one of the only other ones I pick in the history of the world. Justin is a good kid. He's humble. He's quiet. He's a hell of a driver. So good to have him as a teammate, even though they're a Toyota car and we can't technically share any information — he’s a great guy to chat with. 

For years, I said, even though my dad owns teams, it doesn't make them teammates really, unless they all said Army or Scag. We're not drafting like in NASCAR, we're not doing that stuff. But I'm glad we picked a guy like Justin that we get along so well with and can learn from each other. He’s not one of my adversaries, even though we race each other. We give each other the best we got every time, and at the end of the day, if I'm not winning that race, I hope he does.

MAYNARD: That's exactly the way we operate. Separate, but if somebody needs a port and the other one's got it, you better believe, by gosh, we're going between trailers. That's for sure.

Q: Obviously, the greatest thing would be Justin and Tony dueling in Pomona for the championship …

SCHUMACHER: It would be an amazing thing. And that's, that's what we're counting on this, we're planning on for the future. 

Q: Joe, you have six wins now as a team owner, what would it mean for you to get that first championship?

MAYNARD: For me — and I always say, Cathi and I — we don't do this stuff without wanting to win, so to get a championship, even if we just get one in the next two years — that's kind of a little tongue in cheek — it would be awesome because I don't think a lot of folks who have been as fortunate as we are to come in and, right off, hit with some stuff and partner up with some great people. 

Winning a championship would be an absolute dream, and I think would really solidify our future in the sport, and I think that's important. I'm all about the legacy. Tony and I have talked about that; it's not just winning, but what is your legacy in life? What's your legacy in anything you do? And if the Maynards can leave a little bit of a legacy, winning a championship or two would certainly be a big part of that.

Q: What would that mean to you, Tony? Obviously, you killed it for so many years, then had those off years where you even sat out. Would this complete the Tony Schumacher comeback?

SCHUMACHER: That's for sure, and that's the goal, and we hired the right people for the job. We just got to get together. We've had awful timing. When the car runs good, I was off, and when the car was off, I was on, and we’ve just gotta get it together. 

If you talk to the other teams out there, every single one of them says the same thing: It's coming. We're a team that you know in the future will be someone that they have got to reckon with. So, it's a great opportunity. I'm just excited to be back. I'm excited to be back with such a great team and such a great opportunity. I think Joe's gonna do his damnedest to make the sport a better place. In the end, when we're all done and looking back, we can all say this sport itself is better because of the efforts these men put in.

Q: Joe, over the years we’ve seen owners and sponsors come and make a lot of big promises then disappear, but it really feels like you've already fulfilled your pledge, and it sounds like you have so much more you want to give.

MAYNARD: I’ve told everyone that I came out here for a minimum of 10 years. That was my goal, and if we do it right, then that 10 years could be 20. That's the way I look at it.

JCM Racing Timeline: 

• April 2021 – Joe and Cathi Maynard join Don Schumacher Racing as major associate sponsors on Leah Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster
• October 2021 – It is announced that Tony Schumacher will return to full-time NHRA competition in 2022 after a three-year hiatus, thanks to the support of the Maynard family
• July 24, 2022 – The Maynard family and Don Schumacher Racing jointly announced that the Maynards will take over the Schumacher-piloted Top Fuel dragster as majority team owners, effective July 25, 2022. JCM Racing is formed.
• July 29, 2022 – The Maynards, along with their partners Eric and Kim Lehman, make their debut as NHRA team owners at the NHRA Northwest Nationals
• July 31, 2022 – Schumacher powers to victory at the Northwest Nationals to deliver Wally No. 1 for the JCM Racing organization
•  January 2023 – JCM Racing and Tim Wilkerson partner to form Maynard Wilkerson Racing
• May 20, 2023 – JCM Racing and Max Out Motorsports announce the formation of Maynard Ashley Racing during Route 66 NHRA Nationals
• May 21, 2023 – Wilkerson drives the Scag Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang to the win in Chicago to capture the first Funny Car triumph for JCM Racing
• June 10 – 11, 2023 – Justin Ashley doubles up during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals to win the Bristol and rain-delayed Epping events, capturing his first two victories since partnering with JCM Racing