THE MAYNARD FAMILY
IN THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL SPORT that is drag racing , father-son duos have been front and center on the track over the years . Kenny and Brandon Bernstein , Warren and Kurt Johnson , Don and Tony Schumacher , and Mike and Justin Ashley are just a few of the fathers and sons that have made their mark on the sport together . The latest father-son duo to hit the NHRA Camping World Series , Joe E . and Joe C . Maynard , has had a quieter , behindthe-scenes impact , which suits Maynard Family Racing patriarch Joe E . Maynard just fine .
JCM Racing burst onto the scene a couple years ago , beginning with a sponsorship at Don Schumacher Racing . That led to Joe E . and wife Cathi purchasing a majority stake in the Tony Schumacher-piloted Top Fuel team in the middle of the 2022 season . Their footprint expanded again in January 2023 when they partnered with Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson to form Maynard Wilkerson Racing , and yet again in late May with the formation of Maynard Ashley Racing ( MAR ), a partnership with Justin Ashley , Dustin Davis , and Jim Epler .
An Army veteran with a deep background in building successful businesses , Joe E . Maynard oversees the day-to-day business operations of
JCM Racing . His son and fellow Army veteran , Joe C . Maynard , has been by his side at every step , bringing his own unique skills to the table while learning others from his father .
Since the beginning , they ’ ve made a point not to micromanage the teams , instead allowing the team members already in place to focus on their own departments . That was their strategy when they took over operations of the Schumacher Top Fuel team , and it ’ s continued as they ’ ve partnered with Wilkerson and Ashley on their programs .
“ I ’ m a big fan , of course , but I oversee all the businesses ,” Joe E . says . “ We operate a little differently than a lot of teams in that we ' re not owner-drivers . We don ' t tell the crew chiefs at all how to do their business . We simply are here to be a resource to them .
“ We adapt to the co-owned teams without trying to tell them how to run the race day part of the operation ,” he continues . “ We do support race day . One of [ Joe C .’ s ] biggest functions is race day . He ' s out there doing a lot . He ' s much better at socializing than I am . He fits it , he looks it , and he brings the Maynard name to all the teams . I like to stay in the background . Behind the curtain , I guess , is my favorite way to operate when I can .”
The Maynards ’ approach to working with their teams is especially beneficial for Wilker-
LONGTIME INDEPENDENT FUNNY CAR DRIVER , TUNER , AND OWNER TIM WILKERSON JOINED THE JCM RACING FAMILY EARLIER THIS SEASON , BUT HE STILL HAS THE FLEXIBILITY TO OPERATE HIS TEAM AS HE SEES FIT .
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