IN HIS FIRST SEASON REPRESENTING SCAG
POWER EQUIPMENT , WILKERSON HAS TAKEN HIS MAYNARD WILKERSON RACING MUSTANG TO THE WINNER ’ S CIRCLE TWICE
– AT CHICAGO AND SEATTLE . son , who ’ s been his own driver , tuner , and team owner since he made his Funny Car debut in 1996 . Working with crew chief Richard Hartman , Wilkerson has developed a reputation as a consistent competitor who can throw down with the “ big teams .” Partnering with the Maynards has allowed him to take his program to the next level .
“ One thing that Joe was adamant about is that he didn ' t want me to bend or change or do anything different than I ' ve been doing for the last few years because the car performs so well ,” Wilkerson says . “ He just wanted to be an addition , not an influencer . He ' s been great about that . He lets me do my thing , and together , we ' re trying to build a bigger program . He ' s a huge part of that .”
Things are a little different in the Schumacher camp , as JCM Racing oversees the day-to-day operations . Still , Schumacher sees the unique way the Maynards get involved with the partner teams .
“ Tim Wilkerson is a guy who for years you ’ ve always wanted him to win . He ’ s really paid his dues ,” Schumacher says . “ For Joe to go , ‘ Here , here ' s an opportunity to go out and have more financial support than you ' ve ever had before ,’ it ' s just awesome . And really , to do the same thing with Justin : Step in and form a partnership and make sure you guys are funded . Everyone ' s doing their job .”
While the younger Maynard has had some experience in business , he admits he ’ s still learning a lot . He ’ s immersed himself in the business operations of JCM Racing while specifically working on sponsor relations and B2B connections .
September / October 2023
" We have some coop leaders . We ' re not having to fight with each other over dollars . At the same time , we have some cohesion together where if any of us need help , we can talk to each other . That kind of thing I think is still a good thing .”
TIM WILKERSON
“ Right now , my big focus is with MAR trying to get into the business side of it ,” Joe C . says . “ The team ' s running good . There ' s no sense in just shaking up a box . I ’ m just learning the different aspects of that to make everything run smoothly and trying to integrate MAR and our business team to facilitate a future that looks good on paper and on the points .”
Ashley agrees that the Maynards have been a beneficial addition to the team dynamic already in place within his Phillips Connect pit area .
“ We ' ve only been together a short period of time – just a few months – but in that short period of time , you can really see a difference in our program ,” Ashley says . “ Not only in terms of performance on the racetrack , but in terms of performance off the racetrack too . The premise behind our relationship with them was really to provide growth and stability , and that ' s what they ' ve done .
“ In addition to peace of mind , we ' ve been able to work together on the business-to-business side and open up a lot more opportunities for partnerships and different sponsorships ,” Ashley continues . “ It ' s already made an impact , and I think you ' ll continue to see it make an even stronger impact throughout not only the remainder of this year , but really throughout years to come .”
JCM Racing does not follow the multi-car team model that was so successful for the last 20 or so years in nitro racing . The Maynards have a hand in these three teams , but they all operate independently of each other . Ashley sees it as a positive because teams like his and Wilkerson ’ s have the resources and support of a mega-team but the autonomy of a single-car team .
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