{"id":89263,"date":"2023-01-24T13:50:57","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T21:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=89263"},"modified":"2023-01-24T13:50:57","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T21:50:57","slug":"wilkerson-maynard-family-join-forces-for-nhra-2023-funny-car-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wilkerson-maynard-family-join-forces-for-nhra-2023-funny-car-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilkerson, Maynard Family join forces for NHRA 2023 Funny Car Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Maynard Wilkerson Racing’s SCAG-sponsored Ford Mustang Funny Car will compete in all 21 races this year – photo courtesy Maynard Wilkerson Racing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the past 27 seasons, Tim Wilkerson has competed as an NHRA Funny Car independent, with sponsorship from information technology company Levi, Ray & Shoup, whose headquarters are in his hometown of Springfield , IL. Wilkerson has been exceptionally successful with his independently-fielded Ford Mustang Funny Car in NHRA\u2019s Camping World Drag Racing Series, finishing second in the Funny Car class in 2008 and making the Countdown to the Championship every season NHRA has had its playoffs.<\/p>\n

Wilkerson\u2019s success in professional drag racing hasn\u2019t been achieved with a huge input of sponsor dollars. It\u2019s been done with his dedication, and with assistance from everyone in the NHRA pits, probably one of the most open garage areas in all of motorsport. Wilkerson’s work ethic and his kindness to everyone have made his pits one of the most popular for those competing in the sport and for the fans who have been following Wilkerson’s career from the start.<\/p>\n

One thing Wilkerson hasn\u2019t been able to do on his own, though, is keep the number of parts in stock that major teams are able to acquire. \u201cI haven\u2019t bought new cylinder heads in 10 years,\u201d he explained. He\u2019ll be able to do that now, as JCM Racing is teaming up with the 22-time race victor as co-owner of the team that will compete as Maynard Wilkerson Racing in 2023 and will see the addition of JCM Racing partner SCAG Power Equipment as primary sponsor. Levi, Ray & Shoup will continue as partners, keeping that long-standing relationship ongoing.<\/p>\n

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Tim Wilkerson will have the resources he needs to succeed in 2023 – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wilkerson, who finished ninth in the 2022 NHRA Funny Car standings, talked with Maynard last year about combining their squads so that both Wilkerson and Tony Schumacher, the eight-time Top Fuel titleholder, could offer one another information and physical assistance as needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSCAG approached us toward the end of the 2022 NHRA season and explained that they were interested in expanding their partnership with our team and would like to have representation in the Funny Car category,\u201d Maynard explained. \u201cNaturally, we thought Tim would be an excellent fit. As a self-built business owner and someone who wears many different hats throughout his day-to-day operation, Tim is a relatable guy who appeals to the masses. He\u2019s a hard worker, a true get-your-hands-dirty type. And, let\u2019s face it, what\u2019s not to like about Tim Wilkerson? He\u2019s one of the most well-liked and respected drivers in our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

SCAG Motorsports CEO Randy Gloede believes this new relationship with Wilkerson\u2019s team, one that he\u2019s truly enthusiastic about, will allow his new partner to be an excellent representative for SCAG dealers that come to the tracks. \u201cWe wanted to add a Funny Car team and expand our brand, giving our dealers more of an experience at the tracks, something they\u2019ll remember forever, because most of them bring their whole families to the races.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Wilkerson\u2019s operation was a natural for SCAG and for Gloede: \u201cNot only has Tim spent the last two-plus decades running his Funny Car operation as an owner\/driver\/tuner, but he also owns and operates a successful auto repair shop. Tim does it all, much like many of our 1,400 SCAG dealers across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

SCAG entered NHRA competition during last year\u2019s Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida, expecting to have a seven-race primary\/six-race co-primary partnership with Tony Schumacher\u2019s dragster. By September of 2022, that relationship had bloomed to secure primary affiliation with the Schumacher-driven JCM Top Fuel entry for a minimum of the next three years. Four months down the road, SCAG, headquartered in Mayville, Wisc., and Gloede have committed to an even greater stake in NHRA with this news.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen firsthand, through our partnership with the Maynards and Tony Schumacher, how our investment in NHRA drag racing has enhanced the value of our distributor and dealer customer experience,\u201d Gloede outlined. \u201cThat, coupled with the brand exposure to NHRA\u2019s large and loyal fanbase, led us to decide to increase our level of commitment within the sport. We\u2019re excited to have Tim join Tony in representing the SCAG brand, and look forward to the opportunity to compete for championships in NHRA\u2019s two nitro categories.\u201d<\/p>\n

The added support from JCM Racing and SCAG will allow Wilkerson to continue as both tuner and driver of his race car and the crew he\u2019s worked with will remain intact, including longtime \u2018right-hand-man\u2019 Richard Hartman. Both SCAG and Levi, Ray & Shoup (LRS) will share branding on Wilkerson\u2019s car at all 21 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events.<\/p>\n

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Joe Maynard’s enthusiasm for the sport of NHRA drag racing keeps growing – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With 49 final round appearances in his career, Wilkerson is excited to welcome Joe and Cathi Maynard to his racing family. \u201cJoe and Cathi run a first-class operation, and they have a quality sponsor who was looking for a Funny Car. I\u2019ve been doing this a long time, I\u2019ve got a good car and I think Joe and I partnering as co-owners on the SCAG\/LRS Mustang will provide that extra boost my team has needed to help take us to the next level, where we can compete for a championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still going to run the team,\u201d Wilkerson confirmed, \u201cbut this is a great opportunity for my operation to grow. I\u2019ve been trying to win a championship for many years, and this investment will allow me to run my car a little harder. I\u2019ll have access to additional personnel\u00a0 <\/span>and the incredible team of tuners (including Schumacher\u2019s crew chief Mike Neff) Joe has assembled at JCM. I\u2019ll never turn down another set of good eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to represent SCAG and have their logo on the car alongside my long-term sponsors such as LRS and Summit Racing Equipment. Summit has been with me for 15 years, LRS has been along for the ride for 23, and I can\u2019t thank them enough for their continued support,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cThere are a lot of pluses to this new venture; no minuses at all. I look forward to this being a long-term relationship with both JCM and SCAG, and I look forward to sharing many winner\u2019s circles with the Maynards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilkerson has needed that extra 10 percent worth of new parts and pieces to bring his competition level to the heights it needs to be, in order to bring the veteran the championship he\u2019s been working towards all these years. Doing it independently kept him in the NHRA\u2019s Funny Car Top 10, but there was always a little something extra he needed. Maynard Wilkerson Racing will begin their new era at Gainesville March 9-12, when NHRA begins its 2023 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wilkerson will continue to work with Buddy Hull\u2019s Top Fuel operation and Chad Green\u2019s Funny Car team, but with his new relationship, he will probably be less available to assist them than he has been in the past. \u201cI don\u2019t have to race scarred anymore because of the SCAG investment; it\u2019s little things that make these cars go fast and there\u2019s nothing but upside for me,\u201d he confirmed.<\/p>\n

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Tony Schumacher will attempt to earn his ninth Top Fuel title in 2023 – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maynard will be looking for added success as he grows his brand in NHRA racing. \u201cMy outlook for the 2023 season? I\u2019d like to see some double-ups and quite frankly, I\u2019d like to see Tim Wilkerson win his first and Tony Schumacher his ninth championships, but we\u2019re looking at top three for both of them – for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Anne Proffit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the past 27 seasons, Tim Wilkerson has competed as an NHRA Funny Car independent, with sponsorship from information technology company Levi, Ray & Shoup.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":89266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3465,3470,5029,3399,1],"tags":[9267,38,9282,9526,7,9283,1093,73],"class_list":["post-89263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-news","category-racing","category-nhra","category-uncategorized","tag-camping-world-drag-racing-series","tag-funny-car","tag-maynard-family-racing","tag-maynard-wilkerson-racing","tag-nhra","tag-scag-power-equipment","tag-tim-wilkerson","tag-top-fuel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Tim-Wilkerson-with-his-2023-Funny-Car-min-e1674597051348.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-ndJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89263"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89275,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89263\/revisions\/89275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}