JCM Racing Pre-Race Report: Epping

NHRA New England Nationals

Event 7 of 21

New England Dragway

Epping, N.H.

June 2 – 4, 2023

Noteworthy:

• All three JCM cars will carry A Soldier’s Child decals throughout the NHRA New England Nationals race weekend

• Since 2008, the Maynard family has been involved with A Soldier’s Child (ASC), a national nonprofit organization that aims to serve the children of fallen military personnel who lost their lives while on active duty

• In 2022, the Maynards expanded their involvement with ASC to bring Gold Star Families out to various NHRA races, and will be hosting a family at this weekend’s event in Epping, N.H.

Top Fuel:

JUSTIN ASHLEY

Driver of the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster

NHRA New England Nationals Event Highlights:

• 2022 runner-up

2022 NHRA New England Nationals Recap:

Qualified eighth; Runner-up finish (defeated Dan Mercier in E1, Scott Farley in E2, Shawn Langdon in E3; defeated by Mike Salinas in E4)

Last Event (Chicago):

Qualified fourth; First round exit (defeated by Jacob McNeal in E1)

2023 Statistics:

Six races; two wins, one No. 1 qualifier

Career Statistics:

61 races; seven wins, three No. 1 qualifiers

Noteworthy:

• Recently announced a partnership with the JCM Racing organization to form Maynard Ashley Racing

• In addition to his two event wins in 2023, also has two Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge triumphs

Quotable:

“New England Dragway is considered a home track for my family and I since we can make the drive over in a few short hours. It’s nice to race in the Northeast and give my family and friends the opportunity to join us at the racetrack. The New England Nationals are sure to be packed with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.

“Getting back-to-back wins at the Winternationals from the No. 1 spot was an amazing feeling for this Phillips Connect Toyota team. It was proof that all the work our Maynard Ashley Racing team put in during the offseason was justified. We haven’t gone as many rounds as we expected in the races since then, but we have a great racecar surrounded by a great team. You can never get too high or too low in this sport. We are totally focused on trying to win the New England Nationals and doing whatever it takes to be successful on and off the racetrack.”

TONY SCHUMACHER

Driver of the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel Dragster

NHRA New England Nationals Event Highlights:

• Two-time event champion (2014, 2015)

• 2015 No. 1 qualifier

2022 NHRA New England Nationals Recap:

Qualified sixth; First round exit (defeated by Leah Pruett in E1)

Last Event (Chicago):

Qualified 15th; First round exit (defeated by Austin Prock in E1)

Career Statistics:

540 races; 86 wins, 88 No. 1 qualifiers

Noteworthy:

• Following the Route 66 NHRA Nationals, the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel team spent time testing in Indianapolis, and feel confident that they have identified and resolved an issue that had been affecting the team’s performance

Quotable:

“It’s no secret that we’ve had a rough start to the season, and I don’t mean to sound like a broken record but I truly believe that after last week’s test session, we will turn it around this weekend. We tested for one day after Chicago, and were able to identify a huge issue. Once we pinpointed what we thought the problem was, we wanted to make sure that it translated to the race track. We ran a 3.78, which was our baseline, and then we wanted to see if we made a specific change, what would happen. So, we made the change and then went out and ran a 3.72. We weren’t trying to run quicker than that 72, which we could have, but we wanted to see how making that change would effect a 78 run, and it worked; the car did what we wanted it to do.”

Funny Car:

TIM WILKERSON

Driver of the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang

NHRA New England Nationals Event Highlights:

• 2018 runner-up

2022 NHRA New England Nationals Recap:

Qualified sixth; First round exit (defeated by Alexis DeJoria in E1)

Last Event (Chicago):

Qualified fifth; Event champion (defeated Blake Alexander in E1, Alex Laughlin in E2, John Force in E3, Ron Capps in E4)

2023 Statistics:

Six races; one win, one runner-up finish

Career Statistics:

576 races; 23 wins, 20 No. 1 qualifiers

Noteworthy:

• Wilkerson returns to Epping, N.H. after powering to victory at the NHRA’s most recent stop in Joliet, Ill.

  • Wilkerson’s Joliet win was his 23rd overall, and the first Funny Car win for the JCM Racing organization (second overall)

• By advancing beyond the quarterfinals, Wilkerson qualified for the Epping #2Fast2Tasty Challenge scheduled for Saturday afternoon

Fan Events:

Saturday, 11:00 – 11:30 a.m., #2Fast2Tasty autograph session – Mission Foods midway

Quotable:

“We’re feeling really good about the direction our team is headed rolling into this stretch of races during the summer months. Even before Chicago, we saw an uptick in our performance. We had started to qualify better and we were more consistent overall. Obviously, winning Chicago was a major boost for our team and we’re hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend at the New England Nationals. I’m proud of this SCAG/LRS team, and let’s see if we can’t go back-to-back and get another win up in Epping.”