NHRA Northwest Nationals Pre-Race Report
Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals
Event 11 of 21
Pacific Raceways
Kent, Wash.
July 21-23, 2023
The JCM Racing organization will celebrate its one-year anniversary on Tuesday, July 25. The Maynard and Lehman families made their debut as NHRA team owners at the 2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals and were successful in capturing Wally trophy No. 1 for JCM Racing at their first event when Tony Schumacher powered to his 86th Top Fuel victory.
Top Fuel:
JUSTIN ASHLEY: Driver of the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster powered by Okuma
2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified seventh; Semifinal finish (defeated Austin Prock in E1, Steve Torrence in E2; defeated by Tony Schumacher in E3)
Last Event (Denver):
Qualified 11th; First round exit (defeated by Steve Torrence in E1)
2023 Statistics:
10 races; four wins, one runner-up finish, one No. 1 qualifier
Career Statistics:
65 races; nine wins, three No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:JUSTIN ASHLEY: Driver of the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster powered by Okuma
2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified seventh; Semifinal finish (defeated Austin Prock in E1, Steve Torrence in E2; defeated by Tony Schumacher in E3)
Last Event (Denver):
Qualified 11th; First round exit (defeated by Steve Torrence in E1)
2023 Statistics:
10 races; four wins, one runner-up finish, one No. 1 qualifier
Career Statistics:
65 races; nine wins, three No. 1 qualifiers
As a member of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team, Ashley is vying to win Toyota’s 200th NHRA trophy (current Toyota NHRA win count: 199)
Okuma will be recognized as an associate partner on Ashley’s machine this weekend. Many strategic engine and clutch components utilized on JCM Racing cars are made with Okuma CNC machines
Leads the Top Fuel category with best reaction time average
Fan events:
Thursday, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., NHRA Northwest Nationals Fanfest autograph session – Dave & Buster’s Auburn-King (1101 Outlet Collection Way, Auburn, Wash.)
Saturday, 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Team Toyota autograph session – Toyota midway display
Quotable:
“This season has been a rollercoaster for sure. It has been a little bit of feast or famine. But the ups and downs are to be expected with a Top Fuel field that’s so competitive. The most important thing is that we remain singularly focused on becoming the best team that we can be. All things considered, we’ve had a lot of success and that’s a tremendous testament to the teamwork, dedication and commitment from each one of our guys.”
TONY SCHUMACHER: Driver of the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Highlights:
Five-time event champion (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2022)
Three-time runner-up (2005, 2009, 2011)
Four-time No. 1 qualifier (2004, 2008, 2014, 2016)
2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified No. 3; Event champion (defeated Scott Palmer in E1, Shawn Langdon in E2, Justin Ashley in E3, Brittany Force in E4)
Last Event (Denver):
Qualified 12th; First round exit (defeated by Clay Millican in E1)
2023 Statistics:
10 races; one runner-up finish
Career Statistics:
544 races; 86 wins, 88 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Highlights:
Five-time event champion (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2022)
Three-time runner-up (2005, 2009, 2011)
Four-time No. 1 qualifier (2004, 2008, 2014, 2016)
2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified No. 3; Event champion (defeated Scott Palmer in E1, Shawn Langdon in E2, Justin Ashley in E3, Brittany Force in E4)
Last Event (Denver):
Qualified 12th; First round exit (defeated by Clay Millican in E1)
2023 Statistics:
10 races; one runner-up finish
Career Statistics:
544 races; 86 wins, 88 No. 1 qualifiers
Joe and Cathi Maynard, along with their partners Eric and Kim Lehman, made their debut as NHRA team owners at the 2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals, and with Schumacher’s Seattle win, they were successful in capturing Wally trophy No. 1 for JCM Racing at their first event.
Schumacher leads the Top Fuel class in number of No. 1 qualifiers (four) at Pacific Raceways
Quotable:
“Look forward to getting back to Seattle. We’re the defending champions. Didn’t have the perfect car in Denver last weekend, but the engineering and the testing we did in Indy right before our Denver race was designed specifically for sea-level racing, so I’m eager to see what we can do when we get to Seattle. The conditions look beautiful, I look forward to getting there and trying to back up our 2022 win.”
Funny Car:
TIM WILKERSON: Driver of the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang
NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Highlights:
Three-time event champion: 2009, 2010, 2011
2011 No. 1 qualifier
2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified ninth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Cruz Pederegon in E1; defeated by John Force in E2)
Last Event (Denver):
Qualified eighth; First round exit (defeated by J.R. Todd in E1)
2023 Statistics:
0 races; one win, one runner-up finish
Career Statistics:
580 races; 23 wins, 20 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:TIM WILKERSON: Driver of the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang
NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Highlights:
Three-time event champion: 2009, 2010, 2011
2011 No. 1 qualifier
2022 NHRA Northwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified ninth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Cruz Pederegon in E1; defeated by John Force in E2)
Last Event (Denver):
Qualified eighth; First round exit (defeated by J.R. Todd in E1)
2023 Statistics:
0 races; one win, one runner-up finish
Career Statistics:
580 races; 23 wins, 20 No. 1 qualifiers
Rottler Manufacturing will be recognized as an associate partner on the SCAG/LRS Ford Mustang during this weekend's event in honor of their 100-year anniversary
Quotable:
“Really looking forward to having a better showing at these last two races of the Western Swing after Denver. We had a great car last weekend but ended up pulling the tires loose first round, so we need to overcome that heading into Seattle. I usually have a pretty good car in Seattle and Sonoma, so hopefully that trend will continue this year. We’ve been trying out some new clutch discs, which seem to be giving me a little bit of a problem, but we’ll work through it. This race marks the mid-point of our season, and I feel good about where our performance is headed as we approach the second-half of the year.”
About JCM Racing:
Established in 2022, JCM Racing is a multi-car NHRA team owned by Joe and Cathi Maynard, along with their partners Eric and Kim Lehman, all of Clarksville, Tenn.Headliners for the JCM Racing team are the SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster driven by Tony Schumacher, the SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Funny Car piloted by Tim Wilkerson, and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster campaigned by Justin Ashley. As an eight-time world champion and 86-time event winner, Schumacher is the most decorated Top Fuel driver in the history of the sport. Wilkerson is a 23-time Funny Car winner and an industry anomaly as he serves as both the driver and tuner of his 11,000-horsepower machine. While still considered a newcomer to the Camping World Series, Ashley, the 2020 Rookie of the Year recipient, has already earned a reputation as one of the best 'leavers' in the Top Fuel category. NHRA Hall of Famer Don Schumacher, father of Tony Schumacher, is a minority owner of the SCAG dragster, while Tim Wilkerson Racing (TWR) co-owns the SCAG/LRS Mustang with JCM Racing. The Maynard Ashley Racing (MAR) operation is co-owned by JCM Racing and Max Out Motorsports.
JCM Racing also operates a driver development program, which currently lends support to three entries in NHRA’s Sportsman categories. Wyatt Wagner competes in Super Stock, Kayleigh Hill is a Super Comp racer, and Waylon Bennett tears it up in the Jr. Drag Racing League. Through the driver development program, JCM offers young talent the opportunity to hone in and perfect their driving skills as they work toward a career competing in NHRA’s professional ranks.
For more information, visit @jcmnitro on Twitter and Instagram, @JCMNitro on Facebook, and JCMNitro.com.
