NHRA Legend Don Schumacher Taking Step Back from Top Fuel Team

Don Schumacher, the winningest team owner in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing history, is taking a step back.

Effective Monday, Don Schumacher Racing's Top Fuel operation that includes driver Tony Schumacher and tuner Todd Okuhara will be controlled by new majority owners and current team sponsors Joe and Cathi Maynard. The team will be rebranded as Maynard Family Racing/Don Schumacher Racing team.

The team's first race under the new leadership structure will be the July 29-31 Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways at Kent, Washington near Seattle.

Don Schumacher, 77, has owned Don Schumacher Racing's nitro teams since 1998. The team has amassed a 366 national event wins and 19 championships. Its most recent championship came in 2021 when Ron Capps won his second Funny Car championship. Capps and former DSR Top Fuel driver and past champion Antron Brown both left DSR this season to form their own teams. DSR's other two nitro drivers from 2021—three-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan and Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett—left this year to race for first-year Tony Stewart Racing.

Tony Schumacher, who has 85 national event wins and eight championships with DSR, is the lone driver in the Top Fuel or Funny Car class for DSR this season.

The ownership move will allow the Maynards to become even more involved in the team. It will also afford Don Schumacher, along with president of DSR Performance Chad Osier, and DSR vice president Megan Schumacher, the time to continue developing DSR Performance—DSR’s performance aftermarket, and aerospace and defense manufacturing division.

“While things might be a bit different behind the scenes, to our fans and partners, it will appear to be business as usual,” said Don Schumacher, a former racer and a 2019 inductee into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. motorsports. “We have a lot of opportunities in the works with DSR Performance, and will continue to engineer and supply leading racing parts to the drag racing community in addition to expanding our defense and aerospace contracts.

"Earlier this season, we announced the launch of an exciting new project, the DSR 1150 crate engine, but I feel that we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of DSR Performance’s capabilities. By being able to let go of the reins of the Top Fuel team a little bit, we’re able to focus our attention on continuing to develop that side of the business."

The Maynards came on board as an associate sponsor for DSR in 2021. This year, they helped DSR bring Tony Schumacher back into a full-time ride in the Top Fuel mix as the team's primary sponsor. Schumacher, 52, is racing full time for the first time since losing his U.S. Army sponsorship following the 2018 season.

“Cathi and I are more than excited to continue in our favorite sport as the majority owners of the JCM Racing/DSR Top Fuel team,” said Joe Maynard. “It is our strong desire to build a new legacy with Tony at the wheel while maintaining the legacy of Don and DSR through our partnership.

“Throughout 2022 we have watched our young crew grow under Todd Okuhara’s leadership, and now see a true team performing at a highly competitive level with a strong eye towards making the Countdown. We are looking forward to enhancing our relationship with Scag Power Equipment, Okuma, and potentially others to build an even stronger team for 2023 and beyond and, like Don, are looking for opportunities to fill the field at every race.”

Don Schumacher vows that the NHRA community has not seen the last of him.

“Make no mistake though,” added Schumacher, whose contributions to the sport of drag racing include cutting-edge safety innovations such as the addition of a roof-mounted Funny Car escape hatch, and the Top Fuel canopy. “I love drag racing and while I may be taking a step back from the Top Fuel team at this time, I have no intention of leaving the sport.

"Full fields are imperative to the health of NHRA, and we will continue to look for opportunities that will allow us to field championship-contending nitro teams, but for now, this move makes sense.”