Cathi Maynard, NHRA team owner and a longtime supporter of the drag racing world passed away on June 23, 2023, at the age of 65. Maynard courageously battled multiple sclerosis for over 35 years before succumbing to illness-related complications after a lengthy and arduous fight.

Despite being a relative newcomer to the industry as an official team owner, Maynard made an incredible impact on the NHRA community. As an Army veteran, Maynard was already familiar with high horsepower and quickly developed an affinity for NHRA legend Tony Schumacher. 

Maynard was responsible for the Maynard family getting involved in drag racing, first as sponsors in 2021 before forming JCM Racing during the 2022 season. Fans of Schumacher can credit Maynard for his return to full-time competition after a multi-year hiatus from the sport.

Schumacher said, “She was such a fighter, such an amazing person, and she’s in a better place. It’s a privilege to have known her, and I would say, by far, I’m a better man for knowing her. She was so kind and so good to people. No one that met her left a lesser person.”

Maynard’s impact wasn’t limited to the drag racing community. She and her husband, Joe, met while serving in the Army, where she worked as a Military Police officer and boat pilot. The Maynards are well-known throughout their town of Clarksville, Tenn., particularly via their involvement with Austin Peay State University (APSU). Named the 2020 APSU Philanthropists of the Year, the Maynards have given tremendously to the school and most recently were honored during a naming celebration of the Joe and Cathi Maynard Family Athletics Complex last October. A former athlete herself, Maynard was a fixture at home games and especially loved cheering on the APSU softball team, which plays at Cathi Maynard Park, thanks to her contributions to the school’s softball program.

Maynard was passionate about philanthropy and able to marry two of her passions – fast cars and giving back. She supported A Soldier’s Child, a nonprofit which provides support to the children of fallen military personnel, and the American Mobility Project, a nonprofit which provides mobility and adaptive equipment to those living with disabilities. The Maynards have been supporting A Soldier’s Child since 2008 and have hosted Gold Star families at the dragstrip since 2021. In 2020, Maynard became involved with American Mobility Project as a recipient of an iBOT Personal Mobility Device, a device that can make a significant difference in the quality of life for those living with disabilities. She was a tireless advocate for these two organizations and was particularly proud of being able to field their giving cars at the final two events of the 2022 NHRA season, closing out their first year of NHRA team ownership.

Schumacher continued, “We want to go out and make her proud this weekend. I would love nothing more than to earn ourselves a trophy that we can send back to Clarksville in her honor. Our hearts go out to Joe, Joe C. and the whole family. Now, we just need to go out and win this race, and I know we’ve got an angel riding with us.”

Maynard’s passing leaves behind many loved ones, including her husband, Joe Maynard, sons Joe C. Maynard and Lucas Maynard, and three grandchildren, Joe, Shelby, and Haylee. As a veteran, Maynard will be laid to rest at the prestigious Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Va. A memorial service will be held at a time to be determined in Clarksville, Tenn. The drag racing world and the community at large has lost a true champion, and Maynard’s memory and impact will continue to live on in the years to come.