On Friday at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis, Joe C. Maynard and the JCM Racing team officially welcomed seven NHRA Jr. Drag Racers into the organization’s driver development program, now in its second year.
Waylon Bennett (Division 2), Jeffrey Garner (Division 7), Albert Gouveia (Division 1), Katy Gunter (Division 4), Ty Jackson (Division 5), Maleah Mosley (Division 3), and Shadyn Parvati (Division 6) make up the inaugural JCM Racing Jr. Drag Racer class. The young racers were recognized on-stage in front of a packed PRI crowd ahead of Drag Illustrated’s ’30 Under 30’ commemoration.
The JCM Racing driver development program was founded in 2023 as a way for the multi-car team to help young racers with aspirations of one day competing in the NHRA’s professional ranks. The program launched with three rising NHRA upstarts on its roster, lending support to Kayleigh Hill, who made her Super Comp debut on the Division 5 circuit last season, and Wyatt Wagner, who recently clinched his third Division 5 Super Stock title en route to becoming the category’s world champion. Waylon Bennett, who returns to the program as one of the seven newly inducted Jr. racers, rounded out the 2023 trio of nitro hopefuls.
Joe C. Maynard, the younger of the father-son Maynard duo, spearheads the organization’s driver development program and opted to expand the 2024 class to include one Jr. Drag Racer from each of NHRA’s seven divisions. The seven drivers selected were chosen from a candidate pool of more than 70 applicants. Maynard said that grades, extracurricular activities, and community involvement played a factor in his selection process.
“We understand that anyone who applies to be in this program is going to be passionate about drag racing and their future NHRA careers, but for us, it was also important to take into consideration what these Jr. racers are up to when they’re not at a racetrack,” explained Maynard. “Being a successful racer means more than just quick reaction times and win lights. We want these kids to understand that it’s important to be well-rounded and that they need to take their schooling seriously.”
Among other benefits, Maynard touts the level of access JCM Racing developmental drivers receive as the program’s biggest selling point.
“It goes beyond just being able to ask our pro drivers for advice,” Maynard added. “We can help these kids with their marketing decks, teach them how to approach sponsors, how to best maximize their social media posts. Not to mention, they’re all getting hooked up with new Impact firesuits, tools from GearWrench, and we also have Wright Trailers and VP Racing Fuel who have stepped up to support this program. We’ve got a really great group of kids that make up our inaugural class of Jr. developmental drivers, and we know they will make us proud both on the track and off.”
For more information about the JCM Racing driver development program, please visit jcmnitro.com/driver-
This story was originally published on December 12, 2023. 
