Scott Maxim is used to winning NASCAR Sprint Cup championships.
The Augusta native and Gardiner High School graduate has been a part of five titles with Hendrick Motorsports. And when the Chase for the championship begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the director of track support for Hendrick Motorsports will have a 41.7 percent chance of winning another title.
That’s because five of the 12 cars in the Chase are affiliated with Hendrick.
Maxim oversees the efforts of 11 engine tuners working with the Hendrick motors.
Mark Martin, who leads the pack with 5,040 points; defending three-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who is third with 5,030, and Jeff Gordon, who will start sixth with 5,010 points, are three of the four drivers for the Hendrick Motorsports team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to qualify for the Chase.
Hendrick Motorsports also leases engines to Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart, who is second (5,030 points) and Ryan Newman, 10th with 5,000 points.
The Chase drivers are each supplied with 5,000 points and an additional 10 points for each race they won among the first 26.
“I like our chances,” said Maxim. “First and foremost, from an engine standpoint, we put a lot of value on durability and not having failures. We’re always cautious and guarded. Anything can happen at any time but we never let our guard down and, over a long haul, that’s one of our strongest suits.”
However, he also noted, “the cars we’re racing against are strong as well. There’s very little room for error.”
Maxim pointed out that Hendrick Motorsports has never had as many as five cars involved in the Chase.
“The most we previously had was three,” said Maxim.
He said he feels privileged to be working with five drivers of this caliber.
“They’re great drivers,” said Maxim.
The five drivers have combined to win 11 of the 26 races, with Newman being the only one who hasn’t visited Victory Lane.
He said cars with Hendrick Motorsports engines have run well at several of the 10 tracks that will hold the Chase races.
“We’ve always been very strong at Martinsville, that’s always been one of our strongest tracks. We always run well at Charlotte and, the last few years, we’ve been pretty strong at Phoenix,” said Maxim.
Maxim mentioned that Fontana (Calif.) has replaced Atlanta as a Chase track but they have had a lot of success at both tracks.
The drivers have three wins at the Chase tracks this season as Johnson won at Martinsville and Dover (Del.) and Gordon triumphed in Texas.
Besides Martinsville, Dover, Texas, Fontana, Loudon, Martinsville, Charlotte and Phoenix, the other two tracks are Talladega and Homestead.
“We’ve run well at Talladega but haven’t had the finishes to show for it. We’ve struggled at Homestead (Fla.). I don’t think we’ve ever won a race there,” said Maxim.
He speculated that one of the reasons they haven’t won at Homestead is because it is the last race and their drivers have had the championship in sight so they’ve driven conservatively to sew up the title.
He is looking forward to starting the Chase as his home track at Loudon but called it a “hard track” that features several challenges.
“It’s a challenge to find the right setup and get the right balance,” said Maxim, who is in his 13th year with Hendrick Motorsports.
The 44-year-old Maxim said the preparation for the Chase began several weeks ago once Johnson, Gordon and Stewart locked up their spots.
“We’ve known we were going into it for some time. As the Chase approached, we tried to spend more time preparing, more time back at the shop just detailing things and addressing any areas of concern,” said Maxim.
Now that the Chase is upon him, the stakes get higher and the pressure is more intense.
“It really becomes a very competitive and focused environment. There’s more emphasis on qualifying well. Everybody is giving it their best shot. Drivers and teams have to be willing to take more chances to find that edge. You can run well and finish in the top five but still lose a significant number of points if one of the other guys in the Chase wins the race,” said Maxim.
The Chase began in 2004 to supply the Sprint Cup series with a playoff format like other sports. Prior to the Chase, the champion decided over the entire 36-race season.
Maxim said he likes the Chase.
“I understand its place in sports. It’s typical of how a lot of other sports run. As racers or athletes, you try to adapt to it and do it better than anybody else,” said Maxim. “It’s a lot of fun to be involved in the Chase.”
Two other Mainers in Chase
Maxim isn’t the only Maine native involved in the Chase.
Cornish’s Steve Letarte is the crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Oxford’s Mike Morneau is the rear tire carrier for Tony Stewart’s race team.