NHRA fan-favorites Ron Capps and Tony Schumacher attended the 13th annual A Soldier’s Child Dinner Banquet in Murfreesboro, Tenn. on Friday evening, helping to raise dollars and awareness for the nonprofit that has been near and dear to the hearts of Don Schumacher Racing partners, Joe and Cathi Maynard, since 2008. The event, made possible thanks to presenting sponsor and Maynard family business, ECHO Power Engineering, is the largest fundraiser for A Soldier’s Child, a national organization that aims to serve the children of fallen military personnel who lost their lives while on active duty.
During the evening’s festivities, Capps and Schumacher were introduced on stage in front of the more than 450 guests in attendance. The multi-time NHRA world champions each donated NHRA trackside experiential packages to the event’s silent auction, helping to contribute to the more than $230,000 raised for A Soldier’s Child on Friday night. Their presence also helped to bring awareness to the ‘Last Full Measure of Devotion Society’ endowment program.
“We had a goal of $200,000, and thanks to Tony Schumacher and Ron Capps, whose items brought in $15,000, and all of the wonderful, generous folks in attendance last night, we exceeded our goal by more than $30,000,” said Joe Maynard, an avid drag racing fan and fixture among the DSR and Ron Capps Motorsports pits. “Cathi and I are passionate about veterans, children, and the homeless, in no particular order, and A Soldier’s Child helps both veterans and kids, so this is a very important cause for us.
“We’ve been involved with A Soldier’s Child since pretty much day one. Our company, ECHO Power Engineering, was one of the first major corporate sponsors of their organization, and we’re proud to have continued to support their worthy cause for all these years, and now, combine it with our love of NHRA Drag Racing. The money that we raised on Friday night will help to provide birthday and holiday gifts for 4,000 children this year, as well as help send kids to summer camps, and provide educational scholarships.”
The Maynards first became involved with NHRA Drag Racing in an official capacity when they joined DSR’s roster of partners in 2021, and since teaming up with drag racing’s winningest organization, they have been vocal about their desire to bring awareness to the charitable organizations they regularly work with. The ASC logo adorns the side of DSR’s Maynard Family Racing Top Fuel dragster piloted by Schumacher, and the RCM team proudly flies the ASC colors on the side of Capps’ NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car.
“What an amazing event,” said Schumacher, the most decorated Top Fuel pilot in NHRA history. “I want to thank Joe and Cathi Maynard for inviting us and introducing us to this outstanding charity. I can’t wait for the people who won the racing experiences to come out and have a weekend they can’t stop talking about, so next year, we can raise even more for A Soldier’s Child.”
“It was an honor to be invited by Joe and Cathi Maynard,” added Capps, the NHRA Camping World Series’ defending Funny Car champion. “It was incredible to meet the families and see firsthand how much A Soldier’s Child does for children who lose their parents while serving our country.”
For more information, or to contribute to A Soldier’s Child, please visit asoldierschild.org.
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