HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The six-round Maxxis Sprint Series capped its 2021 points season in August at Carolina Motorsports Park, where eight drivers — Brady Atwood, Kenny Buff, Ryan Hall, Cale Martin, Neil Moore, Tyson Swann, Tyler Swann and Adam Wein — etched their names in the series’ record books as national champions in the latest edition of the competitive, family-oriented 4-cycle sprint tour.
The 2021 Maxxis circuit opened in April at the fast 103rd Street Sports Complex in Jacksonville, Fla., before shifting to round two in May at one of the shorter sprint tracks in the country in Lamar County Speedway in Barnesville, Ga.
The third and fourth rounds saw Maxxis racers head to the famed Charlotte Motor Speedway in June for two consecutive race days at CMS’s pristine 0.65-mile kart track. The fifth round was a trip north to Sandy Hook Speedway in Maryland before a return to the Carolinas August 14 for the first-ever night race at Kershaw’s technical 0.7-mile Carolina Kart Park.
One event remains for the Maxxis Sprint program this year when the series returns to 103rd Street Nov. 19-21 for their annual prestigious Grand Nationals, a three-day non-points show that gives racers a chance to compete for Grand National titles without concerns of points racing.
Before shifting focus to the Jacksonville Grand Nationals we thought it appropriate to recognize the drivers who put together campaigns that included hard driving, adaptability to different style circuits, and surely some risk taking along the way that resulted in race wins, consistency and ultimately a class championship — or in the case of Atwood, Martin and Wein — multiple 2021 Maxxis championships.
In an effort to recognize these champions in addition to the awards they’ll receive at Jacksonville in November, we sent questionnaires to each driver to give them a chance to recall their season, recognize their partners and supporters, and answer a few fun questions. We hope everyone enjoys!
Junior Black & Junior Yellow double champion Brady Atwood
Driver Info:
Age: 13
Hometown: Sykesville, MD
Years Racing: 7
Home Track and/or Club: Sandy Hook Speedway
Kart Info:
Chassis: MGM
Engine Builder: GT Machine
Crew: David Atwood, Darlene Atwood, Benji Atwood and Ed Howe
Sponsors: Route One Apparel, my parents and grandparents
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: Winning 3 out of 4 races and capturing 2nd in the other race at the Charlotte, NC.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Charlotte Speedway is my favorite track on the series. When you drive thru the tunnel and into the infield the setting is awe inspiring.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: I will be racing the Maxxis Series in 2022 as well as the MD Sprint Cup Series and local club races at Sandy Hook Speedway.
Additional Comments / Information on your race team and/or 2021 racing season: To my brother Benji, thank you for supporting my racing and helping out Dad with my kart at the track. Thank you to the Sandy Hook Family of racers (Miller’s, Kellner’s, Hollenbaugh’s, and Williamsons) that ran the Maxxis series with us this year. Whether it was helping with a set up or borrowing a part, we always had each others back to make sure we had a great showing at the National level. I would also like to thank my fellow Sandy Hook Speedway club racers. Being able to win 2 National Championship is a reflection on the caliber of talent I race with on a regular basis.
Cadet Green & Cadet Yellow double champion Adam Wein
Driver Info:
Age: 11 (2021 racing age), I turned 12 this summer
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Years Racing: 2021 was my 3rd season of racing
Home Track and/or Club: Georgia Sprint Karting Association at Lamar County Speedway
Kart Info:
Chassis: Razor
Engine Builder: Roberts Kart Shop
Crew: My awesome Dad (Jeremy Wein)
Sponsors: None, but I’d love to get some!
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: The final race weekend at Kershaw was the highlight of my season by taking the win in Yellow in order to clinch the Season Championship in that class! Having to charge through the field in Green after a rough start was really fun!
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Every track we raced at this season was cool, but Kershaw (Carolina Motorsports Park) takes the top spot for me, because the track layout is fun and it is a fast track with very little braking. I also like the draft!
Your 2022 Racing Plans: We are moving up to Junior! I’m ready for something different, instead of staying in Cadet one more year.
Additional Comments / Information on your race team and/or 2021 racing season: I had a really fun time racing against Thomas Nichols in the Cadet Yellow class, as it came down to the final race in Kershaw to see which of us will be Season Champion. Missing school and other plans was worth it to race this series this year, as it’s the first time we were able to race enough races to chase the Championship. Also, BIG props to my Dad for working so hard to keep me running well this year racing both Green and Yellow, and to Roberts Kart Shop for their support. Maxxis is a great series, thanks to Buddy and his team for everything they did to keep us racing through COVID!
Senior Medium & Senior Heavy double champion Cale Martin
Driver Info:
Age: 27
Hometown: Winstom-Salem, NC
Years Racing: 14 (first year in sprint)
Home Track and/or Club: Charlotte
Kart Info:
Chassis: MGM
Engine Builder: GT Machine
Crew: Jim Farmer, Zack Brooks
Sponsors: Jim Farmer Racing
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: Winning the finale at Kershaw! Everything had gone wrong until the main event. Being able to slip through and win after starting in the rear made it that much more special.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Sandy Hook. Awesome track, great facility and people.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: We plan to run as many Maxxis events as we can and we’re hoping Carolina Motorsports Park will have a series with all the great updates they’ve done and lighting they have.
Additional Comments / Information on your race team and/or 2021 racing season: We had a great first season in sprint racing. Huge thanks to Paul and April Rice at MGM for all their help. GT Machine for the awesome engines and Maxxis for giving us a great series to run. Thank you Keith for all the coverage on Kart Lounge and everything you’re doing for the sport. We are looking forward to the Maxxis Grand Nationals at Jacksonville.
Kid Kart champion Ryan Hall
Driver Info:
Age: Turned 8 late in the season
Hometown: Hampton, GA
Years Racing: 6 months
Home Track and/or Club: Barnesville / GSKA
Kart Info:
Chassis: Razor
Engine Builder: Steve Roberts
Crew: Mom, Dad, Brady and Jana Turley. Teammates Logan Hall and Barrett Turley.
Sponsors: Hall Construction
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: Sweeping the day in Sandy Hook and my first Maxxis win at Barnesville.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Sandy Hook Speedway because it was fun to drive and we got to camp with friends during the weekend.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: Ryan will be moving up to Cadet starting with the Grand National in Jacksonville. We are planning on running all of the Maxxis races in 2022 and also racing our club races in Barnesville.
Vintage Stock Heavy champion
Tyson Swann
Driver Info:
Age: 52
Hometown: Canton, GA
Years Racing: 42 years
Home Track and/or Club: Lamar County Speedway / Atlanta Motorsports Park
Kart Info:
Chassis: Coyote Bullet and Coyote Free Roller
Engine Builder: Eddie Mishue / Hi-Tech Racing
Crew: Robert Davis, Tony Maynard, Robert Bell, Tyler Swann, Bruce Swann
Sponsors: Swann Mechanical Services, Enertech Global, Death Wish Coffee
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: In Charlotte, our team finished top 3 both days in the Stock Medium class.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Charlotte is my favorite track because it is a strategic drivers’ track that offers a great racing surface with plenty of area for passing and close racing.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: Continue our vintage racing program and adding more LO206 tracks and classes to our program.
Vintage Stock Medium champion
Tyler Swann
Driver Info:
Age: 31
Hometown: Woodstock, GA
Years Racing: 26
Home Track and/or Club: GSKA / Lamar County Speedway
Kart Info:
Chassis: Trick for vintage, MGM for LO206
Engine Builder: Eddie Mishue / Mishue Motorsports
Crew: Robert Davis, Tony Maynard, Robert Bell, Tyson Swann, Bruce Swann
Sponsors: Swann Mechanical Services, Enertech Global
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: Winning both days at Charlotte. Meant a lot to me growing up watching kart races on the oval and then being able to have the opportunity to race the kart track and win was definitely a big moment for me.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Charlotte. It’s a fast and challenging race track. I also enjoy how smooth it is. Plus it produces great racing.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: Win! More vintage and lo206 racing for sure.
Additional Comments / Information on your race team and/or 2021 racing season I am super proud of the whole Swann Racing team for our wins and championships. We set a goal at the beginning of the year and we accomplished it. Looking forward to trying for my 4th Grand National win in a row in November.
Masters champion Neil Moore
Driver Info:
Age: 37
Hometown: West Columbia, SC
Years Racing: 10-15 on and off
Home Track and/or Club: GSKA / Lamar County Speedway
Kart Info:
Chassis: MGM
Engine Builder: GT Machine
Crew: Kenny Buff, Andy Lee
Sponsors: Industrial Lift Solutions
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: Winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Charlotte. It’s close to home, fast, always has good competition and most importantly the family can come because it’s so close.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: Taking the year off to build our house. Will race some here and there.
Additional Comments / Information on your race team and/or 2021 racing season I love racing the Maxxis series. Buddy and his crew do an amazing job. We are more of a family than a series and that’s all thanks to Buddy. I’d like to thank Kenny Buff and Andy Lee for all the help this season. We would not be on the top box without them.
Vintage Super Stock champion
Kenny Buff
Driver Info:
Age: 43
Hometown: Columbia, SC
Years Racing: 34
Home Track and/or Club: N/A
Kart Info:
Chassis: Phoenix aka “White Lightning”
Engine Builder: Gulley Performance
Crew: Crew Chief: Joey Gulley, Team Manager: DeLaine Buff (aka Heather, if you’re Buddy Long), Team Cheerleaders: Barb Dunlap and Andy Lee
Sponsors: Gulley Performance, John Bishop
Personal:
Your Most Memorable Moment(s) / Highlight(s) of the 2021 Maxxis Series: For me, the best moment of 2021 wasn’t even about me, but watching my best friend Neil Moore get his first national win at Charlotte. Just being able to greet him at the finish line, and being there for that moment was awesome. It’s moments like that you only get to do once, and I’m thankful that I was there to be a part of it. It was definitely a proud “big brother” moment.
Which track was your favorite on the 2021 Maxxis tour, and why? Barnesville. I grew up racing at this track and have a lot of great memories here. I love coming back to a track with so much history.
Your 2022 Racing Plans: Total Domination!
Additional Comments / Information on your race team and/or 2021 racing season I’d like to express my appreciation to Buddy Long and crew for a great year! They really go above and beyond to give us drivers the best events across the country. Thanks Buddy for making this an awesome series!
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