| Owner(s) | Larry Gunselman |
|---|---|
| Series | Sprint Cup Series |
| Race drivers | Mike Skinner |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Career | |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
Max Q Motorsports is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former driver Larry Gunselman. The team currently fields the #37 Ford Fusion.
Contents |
The team first attempted to field the #64 Toyota at the 2009 Daytona 500 for Geoff Bodine. Although he missed the race, Geoff's brother Todd Bodine made the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the team's first start. The team finished 37th, 58 laps down. Todd would run two other races, garnering a 42nd and 43rd before leaving the team before the first Pocono race. Gunselman then signed Mike Wallace to run a limited schedule the rest of the year. In the remainder of the season, Wallace made two races for the team. His finishes were 43rd and 39th. At Martinsville Speedway, Derrike Cope took over Gunselman's car for one race. The team qualified 43rd and finished 42nd. In 2009, the team made six races in eighteen attempts and did not finish a single one (two engine failures, two brake issues, one crash, and one instance of being parked).
The team's first race of 2010 was at Richmond in a Toyota with Tony Raines driving. Chad McCumbee, Landon Cassill, Jeff Green, and Todd Bodine also competed for the team. Gunselman Motorsports ran in 2010 as a Start and Park team, with support from Germain Racing.
Todd Bodine was intended to run with Gunselman for the Daytona 500. However, Germain Racing fielded their own #60 Toyota for Bodine. Former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope drove the #64 Toyota in the Bud Shootout, but failed to qualify the Daytona 500 with sponsorship from Sta-Bil Ethanol Treatment. Max Q would go on to shut down the #64 and end its affiliation with Germain Racing following Daytona.
After the Daytona 500, Max Q Motorsports struck a deal with Front Row Motorsports to take over the #37 Ford Fusion with Tony Raines driving. Max Q inherited the owners points from 2010, guaranteeing a spot through the 5th race of 2011, as well as crew chief Greg Connor, the pit crew, and some equipment. The cars are former FRM cars, sourced from the Max Q Motorsports shop and the team has their own personnel. Tony Raines scored top 25 finishes at Phoenix and at Martinsville. The team picked up sponsorship from BlackCat Fireworks for several races during the summer months. The team has started and parked since the 10th race of the season at Darlington after falling out of the top-35 and missing races. Chris Cook drove the #37 after a deal with Tomy Drissi and Rick Ware Racing fell through when Drissi was not approved to race at Sonoma. Scott Speed drove the #37 at Indy, Pocono, and Watkins Glen, apparently in a partnership with MaxQ and Whitney Motorsports, Speed would go on to join that team fulltime following Watkins Glen. Josh Wise made his Sprint Cup debut in the car at Chicago, and has continued to drive for the team following that race. Veteran NASCAR driver Mike Skinner ran the car at Martinsville on October 30, 2011.