HUNTER MADDOX: USAC SPRINT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Hunter Maddox, 2024 Max Papis Innovations USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship Rookie of the Year. (Josh James Artwork Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (November 6, 2024)………Whether it’s on two wheels or four, Hunter Maddox is apt to give it a whirl.

After more than a decade of dirt bike racing, the Bedford, Indiana native turned his focus toward the dirt ovals in recent years. The 29-year-old’s efforts in the four-wheel variety were rewarded in 2024 by being named the Max Papis Innovations United States Auto Club (USAC) AMSOIL Sprintcar National Championship Rookie of the Year.

To join a Rookie of the Year list that includes eventual series champions such as Tony Stewart, JJ Yeley, Tracy Hines, Josh Wise, Justin Grant, CJ Leary, Tyler Courtney and Logan Seavey as a USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year, the accomplishment means the world to Maddox.

“It gives me chills,” Maddox admitted. “This is just the end of my third year of racing sprint cars. It’s a true honor and it’s something that I set out to do since the beginning of the year. I thought it might be possible, so I just tried to stay very persistent and not give up.”

Maddox made 25 feature starts with the series throughout the 2024 season en route to an 18th place finish in the overall standings. Furthermore, he was one of only 11 drivers to compete in all 44 events on the slate in his Hunter Maddox Racing/TJD Roofing – Air-Master Heating & Air Conditioning/DRC/Cummings Chevy.

“I can officially say that I’ve made it to every single round of the tour, which is phenomenal since I don’t think I’ve had perfect attendance since elementary school,” Maddox quipped. “I’ve sacrificed a lot to be able to do it, but it was a goal that I had set. I’m a very determined person and I’m very driven, so when somebody tells me I can’t do something or whenever I tell myself I can do something, I’m going to make it happen. To be able to make it happen and be on the list with some of the greatest drivers of all-time, I don’t know if it’ll ever set in.”

Maddox’s background before entering the USAC Sprintcar world is quite different than the common path most partake, most often quarter Midgets, Micro Sprints and the like at a young age. Maddox didn’t even begin racing of any sort until the age of 16, ultimately winning championships on the local level before traveling nationally and specializing in Hare Scramble racing, which is a form of off-road motorcycle competition that varies in distance and time, with riders completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged natural terrain.

These days, Maddox has curtailed his dirt bike racing to just a handful of events per year. In fact, the morning after the USAC National Sprintcar season finale at Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway, Maddox endured an all night drive/ride back to Indiana in order to make it to the starting line in time for a Hare Scramble event.

“As soon as the feature was over, I hightailed it east for a race at 10am in Greencastle, Indiana for the final round of the national series for off road racing – the Ironman GNCC,” Maddox explained. “I had to be back on the starting line at 10am with a warmed up bike. It’s about a 10-hour trek (and we lost an hour due to the change in time zones), so we had about 12 hours to make the 10-hour trek. Then it takes about an hour to get changed and get on the starting line.”

Beyond that, Maddox has now made sprint car racing his priority in the spring, summer, fall, and on occasion, in the winter. Once the feeling of a nearly 900 horsepower sprint car grabbed him, it was instant. Soon after, he knew this is what he was going to do.

“(Dirt bike racing) is a sport I truly love, but when I got into a sprint car, it was a whole new level that I hadn’t felt in many years,” Maddox admitted. “I love the challenge of sprint cars and I love the challenge of the bike, and I still enjoy doing both. Nothing really translates except for the mentality. I know from my years of racing dirt bikes, you’ve just got to stay calm, cool and collected if you want a good result.”

Maddox chalks up his highlight moment of the 2024 campaign as winning his first career heat race with the series during the USAC NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week Presented By Honest Abe Roofing round near his hometown track at Bloomington Speedway. The cherry on top was the fact that he defeated USAC National Sprintcar feature winners Chase Stockon, Logan Seavey, Jadon Rogers and Briggs Danner to achieve the feat.

Among the top things Maddox reflected on following the season was the relationships he made. Chief among them was his right hand man Butch Mundy as well as the bond he formed with the BGE Dougherty Motorsports group and drivers Carson Garrett and CJ Leary. It was a common sight to see Maddox’s No. 24m parked alongside Garrett and Leary in the pit area at each event. At a couple points during the year, Maddox even lent Garrett a car to drive in a pair of USAC races.

It’s an uncommon story of how Maddox and Garrett’s friendship was sparked. During Winter Dirt Games at Florida’s Ocala Speedway in 2023, unknown to each other at the time, they happened to pit alongside one another. Thereafter, Garrett’s team suddenly had a bit of a problem. Somehow, someway, a flashlight was dropped inside their fuel tank. Upon hearing about the issue, Maddox came to the rescue, retrieving his fishing pole from the trailer and literally fished the flashlight out of the fuel tank to save the day.

In return, when Maddox had a question regarding how the pre-race four-wide salute worked, Garrett drew it out on a piece of paper and demonstrated it for him.

“The entire team played an instrumental part the entire year for me last year and this year with USAC,” Maddox complimented. “I really don’t think that I could’ve gotten to this point or had as many decent runs as I’ve had. It was also really cool to be able to become friends with C.J. this year. He’s one of the greatest of all-time in the sport. Even though he’s a year younger than me, I look up to him. But there’s a lot of really good people here. If you keep the good ones by your side, they’ll steer you on the right path.”

2024 USAC AMSOIL SPRINTCAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:

POS.     PTS.      DRIVER, HOMETOWN

1.          949       Hunter Maddox, Bedford, Ind.

2.          553       Kale Drake, Collinsville, Okla.

3.          494       Chance Crum, Snohomish, Wash.

4.          360       Rylan Gray, Greenfield, Ind.

5.          328       Trey Osborne, Columbus, Ohio

6.          314       Wesley Smith, Nixa, Mo.

7.          275       Todd Hobson, Clyde, Vic.

8.          267       Kayla Roell, Dillsboro, Ind.

9.          246       Saban Bibent, Cincinnati, Ohio

10.        127       Chase Howard, Nesbit, Miss.

11.        72         Gunnar Setser, Columbus, Ind.

12.        68         Shane Butler, Bushnell, Fla.

13.        68         Nic Harris, Atlanta, Ill.

14.        20         Jason Cherry, Blandon, Pa.

15.        10         Will Hull, Plainfield, Vt.

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:

1971: Darl Harrison, Tiffin, Ohio

1972: Billy Cassella, Weirton, W.Va.

1973: Rich Leavell, Elwood, Ind.

1974: Lee Osborne, Lebanon, Pa.

1975: Marvin Carman, Union City, Mich.

1976: Roger Rager, Mound, Minn.

1977: Eddie Leavitt, Kearney, Mo.

1978: Tim Richmond, Ashland, Ohio

1979: Jerry Carman, Burlington, Mich.

1980: Frank Riddle, Tampa, Fla.

1981: Steve Long, Indianapolis, Ind. (co)

1981: Johnny Coogan, Alexandria, Ind. (co)

1982: Danny Milburn, Indianapolis, Ind.

1983: Dean Shirley, Middletown, Ill.

1984: Jerry Russell, Springfield, Ill.

1985: Terry Shepherd, Warsaw, Ind.

1986: Kenny Jacobs, Holmesville, Ohio

1987: Rick Ungar, Garrettsville, Ohio

1988: Dean Jacobs, Fredericksburg, Ohio

1989: Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.

1990: Rick Howerton, Indianapolis, Ind.

1991: Tony Stewart, Columbus, Ind.

1992: Gary Cameron II, Tulsa, Okla.

1993: Kenny Irwin Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.

1994: Bobby Smith, Martinsville, Ind.

1995: Mark Cassella, Weirton, W.Va.

1996: Gus Wasson, Bloomdale, Ohio

1997: J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Ariz.

1998: Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.

1999: Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind.

2000: Bud Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.

2001: Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis, Ind.

2002: Boston Reid, Logansport, Ind.

2003: Michael Lewis, Noblesville, Ind. (co)

2003: Mat Neely, Robinson, Ill. (co)

2004: Josh Ford, Camarillo, Calif. (co)

2004: Josh Wise, Riverside, Calif. (co)

2005: Darren Hagen, Riverside, Calif.

2006: Scotty Weir, Marion, Ind.

2007: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, Miss.

2008: Chad Boat, Phoenix, Ariz.

2009: Henry Clarke, Villa Park, Calif.

2010: Justin Grant, Ione, Calif.

2011: Coleman Gulick, Binghamton, N.Y.

2012: C.J. Leary, Greenfield, Ind.

2013: Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, Ind.

2014: Jarett Andretti, Mooresville, N.C.

2015: Aaron Farney, Brookston, Ind.

2016: Isaac Chapple, Willow Branch, Ind.

2017: Stevie Sussex, Tempe, Ariz.

2018: Timmy Buckwalter, Douglassville, Pa. (co)

2018: Logan Seavey, Sutter, Calif. (co)

2019: Dustin Clark, Washington, Ind.

2020: Jadon Rogers, Worthington, Ind.

2021: Tanner Thorson, Minden, Nev.

2022: Emerson Axsom, Franklin, Ind.

2023: Daison Pursley, Locust Grove, Okla.

2024: Hunter Maddox, Bedford, Ind.