Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed
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      • Open Wheel >
        • 1935 Miller-Ford
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        • #8 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special
        • #45 “The Pup” Champ Car
        • Wolfgang #4 Sprint Car
        • #4 LeFevre Dirt Champ Car
        • Opperman's 4x Sprint Car
        • #1 Dunseth Sprint Car
        • #5 Randol Offy
        • 4x Sedan
        • Wolfgang 4x Sprint car
        • 4x Offset Roadster
        • #43 Christie Miller
        • #57 Plymouth STP
        • Blue Crown Special
        • Tamale Wagon
        • #11 Kinser Sprint Car
        • #1 Kodiak Special
        • Channel-Lock Special
        • Stealth Special
        • Andy Gump Sprint Car
        • #94 Kenny Weld Sprint Car
        • Black Deuce
        • #1 Delrose Holt Silver Crown
        • #30 P.O.B Sprint Car
        • #2 Watson Dirt Champ car
        • #5 Watson Roadster
        • #96 Trostle Sprint Car
        • #94 Nance Super Modified
      • Indy Pit >
        • #54 Chicago Rawhide Special
        • #81 Central Excavating Special
        • 1914 Cornelian
      • Music Room >
        • Lively Set Car
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1953 Corvette
        • Hedy Lamarr's 1958 Cadillac
        • 1920 Model T Ford Hot Rod
        • Lady Luck T-Bucket
        • 1949 Kurtis Sports Car
        • Jack Beck's Alfa Romeo
        • 8 Ball Hudson
        • Ariel Square Four Motorcycle
        • Turbine Powered Daytona Boss
        • 2003 Honest Charley's Flathead Motorcycle
        • #2 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
        • Coors Extra Gold "32
        • The Dale Car
        • 1966 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere
      • Land Speed >
        • MacKichan-Schulz Streamliner
        • Rossi's 1927 T Cosworth
        • Eelco Wee Eel II
        • #494 Model A Streamliner
        • #43 Creel Lakester
        • Ron Main's Flatfire Streamliner
        • HAL Dry Lakes Roadster
        • Art Gerrick's Dry Lakes Car
        • 1933 Chevy Comp Coupe
        • #77 Seth Hammond Lakester
      • Safety >
        • Jack Petty Ford
      • Show Cars >
        • Bergler's 'More Aggravation'
        • Red Baron
        • 1934 "Sweet Dreams" Ford Roadster
        • "Big Daddy" Roth's Outlaw Tribute
        • 1937 Studebaker Extremeliner
        • Boothill Express
        • Fahrner's X-Ray Roadster
        • Goldbrick
        • Venus
        • Zausner Speedway Special Roadster
        • Zausner Vicky
      • Luxury Cars >
        • Tucker
        • Duesenberg Model J
        • Essence of Bucciali
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        • 1965 Mustang GT
        • Shelby Series 1 Roadster
        • Pumpkin Seed
      • Dragsters >
        • GMC Dragter
        • Tony Nancy Wedge II
        • 303 Roadtser
        • Smaldino & Yates "Fargo" Dragster
        • E.J. Potter's "Whizzer" Drag Bike
        • Ramcharger Funny Car
        • Swamp Rat V-B
        • 1931 Bantam Drag Car
      • NASCAR >
        • #21 Pearson Mercury
        • #26 Curtis Turner 1956 Ford Sunliner
        • 1956 Pontiac Sedan
        • Robert Yates Racing Ford
        • #9 Kasey Kahne
      • Le Mans >
        • Cadillac LMP Le Mans Prototype
      • Model T >
        • Montier Ford
        • 5 Millionth Ford
        • Lloyd Fisher Fronty Race Car & Hauler
        • #6 Voboril Brothers
        • Craig-Hunt T-Powered Race Car
        • The Galvanized Bullet
        • Twin-Engine Model T Speedster
        • Spruce Deuce
        • Mercury Speedster
        • Edsel's Hot Rod
        • Fronty-Ford #27
        • 1908 REO
        • 1886 Benz Replica
        • 1912 Indian Board Track Racer
      • Model A and B >
        • ​1931 Model A Coupe
        • Hy-Point Special
        • Red Devil Pickup
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • 1950's Roaring Roadster
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • #26 Miller Fertilizer Special
        • #60 Super Modified
        • Arnold's Auto Wrecking Jalopy
        • #2 Ranger Sprint Car
      • Quarter Midgets >
        • Micro-Sprint #95
        • 1959 Moss (1/2) Midget
        • TQ Midget
        • Offyette Quarter Midget
        • Elvis's Quarter Midget
        • Dreyer Junior Racers
        • #8 June Bug
      • Midget Racers >
        • Lloyd Axel #5
        • Edmunds-Sesco Midget
        • #97 Henderson
        • #46 Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser
        • #1 Edmunds-Kenyen
        • #10 Lynch Offy
        • #1 Bardahl Special
        • #4 Ramada Inn Offy
        • #76 Honker
        • #4 Rex Mays Offy
        • #44 Ed's Auto V8-60
        • Lewis-Yeley Midget
        • Wilke-Pak Mopar
        • #8 Reichenbach SESCO Midget
        • #78 Red Caruthers Midget
    • Engines >
      • Miller Room >
        • 272 ci Miller DOHC v-16
        • 1932 Miller 308 c.i. DOHC V-8
        • 1953 Studebaker DOHC V-8
        • Miller DOHC 200 c.i. 4 Cylinder engine
      • Open Wheel >
        • Moser
        • Rodeck 406 Engine
        • 220 Offenhauser
        • Robert Roof SOHC
        • Rajo-Lencki 4
        • Gallivan DOHC
        • 1913 Chalmers
        • Plymouth Weslake
        • Voelker 6
        • Foyt DOHC Indy Engine
      • Indy Pit >
        • 2002 Toyota RV8F CART engine
        • Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
        • Mercedes Indy Engine
        • Brayton V-8 Indy Engine
        • Drake V8
        • Fronty-Ford "DO" Engine
        • 1935 Studebaker Straight-8
        • Fueling Oldsmobile Indy Engine
        • Weslake Chevy Conversion
        • Gurney-Eagle Ford Indy Engine
        • Supercharged Offy 110
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1915 Wilbee V-8 Engine
      • Land Speed >
        • Ron Main's Flat Fire
        • MacKichan-Schulz 302 CID Chevrolet
      • Luxury Car Engines >
        • 1930 Cadillac V-16
      • Legends in Racing >
        • Yunick Twin Turbo
      • Model T >
        • HAL Akron-Hed
      • Model A and B >
        • HAL SOHC
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • V-8 60 Ardun OHV Conversion Display
        • Tornado OHV Conversion
        • Robertson Flathead
        • V-8 Ford Birner
        • Ford Alexander
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • Hudson Twin H-Power 6 Cylinder
        • 1923 Chevrolet Series M
        • Sweet 16 Chevrolet
        • Hispano-Suiza Engine
        • 1911 Reynolds Rotary Valve 4-Cyl. Engine
        • Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Engine
        • Bugatti Type B Engine
        • Scheel Rotary Valve Head
        • The "Cheater" Manifold
        • Chevy Twin Turbo
      • Midget Racers >
        • SESCO Engines
        • V-4 Cylinder Chevrolet Wilson
        • 2-Cylinder Offy
        • Stapp Engine
        • SCAT Engine
        • V-8 Cylinder Oldsmobile 215
        • Popp SOHC
        • Marchese DOHC
        • Simonek Engine
    • People >
      • Famous Builders >
        • A.J. Watson
        • Harry A. Miller
        • Ed Iskendarian
        • Stu Hilborn
        • Mickey Thompson
        • Smokey Yunick
        • Carroll Shelby
        • Vic Edelbrock Sr.
        • Robert Roof
        • Leo Goossen
      • Speedway Motors Drivers >
        • Jan Opperman
        • Doug Wolfgang
        • Joe Saldana
        • Cheryl Glass
        • Tiny Lund
        • Lloyd Beckman
        • Cliff Sealock
        • Don Brown
        • Keith Hightshoe
        • Bob Coulter
        • Tim Schulz
        • Grady Wade
        • Larry Dickson
        • Howdy Williams
        • Jay Woodside
        • John Wilkinson
        • Ray Lee Goodwin
        • Don Droud Jr.
        • Frank Brennfoerder
        • Woody Brinkman
        • Bill Utz
        • Ed Bowes
        • Harold Leep
        • Thad Dosher
        • Roy Bryant
        • Dick Sutcliffe
        • Don Maxwell
        • Danny Wallace
        • Lonnie Jensen
        • Jerry Stone
        • John Gerloff
        • Bob Burdick
        • Shane Carson
        • John Larson
        • Ed Leavitt
        • John MacKichan
        • Bill Smith
        • Greg Weld
        • Gordon Woolley
        • Kyle Berck
      • Famous Photographers >
        • Leroy Byers
        • Bob Mays
    • Toys, Etc. >
      • Buck Rogers
      • Lunch Boxes
      • Pedal Cars
      • Tether Cars >
        • #777 Garold Frymire Streamliner
        • Champion
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        • Polywog
        • Richter #2
        • Richter #12
        • Royal
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Don Maxwell was born in Appleton, WI., November 23, 1944.  He got a taste for racing early on when his mother would drag race people from stop lights with her 1949 Plymouth on the city streets of Albuquerque, NM.
 
In 1962 Don started drag racing himself.  The street the racers chose at that time was the road that went past Speedway Park in Albuquerque.  On nights when the circle track was running, they would leave the lights on, which would cut into Maxwell’s street racing time.  In late 1964, Maxwell bought a ticket to the races at Speedway Park and got his first glimpse of a sprint car.
 
Meeting up with men such as Jerry Miller, Johnny Capels and Buddy Taylor had its effect on Don.  Miller, who was an established star at Speedway Park needed parts made for the upcoming season, so he and Maxwell shared Don’s shop.  Maxwell started his circle track career in 1965 at Speedway Park, and won Rookie of the Year.  He won his first feature the next season at Amarillo, TX.
 
Maxwell started building parts for other racers right from the beginning, which in turn helped him to keep racing.  He built one or two cars for other racers, charging $500 if they bought the parts. “I have to say, I came along at the perfect time for an innovator.  Now it would be hard to make one better, but back then the cars were pitiful,” stated Maxwell.  Obviously, Maxwell felt it would be easy to make improvements.

​The fact that there was much more money to be made was brought home in the fall of 1966.  At a USAC sprint race in Phoenix, Don met Mario Andretti, who took Maxwell to the shop of his Indy car mechanic, Clint Brawner. While Maxwell and Brawner were talking, Max noticed a sprint car with a for sale sign on it.  Max asked Brawner how much he wanted for it and Brawner said, $12,500.  “That’s when I realized there was more opportunity in this than I was taking advantage of,” said Maxwell.
 
By 1971, Maxwell was one of the top drivers and builders in the Southwest.  He heard that LaVern Nance wanted to get into the sprint car building business, so he made a trip to Wichita, KS.  Nance hired Maxwell and they went to work as a full-time builder for the first time.  Then Bill Smith of Speedway Motors lured him to Lincoln in February, 1972.

​The first car Maxwell built for Smith was a kit car that had never been finished.  After Maxwell put it together, it sat in the warehouse until Bill’s son, Carson, got it ready for Lloyd Beckman in 1982.  With this 10-year-old “new” car they won the track championship at Midwest Speedway.
Jan Opperman was looking for someone who could build cars the way Opp liked them, and Maxwell was receptive. 
They joined forces - Maxwell the builder and Opperman the salesman.  Some of the other talented individuals that spent time building Maxwell racecars were: Randy Hunt, Tommy Sanders, Doug Wolfgang, Ray Royal and John Singer.  It wasn’t long before Maxwell’s reputation began to grow.
 
With all this talent behind the wheel and on the wrenches, it’s no wonder some of the biggest races in the sport fell to Maxwell’s creations, including the Knoxville Nationals, the Hulman Classic and the Tampa, FL, Wiinternationals, as well as many track and association championships.
 
One memorable race that Max himself won came at North Star Speedway in Blaine, MN, in 1975.  After a rainout at Knoxville on Saturday, Maxwell decided to head to North Star for the regular Sunday night show.  He dropped his wife, Sandra, and their young son, Thane, off at the grandstand and Don headed for the pits with the rig.  All of the good pits spots had already been taken, so Max, there all by himself, had to unload the car and the trailer without any help in a rather muddy portion of the pits.  He managed to push the car up to the line by himself, then jump in and went out and set fast time for the evening. 
 
In the trophy dash, he just missed winning, finishing a close second to Roger Larson.  When he came in from the dash, a young man came over and held Don’s helmet while he got out of the car.  Don then set to work making a few changes for the heat race, which he won.  The young man that had helped Don with his helmet was now at the car with a friend and they scraped the mud off and put fuel in for the feature.  Don won the feature rather handily and upon arriving at his pit, in addition to the two guys that had been helping him, he had 20 or so, well wishers who were more that willing to help him get everything packed up and the car loaded back on the trailer, none of whom he knew!
Maxwell brought many innovations to sprint car racing, including the signature hood, which had a lower, more aerodynamic profile than most hoods of the time.  Max also came up with the first inboard brakes on sprint cars. 
He built the first plastic fuel tanks as well, which brought the cost of a tank from $700 for the old aluminum ones to around $150 for his tanks.  The basis for his design is still being used today.
 
Don and his wife, Sandra, were married in 1968 and they have two children, Donald Thane and Tammy Shubert.  He still has his southwest Lincoln fabrication shop, where he can build everything from a street rod to decorative yard fences, as well as building the stage sets for some of music’s biggest stars.
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Employee Login
  • Home
  • About
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Volunteers
  • Displays
    • Vehicles >
      • Open Wheel >
        • 1935 Miller-Ford
        • Mechanical Rabbit
        • Johnny Lightning Special
        • #8 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special
        • #45 “The Pup” Champ Car
        • Wolfgang #4 Sprint Car
        • #4 LeFevre Dirt Champ Car
        • Opperman's 4x Sprint Car
        • #1 Dunseth Sprint Car
        • #5 Randol Offy
        • 4x Sedan
        • Wolfgang 4x Sprint car
        • 4x Offset Roadster
        • #43 Christie Miller
        • #57 Plymouth STP
        • Blue Crown Special
        • Tamale Wagon
        • #11 Kinser Sprint Car
        • #1 Kodiak Special
        • Channel-Lock Special
        • Stealth Special
        • Andy Gump Sprint Car
        • #94 Kenny Weld Sprint Car
        • Black Deuce
        • #1 Delrose Holt Silver Crown
        • #30 P.O.B Sprint Car
        • #2 Watson Dirt Champ car
        • #5 Watson Roadster
        • #96 Trostle Sprint Car
        • #94 Nance Super Modified
      • Indy Pit >
        • #54 Chicago Rawhide Special
        • #81 Central Excavating Special
        • 1914 Cornelian
      • Music Room >
        • Lively Set Car
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1953 Corvette
        • Hedy Lamarr's 1958 Cadillac
        • 1920 Model T Ford Hot Rod
        • Lady Luck T-Bucket
        • 1949 Kurtis Sports Car
        • Jack Beck's Alfa Romeo
        • 8 Ball Hudson
        • Ariel Square Four Motorcycle
        • Turbine Powered Daytona Boss
        • 2003 Honest Charley's Flathead Motorcycle
        • #2 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
        • Coors Extra Gold "32
        • The Dale Car
        • 1966 Plymouth Hemi Belvedere
      • Land Speed >
        • MacKichan-Schulz Streamliner
        • Rossi's 1927 T Cosworth
        • Eelco Wee Eel II
        • #494 Model A Streamliner
        • #43 Creel Lakester
        • Ron Main's Flatfire Streamliner
        • HAL Dry Lakes Roadster
        • Art Gerrick's Dry Lakes Car
        • 1933 Chevy Comp Coupe
        • #77 Seth Hammond Lakester
      • Safety >
        • Jack Petty Ford
      • Show Cars >
        • Bergler's 'More Aggravation'
        • Red Baron
        • 1934 "Sweet Dreams" Ford Roadster
        • "Big Daddy" Roth's Outlaw Tribute
        • 1937 Studebaker Extremeliner
        • Boothill Express
        • Fahrner's X-Ray Roadster
        • Goldbrick
        • Venus
        • Zausner Speedway Special Roadster
        • Zausner Vicky
      • Luxury Cars >
        • Tucker
        • Duesenberg Model J
        • Essence of Bucciali
      • Legends in Racing >
        • 1965 Mustang GT
        • Shelby Series 1 Roadster
        • Pumpkin Seed
      • Dragsters >
        • GMC Dragter
        • Tony Nancy Wedge II
        • 303 Roadtser
        • Smaldino & Yates "Fargo" Dragster
        • E.J. Potter's "Whizzer" Drag Bike
        • Ramcharger Funny Car
        • Swamp Rat V-B
        • 1931 Bantam Drag Car
      • NASCAR >
        • #21 Pearson Mercury
        • #26 Curtis Turner 1956 Ford Sunliner
        • 1956 Pontiac Sedan
        • Robert Yates Racing Ford
        • #9 Kasey Kahne
      • Le Mans >
        • Cadillac LMP Le Mans Prototype
      • Model T >
        • Montier Ford
        • 5 Millionth Ford
        • Lloyd Fisher Fronty Race Car & Hauler
        • #6 Voboril Brothers
        • Craig-Hunt T-Powered Race Car
        • The Galvanized Bullet
        • Twin-Engine Model T Speedster
        • Spruce Deuce
        • Mercury Speedster
        • Edsel's Hot Rod
        • Fronty-Ford #27
        • 1908 REO
        • 1886 Benz Replica
        • 1912 Indian Board Track Racer
      • Model A and B >
        • ​1931 Model A Coupe
        • Hy-Point Special
        • Red Devil Pickup
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • 1950's Roaring Roadster
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • #26 Miller Fertilizer Special
        • #60 Super Modified
        • Arnold's Auto Wrecking Jalopy
        • #2 Ranger Sprint Car
      • Quarter Midgets >
        • Micro-Sprint #95
        • 1959 Moss (1/2) Midget
        • TQ Midget
        • Offyette Quarter Midget
        • Elvis's Quarter Midget
        • Dreyer Junior Racers
        • #8 June Bug
      • Midget Racers >
        • Lloyd Axel #5
        • Edmunds-Sesco Midget
        • #97 Henderson
        • #46 Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser
        • #1 Edmunds-Kenyen
        • #10 Lynch Offy
        • #1 Bardahl Special
        • #4 Ramada Inn Offy
        • #76 Honker
        • #4 Rex Mays Offy
        • #44 Ed's Auto V8-60
        • Lewis-Yeley Midget
        • Wilke-Pak Mopar
        • #8 Reichenbach SESCO Midget
        • #78 Red Caruthers Midget
    • Engines >
      • Miller Room >
        • 272 ci Miller DOHC v-16
        • 1932 Miller 308 c.i. DOHC V-8
        • 1953 Studebaker DOHC V-8
        • Miller DOHC 200 c.i. 4 Cylinder engine
      • Open Wheel >
        • Moser
        • Rodeck 406 Engine
        • 220 Offenhauser
        • Robert Roof SOHC
        • Rajo-Lencki 4
        • Gallivan DOHC
        • 1913 Chalmers
        • Plymouth Weslake
        • Voelker 6
        • Foyt DOHC Indy Engine
      • Indy Pit >
        • 2002 Toyota RV8F CART engine
        • Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
        • Mercedes Indy Engine
        • Brayton V-8 Indy Engine
        • Drake V8
        • Fronty-Ford "DO" Engine
        • 1935 Studebaker Straight-8
        • Fueling Oldsmobile Indy Engine
        • Weslake Chevy Conversion
        • Gurney-Eagle Ford Indy Engine
        • Supercharged Offy 110
      • Bill's Garage >
        • 1915 Wilbee V-8 Engine
      • Land Speed >
        • Ron Main's Flat Fire
        • MacKichan-Schulz 302 CID Chevrolet
      • Luxury Car Engines >
        • 1930 Cadillac V-16
      • Legends in Racing >
        • Yunick Twin Turbo
      • Model T >
        • HAL Akron-Hed
      • Model A and B >
        • HAL SOHC
      • Flathead Ford V-8 >
        • V-8 60 Ardun OHV Conversion Display
        • Tornado OHV Conversion
        • Robertson Flathead
        • V-8 Ford Birner
        • Ford Alexander
      • Orphan Engines (Misc.) >
        • Hudson Twin H-Power 6 Cylinder
        • 1923 Chevrolet Series M
        • Sweet 16 Chevrolet
        • Hispano-Suiza Engine
        • 1911 Reynolds Rotary Valve 4-Cyl. Engine
        • Alfa Romeo Twin Cam Engine
        • Bugatti Type B Engine
        • Scheel Rotary Valve Head
        • The "Cheater" Manifold
        • Chevy Twin Turbo
      • Midget Racers >
        • SESCO Engines
        • V-4 Cylinder Chevrolet Wilson
        • 2-Cylinder Offy
        • Stapp Engine
        • SCAT Engine
        • V-8 Cylinder Oldsmobile 215
        • Popp SOHC
        • Marchese DOHC
        • Simonek Engine
    • People >
      • Famous Builders >
        • A.J. Watson
        • Harry A. Miller
        • Ed Iskendarian
        • Stu Hilborn
        • Mickey Thompson
        • Smokey Yunick
        • Carroll Shelby
        • Vic Edelbrock Sr.
        • Robert Roof
        • Leo Goossen
      • Speedway Motors Drivers >
        • Jan Opperman
        • Doug Wolfgang
        • Joe Saldana
        • Cheryl Glass
        • Tiny Lund
        • Lloyd Beckman
        • Cliff Sealock
        • Don Brown
        • Keith Hightshoe
        • Bob Coulter
        • Tim Schulz
        • Grady Wade
        • Larry Dickson
        • Howdy Williams
        • Jay Woodside
        • John Wilkinson
        • Ray Lee Goodwin
        • Don Droud Jr.
        • Frank Brennfoerder
        • Woody Brinkman
        • Bill Utz
        • Ed Bowes
        • Harold Leep
        • Thad Dosher
        • Roy Bryant
        • Dick Sutcliffe
        • Don Maxwell
        • Danny Wallace
        • Lonnie Jensen
        • Jerry Stone
        • John Gerloff
        • Bob Burdick
        • Shane Carson
        • John Larson
        • Ed Leavitt
        • John MacKichan
        • Bill Smith
        • Greg Weld
        • Gordon Woolley
        • Kyle Berck
      • Famous Photographers >
        • Leroy Byers
        • Bob Mays
    • Toys, Etc. >
      • Buck Rogers
      • Lunch Boxes
      • Pedal Cars
      • Tether Cars >
        • #777 Garold Frymire Streamliner
        • Champion
        • Olsen Machine
        • Polywog
        • Richter #2
        • Richter #12
        • Royal
        • Bluebird Streamliner
      • Soap Box Derby
      • Cookie Jars
      • Car Mascots
      • Taxi
      • Car Club Plaques
    • Safety Display
  • Events
    • Cars & Coffee
    • Speedsters Trials & Reunion
    • Plan Your Event
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Membership
  • Contact
  • Visit
    • Harvest Hosts
    • School Field Trips
    • FAQ
  • Shop