2022 Season In Review

This last season was filled with ups and downs which made it the most memorable one yet.

PELHAM, AL - At the end of the 2021 season Mullinax Racing got a taste of travel, something that the team had not dedicated itself to in years. But this would all change in 2022 as the team set itself a goal to run more races away from Talladega, the home track, than ever before.

The pre-season started early for the Mullinax Racing crew, particularly Caden when he competed at both Fort Payne and Senoia Raceway in February and March. These two proved to be rough on him where he suffered damage at Fort Payne and a blown motor at Senoia in hot Laps.

The team planned some more of their pre-season running at Duck River Raceway Park, a track south of Nashville where they performed some much-needed testing. Here both Maddux and Caden got seat time at the revived raceway in the Black Diamond and then headed back home for the season opener at Talladega Short Track (TST).

April 2nd was the season opener at Talladega and all three drivers were set to make their season debuts that night. Maddux blew out his brakes in his all-black Longhorn during practice and would hop in Red Farmer's car for the rest of the night. The night would quickly turn around in Maddux's favor as he would pick up the win in the famed F97 and pick up a win in the first race of the season.

The next race weekend was the NASCAR Weekend at TST where the team would compete against Crate Racing USA's and NASCAR's best. Night one saw Josh Adkins charge up the field and bag a top 5, while Maddux also started in the back with 2020 NASCAR Champion Chase Elliott and finish 21st. The second night saw both Josh and Maddux start the race again, but this time Josh Adkins finished 14th, after starting 22nd, and Maddux pulling off after nine laps.

The next outing for the team had Maddux and Josh, again at TST, where Josh Adkins would pick up his first win of the season after drawing dead last in the pill draw. This forced him to come up the field in the heat race and then again in the feature in an incredible performance.

In early June the team would race again at Talladega with all three drivers. Maddux started off well, winning his heat race, but engine trouble ended his night when he pulled off the track. Josh picked up his third top 5 of the season finishing 4th, and Caden also competed well finishing 6th in the race.

Later that month the team carried all three cars across the state border to Senoia Raceway in what would prove to be one of the roughest races yet. Due to rain that week, the track was in a rough state, but this did not deter the team. Josh would finish strong in 6th while both Caden and Maddux had to drive through the field finishing 11th and 12th respectively.

Next up on the schedule was the Salute to America Nationals where the team would have to attempt to race their way in to a 50-lap feature. Caden grabbed the final transfer spot as Maddux had trouble with his set-up. In the feature he ran very well going from 22nd to 14th in the 50 laps.

Maddux and Caden would travel to Senoia a second time that summer for a CRUSA race with 48 entries but sadly both would miss the race. After that Caden, alone, would run at TST where he would win his heat race but struggle in the feature and finishing fifth.

August was a strong month for the team with two races at Talladega, both marked with comeback performances by the Mullinax brothers. In the first both Caden and Maddux started 7th and 9th respectively and both advanced four spots to finish 3rd and 5th. The next one had Caden go from the back in 9th to finish 4th as Maddux was spun mid-way through the race and forced to fight in the back.

Also, during that month Josh would return to the driver seat and in dominating form. Josh started on pole and lead every lap, winning the race by nearly half a track and picking up his second win of the season. He did this, all while plagued with massive migraines that turned out to be post-concussion syndrome that forced him to sit out multiple months and missing most of the remaining season.

September saw the boys try out a new track in its first season down in Clanton, Al, called Buck Shot Speedway. This small track provided hard racing in the 30-lap feature where the Mullinax Brothers finished next to each other, Caden 6th and Maddux 7th.

During October, team owner and captain, Chris Mullinax, decided he would take a swing at the Lucas Oil Race coming to Talladega in his super late model normally driven by Dallas Cooper. This would become one of the highlights of the season as the old veteran would show that he still had it and run down and beat many of the sport's best drivers, finishing 11th!

The team then turned its sights towards Whynot Mississippi where they would be for three days competing in the 28th Annual Fall Classic in the 604 division. Here the team saw great success as both cars made the 26-car show out of a 54-car field. Maddux started 13th and finished 11th while Caden started 26th and moved up to 19th during the feature event.

Two weeks later, in November, Josh Adkins once again got behind the wheel as the team traveled up to Duck River where they entered a 604 car into the Ironman Late Model series. Even though they were greatly out matched in horsepower, Josh and the team still put in a very strong performance finishing in the top 10 in an incredible drive.

The next week both Maddux and Caden would attempt their final race of the season at Magnolia Motor Speedway in a $10,000 race. Another three-day show, the team planned to spend Thursday in practice, but Caden blew his motor in the first practice session of the night and forced him to retire his car for the day. This forced the team to change the motor on site Friday morning and get the car ready for qualifying.

Both drivers learned a lot at the track, but they would both miss the show. This was a disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic season for the team.

At the end of the season the Mullinax Racing team believe that they have improved greatly over the year. This was a season of growing and expanding horizons as next year the sights are going to be aimed higher. Next season the team looks to grow even more, forming partnerships that will help improve their knowledge base and possibly even travel around with the CRUSA series.

And to all the supporters who follow the Facebook or Instagram page, we, from the Mullinax Racing team, would like to express our thanks for the support that you all have given us. Please continue to follow our racing on our social media and here on this website.