MAXIM History

Maxim Chassis began revolutionizing the sprint car world in 1988. A collaboration of ideas created the first Maxim prototype chassis. In February 1989, with Johnny Herrera as the test pilot, founder and Springfield Illinois native Chuck Merrill presented Maxim Chassis Number 89-025.5 at the Florida All Stars Sprint Week. By June of 1989, with a total of six employees Maxim moved into a new 7,000 square foot facility. It Is in this facility that Maxim grew from producing a mere handful of cars to building hundreds of chassis. This growth was due in large part to the dedication and hard work of Maxim customers who put their cars consistently in the winners circle. One customer in particular was legendary car owner Karl Kinser. This led to the development of what is known today as the K-car or KLS (Kinser Lightweight Standard). In 1990 the first K-car was lifted off of Jig Table #1, and the standards of sprint car racing were forever altered. In it’s first four years of construction, Steve Kinser wheeled the K-car to four consecutive Knoxville Nationals victories. From California to New York and Alaska to Australia, racers found a chassis that offered every advantage. Based on safety and performance, the K-car has proven to be the most dominant sprint car chassis ever constructed, winning ten Knoxville Nationals titles, six manufacturer of the year awards, countless feature victories, and fourteen World of Outlaws Championships. The new millennium brought even more changes to Maxim moving in 2002 to Maxim’s present location, 12,600 square foot building, complete with two story showroom on the east side of Springfield, Illinois. In 2014, Chuck Merrill retired, stepped away from Maxim, and sold the business to the Musselman’s. Owner, Dan Musselman, leads a staff team of approximately 15 in the Springfield based chassis manufacturing facility. At present, Maxim continues to build hundreds of chassis’ annually and strives to provide the best product and customer service in the industry.

MAXIM Accomplishments

Multi-Time World of Outlaw Chassis Manufacturer of the Year
Reigning WoO Championship Team Chassis Builder
Reigning USAC National Sprint Car Championship Team Chassis Builder

MAXIM Mission Statement

To make the best sprint car chassis' and components with the highest levels of quality while providing exceptional customer service.