What also helped with the transition was that there were several people already in Indiana that he had known for years. He also reports that, in general, the entire racing community was welcoming. It had always been his style to learn from others, even if it was just a tidbit here and there. Interestingly, if there was one person who stood out as a mentor in this phase of his life it was the late Bubby Jones.
Max and Scott Adams did some work at Bubby‘s house and that led to opportunities to draw from the Hall of Famer‘s wealth of knowledge. Thinking about the moments he was able to spend with Bubby, Adams says, “He was the one person who really put it all together for me. When I had the chance to be around him, he would talk and I would just listen. I would ask some questions, but I really didn‘t have to ask many because when he talked it just resonated with me. He put a lot of things in perspective and made me think a bit differently about racing.
“He was the only guy who I could call on the phone and he could make my race car better. He could dial it in on the phone. I truly think he was that good. It was rough not having him last year. We had hooked up together about a month before Sprint Week when I came out. I ran real good at Putnamville and was second with the MSCS at Terre Haute. So this was a game changer. I still go back to things he said. Almost every day when I am working on a race car I will think about what he would do or what he said. He was pretty influential. I wish I could have met him early in my career.”
While Bubby was no longer there to offer Adams guidance, he was hardly cast adrift. It is difficult to imagine anyone with a greater wealth of knowledge about the Indiana bullring scene than owner Paul Hazen. As luck would have it, Max was now on the sage‘s radar.
To truly understand what made the initial contact between Hazen and Adams so typical requires one to be familiar with the latter‘s temperament. “Chad Boespflug kind of organized it between us,” Max recalls. “I can‘t remember what Chad was doing at the time but I think he wanted to go wing racing. Clinton Boyles had left and Paul had one or two other drivers between me and Clinton. I think my first night with him was the James Dean race at Gas City. I can‘t remember if he called or Chad had given me his number, but he was like, ‘Well, do you want to race? Do you want to run Gas City this weekend?‘ I said yes, and he said, ‘Sounds good. I‘ll see you there.‘ That is pretty much how the first conversation went. Few words and straight to the point.”
It was the start of a relationship that Adams enjoyed immensely. “I love racing for him,” he says. “He is super easy and doesn‘t put a whole lot of stress on me. It‘s fun when you run well and come back and see that smile.
Adams responded with some solid outings at Gas City, Kokomo, and Waynesville, Ohio, and from there they were off and running. As the 2020 season was winding down, a funny thing happened. While Adams had been dedicated to picking and choosing his races, he looked up one day and realized a significant prize was within his grasp. Gas City Speedway is approximately 15 minutes away from his home, and it was a place Paul Hazen likes to race. They had fallen into a habit. Paul would call and, if Adams had nothing else planned on his schedule, he would swing over and take the wheel of the famous No. 57 sprint car. With that as a backdrop, and realizing he had missed some races at Gas City during the year, he was shocked to learn that he was just 14 points behind in the track‘s championship chase.
It was then he had a slight change of plans. He was scheduled to race with USAC at Bloomington Speedway on a Friday night, but thought it might be worthwhile to forgo the trip south and, instead, try to put a title on his resume. In the end it worked out. No it isn‘t a USAC championship, but it was still a signature accomplishment. In short order, Max Adams had made his way to Indiana and nabbed a major track championship, and scored wins at Gas City and Lawrenceburg Speedway along the way.
This kind of success vindicated his decision to change his base of operations. Actually, a return trip to Perris Auto Speedway for the 2019 Oval Nationals convinced Max that he had already benefitted from his move. “When I was racing CRA out here, it was down to once a month at Perris and once a month somewhere else,” he says. “So, we were literally racing twice a month. It was tough, because I couldn‘t stay up with the race car. In Indiana, you can try something on Friday night and be terrible, and you can go back to the basics on Saturday. Whereas, if I tried something at Perris one month and was terrible, I would have to think about it for a full month and wonder if I did the right thing or not. I could learn more in one weekend in Indiana than I could in a month and a half in California. It really sharpens your racing a lot.”
In the 2019 season, the biggest hurdle Adams faced was learning new race tracks, but even with those struggles he had assessed that he possessed the requisite skills to compete. With more experience under his belt, Adams says he is comfortable at Lincoln Park and Lawrenceburg Speedways, but feels he is still dialing in his program at
Kokomo and Gas City.
Gas City presents a particular challenge because, in his estimation, it is a track that can change radically throughout an evening. Sure, there is work to be done, but he likes where his program is heading. “I felt really good last year,” he says. “Sometimes I didn‘t get the right break or put the full night together, but I felt way more confident in local shows, and that showed when I knocked off a win at Lawrenceburg and Gas City.”
When it comes to racing with the USAC National series, he thinks it is a matter of consistency. He often can qualify well but realizes he just needs to put a complete show together and have everything fall just right to grab the brass ring for the first time.
Heading into 2021, his plan included running some shows with owner Mike Gass, the venerable Paul Hazen, and partnering with A.J. Felker. He had hoped to compete in all of the Indiana USAC shows, and perhaps do a bit of traveling. Where need be, he was always ready to climb aboard his own equipment. For the moment, longtime Brady Bacon crew member D.J. “Elbow” Ledow is offering Max garage space in his Union City, Indiana shop, but Scott Adams is preparing to build a new facility on the family property. This is important because he admits there are times when he prefers to drag his own car to the track.
“I have driven for great people and I have loved everyone that I have driven for,” he says. “But it can be frustrating sometimes, because with my own stuff I can just do whatever I want and try things. But it is easier racing for someone else; 100 percent. When I drive for someone else, I don‘t need to be back working on my tires but instead can be up at the track watching and learning.”
Unfortunately, many of his plans were derailed after a mishap at Gas City Speedway in early July resulted in second and third degree burns on his leg. The good news is that he is healing, although there is some expected discomfort. The injuries will keep him away from work for several weeks, and his timetable for a return to the cockpit depend on the recovery process. One thing is for certain, he will be back.