CrossFit Mayhem Unveils Race Car Sponsorship Ahead of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

On Monday, May 24, CrossFit Mayhem founder Rich Froning went live on Instagram to reveal a race car sitting in his barn. This vehicle featured the iconic M logo on the hood, an American flag, Galatians 6:14, and “Mayhem Nation” on the rear fenders. 

One big thing: The No. 7 Chevrolet SS belongs to Layne Schranz, the pastor at Church of the Highlands and a mainstay at Pikes Peak. He is the son of legendary Pikes Peak competitor, 10-time race winner, and Hall of Famer Randy Schranz. He has competed at the fan-favorite destination since 1993 and has previously registered victories at Pikes Peak in 2012, 2016, and 2020 while breaking the 10-minute mark. Now he will shoot for another while working with CrossFit Mayhem.

• “He’s made the all-time record at Pikes Peak,” explained Brian Nelson, CrossFit Mayhem’s Chief Financial Officer. “He’s got two more years to race. He’s going to race this year, and then he’s going to run the race next year and then retire.”
• “[Schranz] is out of Birmingham, AL. He only races this one race a year. Outside of racing, he does ministerial work, which fits with everything we are trying to accomplish. Faith, family, fitness, and all of that.” 

Fitness and Faith: Nelson originally met Schranz roughly six years ago in Alabama while working as Froning’s personal advisor. Nelson was helping Schranz launch a church, but he did not discuss any sponsorship opportunities at the time. This conversation did not happen until Nelson joined Mayhem full-time and Schranz made the decision to leave longtime partner Geico.   

• “We had kind of talked about fitness, and he’s very into functional fitness,” Nelson explained. “That’s another cool thing about Layne. He’s into the same insane style of fitness we are for the last 10 years. Extreme marathon runner, extremely fit.” 
• “The conversations last year were just about fitness. It led to how we could partner up on the racing side. We really wanted to do something different with Mayhem, Mayhem Racing. 

CrossFit Mayhem will not simply embrace the racing world with its sponsorship. Nelson also explained that there are plans in place for some special Mayhem Racing merchandise. The designs are not yet final due to Semifinals and Games preparation, but fans of the iconic gym could soon have racing-inspired designs to wear around town. 

A Hall of Fame resume: As a multi-time Pikes Peak champion, Schranz has made his mark on professional motorsports. Nelson explained that the No. 7 Chevrolet SS is heading to the Hall of Fame once the veteran driver retires, which will add an interesting element to the new sponsorship. 

• “[Schranz] was like, ‘I need two more years. If you can do that, wherever this car finishes is how I’ll put it in the Hall of Fame,” Nelson explained. “It’s pretty cool. Mayhem Nation’s car will be in the Racing Hall of Fame.”
• “It will sit there with our graphics on it forever. Having CrossFit inside of the racing world will be pretty sweet.”   

The bottom line: When the green flag waves on June 27, Schranz will make one of his final trips up Pikes Peak as a competitor. He will do so while representing CrossFit Mayhem and completing one of the most fascinating crossovers in racing history. There are multiple race car drivers that embrace functional fitness to prepare for grueling races, but Schranz is taking it to the next level as he pursues another historic win.