IT ’ S A TOTAL FAMILY AFFAIR FOR CONNELLEY , WHO SUCCESSFULLY
CAMPAIGNED A PAIR OF MUSTANGS IN 2020 EN ROUTE TO ONE OF HIS
BEST SEASONS AS A DRIVER . have to work the day that we leave , and we try to leave that evening . And then , I drove the whole way home and had time to take a shower and go to work on Monday morning . All of us worked Monday . So that is really common .”
Connelley is the working man ’ s racer through and through , and he wouldn ’ t change it for anything . He lives in a modest house on a farm in the quiet , small town of Salyersville in eastern Kentucky , and it ’ s complemented by a modest racing operation .
There ’ s nothing fancy and nothing high-dollar when it comes to Connelley ’ s racing or his way of life . His close-knit team has worked together for more than 10 successful years , and his wife , Michelle , accompanied him to the dragstrip two weeks into their relationship when he was 19 .
It was love at first burnout , and husband and wife maintain a healthy competition when it comes to work ethic and zero downtime .
Connelley is fueled by a passion for success in anything and everything he does , which this year means trying to thrive in Ultra Street and NMRA Renegade .
Connelley is fueled by a passion for success in anything and everything he does , which this year means trying to thrive in Ultra Street and NMRA Renegade .
After campaigning two cars a year ago , including the Mustang that dominated the DXP Street classes at both Lights Out 11 and No Mercy 10 in 2020 , Connelley and his team made a massive overhaul in the off-season .
They converted the silver Mustang into an Ultra Street car over the winter , installing the engine and transmission out of the orange Limited 235 Mustang , adding a Haltech system and ProCharger power , and jumped into a new challenge .
Connelley sees his present and future in Ultra Street , a thriving class loaded with heavy hitters and an abundance of races . While the results and the major changes and forward-thinking approach haven ’ t yielded a win yet this year , Connelley is betting success will come .
April 2021 DragIllustrated . com | Drag Illustrated | 77