BY KAYLA ZADEL PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICK BELDEN AND DAVID HILNER

ELLY CLONTZ isn ’ t afraid to speak what ’ s on her mind . In fact , her motto is “ respectfully bold .” It ’ s something that she embraces , not only as a woman competing in drag racing but also as a woman working in a man-dominated industry and navigating the rivalries and personalities of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle .

In the past , Clontz ’ s approach was to sit back and not get involved in the off-track tension . However , in the last few months , she ’ s decided to tell people what she thinks .

“ I mean , that ’ s what I do anyway ,” she says . “ It ’ s like when you go to work every day , there ’ s always that one employee that has to walk around

talking about how hard they work . But they ain ’ t doing nothing because if you were that busy , you wouldn ’ t be in my office telling me how hard you work .

“ It ’ s the same thing in Pro Stock Motorcycle . It ’ s that one person who ’ s told us how hard they work , and it ’ s like , invest all that energy into your program , and let ’ s see how it unfolds .”

Clontz , who is the estimating director for a large electrical company by trade , has put in the work , along with passion and perseverance .

“ I ’ m not this fairy tale story of I grew up around motorcycles , and I created this great opportunity , and I ’ m such an athlete ,” explains Clontz . “ I ’ ve had to work for every single thing that I have . I was very smart in school and that ’ s basically what I had . I graduated and got my career going , and I feel like if you stick with things and you continue to put one foot in front of the other and

make forward progress , you can have anything you want in life .”

Two things that Clontz , who has worked in construction for 22 years and has raced for over 20 , doesn ’ t let hold her back are age and gender .

“ I feel like all too often we put timelines on things , especially for young women . I ’ m a perfect definition of if you just continue to work towards whatever your dream is , you can make anything happen if you just stick with it and put one foot in front of the other ,” she adds .

When it comes to equality in drag racing , Clontz sheds light on gender and why it shouldn ’ t be a barrier .

“ Yes , I feel that more women are in it . Do I

think there ’ s equal respect ? Yes , to a certain point , but part of me thinks a lot of the inequality is women ’ s fault , and that ’ s because so many women accept certain things instead of saying , ‘ Hey , this is how you ’ re going to treat me ,’ or ‘ this is how it ’ s going to be .’ They kind of just sit back and allow people to dictate what ’ s going to happen for them instead of going out and getting it and not using [ gender ] as an excuse ,” she begins .

“ I ’ m sure that there are a lot of people that don ’ t agree with me , but like I said , I work in construction , and I race in a man ’ s dominated world , and I ’ m one that ’ s not going to take no crap from anybody , period , and people know it . You can demand respect , and I think we still have work to do .”

Addressing the work that still needs to be done , she shares her thoughts on how to achieve greater equality .

“ I think they need to stop categorizing themselves as a woman because I try to go in every day with just the mentality like , ‘ I ’ m here , and I ’ ve got to get this and that done ,’” Clontz continues . “ There ’ s never even a thought process of ‘ Oh , it ’ s because I ’ m a woman .’ I don ’ t play that card , and I feel like if you do play that card , you can ’ t play it and then be mad about it at the same time . You have to say , ‘ Hey , this is my value , this is what I ’ m worth , this is the respect that I demand .’ People treat you differently when you have that thought process .”

During Clontz ’ s ride to the professional ranks , she looked up to one person , who has since become a family friend .

“ I met Karen Stoffer – I think it was like 2004 – and she ’ s always been my favorite person in racing , and we built that relationship ,” explains Clontz , sharing that her husband , Chris , and Karen ’ s husband , Gary , would discuss various tune-ups . “ I call her Mama Bear because she ’ s just such a wonderful person , and she really has the best interest in success for people , and she ’ s really helped me out in that aspect .”

Besides working her way up the racing ladder to the Pro Stock Motorcycle level , Clontz is especially proud of her performance in 2023 at the NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis , Texas , where she set her career-best E . T . and speed , going 6.705 at 201.99 MPH .

“ It kind of just elevates you to a different mindset level when you see the numbers on paper , and you walk up on stage , and you ’ re No . 2 – that was freaking awesome ,” she says .

As for what ’ s next for Clontz and her Steamfitters UA Local 602-backed team , which has been on board as a primary sponsor since 2018 , is to win a Wally .

“ I feel like my skill set , my team effort , and my efforts as a racer haven ’ t been put on paper statistically at the level that I feel we ’ re at ,” says Clontz .

“ That ’ s one thing I don ’ t have – a whole lot of luck on my side ,” she continues . “ I have to earn every little thing that we have out here . I feel like the time ’ s going to turn when everything falls into place because I ’ m a big believer , and I wouldn ’ t be in Pro Stock Motorcycle for seven years if I didn ’ t believe it . My ultimate goal is to hoist the Wally . That is it . I can see it , feel it , taste it , and visualize it . I know I have everything I need to make that happen . It ’ s just all the pieces coming together .” DI

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