Dave Ely - News Archives

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They'd had enough. Or so they thought by Bruce Ellis SprintCar & Midget Magazine, July 2002 Dave Ely spends a lot of time on the phone these days. A lot more than he spends on the racetrack. He's the sales manager for Diversified Machine, Inc., a fledging component manufacturer trying to crack the tough sprint car market. A year ago Diversified machine did about 25% of its business from racing and 75% from other sources. Now the numbers are reversed, and Dave Ely is partly responsible for that. He likes his new job, which is just one of the recent changes in his life. Two years ago, Dave Ely was the hottest young prospect in Pennsylvania. At 22 he was winning races and was consistently fast. he was the heir apparent. he seemed destined to replace the clique of middle-aged stars that have dominated the Keystone state since the'80s. Two years ago, Ely/Gilbert Racing was a team comprised of working class people who proved they could compete with the high rollers of sprint car racing. Dave Ely put that team together, then he took it apart. And, although he has no regrets, his life both in and out of racing has undergone some major changes since then. he's married now with the responsibility of his own family. That's a major change for sure. And, of course, he's still racing. Just not as much. How could he not race? It's all he's ever know. his grandfathers, Dave Ely and Don Kreitz, were racers. his uncle, Don Kreitz, Jr., is a racer. His father, Mike Ely, is a highly respected sprint car mechanic and fabricator. His mother, Vicki Kreitz Ely, is co-owner of a racing parts business. But, it's the racing part of Dave Ely's life that has changed the most. and he's not sure if those changes were the result of his own maturity or cold, hard reality. Aside to his job in the machine shop, Dave Ely drives a 360 with the United Racing Club. It's a good deal for him. He doesn't have to work on the car or put any of his own money into it. And he has control of the team on race night, which is important to him. But he doesn't talk much about the URC deal. That's understandable. Here's a guy who was winning sprint car races at a very high level at age 21. And that was only three years ago. It's been a wild ride since then. It started when Ely/Gilbert racing became Ely racing in the summer of 2000. Larry and Jan Gilbert supplied motors and tires, the two most expensive items. A team simply can not lose such backing and expect to continue its success. Dave takes full responsibility for the break up. The struggle and frustration of trying to field his own team was too much for Dave and his father, and soon the car was parked. Dave landed in Bob Weikert's Beefmobile in late 2000 and early 2001, but that wasn't quite the same ride Doug Wolfgang stepped into back in 1984. By May of last year the Weikert deal was over and the Elys finished the year on their own. At that point, both father and son realized they couldn't do it any longer. Everything was for sale. They'd had enough. Or so they thought. A conversation Dave had with his friend, Joe Gaerte, changed everything. Gaerte, who prematurely ended his own driving career to run his father's engine building business, made Ely belive he could still afford to race - just not as often. And he agreed to supply a motor to re-establish a Gaerte presence in Pennsylvania. Now the wheels were turning in Dave Ely's head. He had a motor. All he needed was a car. So he called Ronnie Trevis, whose father, Floyd, was once the main man among sprint car chassis builders. Ronnie hasn't built many racecars in recent years, but Dave had some ideas and Trevis agreed to weld the pieces together. A Trevis Craft powered by a Gaerte engine. Sounds like a neat combination to those of us who have been around fro a while. It sounded good to Dave Ely too, who is after all still racing. He knows he can't race 100 nights a year any more. He's not even sure that he wants to do that. But if he picks his races and sticks to his schedule, he just might be able to make this work and have a little fun while he's at it. Racing hadn't been much fun for Dave Ely in some time. So he's confined himself to the time trial shows mostly in Pennsylvania. The races that pay the most. The races where the competition is toughest. The races that, for Dave Ely, have always been the most fun. He knows he still has to race. It's not nearly out of his system yet. Racing is his drug. He's just learning to control his addiction. Back to Home \| Go to News Archives

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They'd had enough. Or so they thought
by Bruce Ellis
SprintCar & Midget Magazine, July 2002

Dave Ely spends a lot of time on the phone these days. A lot more than he spends on the racetrack. He's the sales manager for Diversified Machine, Inc., a fledging component manufacturer trying to crack the tough sprint car market.

A year ago Diversified machine did about 25% of its business from racing and 75% from other sources. Now the numbers are reversed, and Dave Ely is partly responsible for that. He likes his new job, which is just one of the recent changes in his life.

Two years ago, Dave Ely was the hottest young prospect in Pennsylvania. At 22 he was winning races and was consistently fast. he was the heir apparent. he seemed destined to replace the clique of middle-aged stars that have dominated the Keystone state since the'80s.

Two years ago, Ely/Gilbert Racing was a team comprised of working class people who proved they could compete with the high rollers of sprint car racing. Dave Ely put that team together, then he took it apart. And, although he has no regrets, his life both in and out of racing has undergone some major changes since then. he's married now with the responsibility of his own family. That's a major change for sure. And, of course, he's still racing. Just not as much.

How could he not race? It's all he's ever know. his grandfathers, Dave Ely and Don Kreitz, were racers. his uncle, Don Kreitz, Jr., is a racer. His father, Mike Ely, is a highly respected sprint car mechanic and fabricator. His mother, Vicki Kreitz Ely, is co-owner of a racing parts business. But, it's the racing part of Dave Ely's life that has changed the most. and he's not sure if those changes were the result of his own maturity or cold, hard reality.

Aside to his job in the machine shop, Dave Ely drives a 360 with the United Racing Club. It's a good deal for him. He doesn't have to work on the car or put any of his own money into it. And he has control of the team on race night, which is important to him. But he doesn't talk much about the URC deal. That's understandable. Here's a guy who was winning sprint car races at a very high level at age 21. And that was only three years ago.

It's been a wild ride since then.

It started when Ely/Gilbert racing became Ely racing in the summer of 2000. Larry and Jan Gilbert supplied motors and tires, the two most expensive items. A team simply can not lose such backing and expect to continue its success. Dave takes full responsibility for the break up.

The struggle and frustration of trying to field his own team was too much for Dave and his father, and soon the car was parked.

Dave landed in Bob Weikert's Beefmobile in late 2000 and early 2001, but that wasn't quite the same ride Doug Wolfgang stepped into back in 1984. By May of last year the Weikert deal was over and the Elys finished the year on their own.

At that point, both father and son realized they couldn't do it any longer. Everything was for sale. They'd had enough. Or so they thought.

A conversation Dave had with his friend, Joe Gaerte, changed everything. Gaerte, who prematurely ended his own driving career to run his father's engine building business, made Ely belive he could still afford to race - just not as often. And he agreed to supply a motor to re-establish a Gaerte presence in Pennsylvania.

Now the wheels were turning in Dave Ely's head. He had a motor. All he needed was a car. So he called Ronnie Trevis, whose father, Floyd, was once the main man among sprint car chassis builders. Ronnie hasn't built many racecars in recent years, but Dave had some ideas and Trevis agreed to weld the pieces together.

A Trevis Craft powered by a Gaerte engine. Sounds like a neat combination to those of us who have been around fro a while. It sounded good to Dave Ely too, who is after all still racing. He knows he can't race 100 nights a year any more. He's not even sure that he wants to do that. But if he picks his races and sticks to his schedule, he just might be able to make this work and have a little fun while he's at it.

Racing hadn't been much fun for Dave Ely in some time. So he's confined himself to the time trial shows mostly in Pennsylvania. The races that pay the most. The races where the competition is toughest. The races that, for Dave Ely, have always been the most fun.

He knows he still has to race. It's not nearly out of his system yet. Racing is his drug. He's just learning to control his addiction.

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