Dave Ely - News Archives 1996

News Archives
Dave Ely: Looking at the Big Picture by Eddie Smith URC Season Yearbook, 1996 The races roll around easily in Dave Ely's head. They represent the best of his season, and serve as a beacon to the future. None of them ended with him perched in Victory Lane, but he recounts their most minute details just the same. For a 19-year old, Sprint Car wins can be a difficult thing to come by. However, there were nights from this past season Ely has tucked away for future reference. After all, they were features in which a driver with more years, more laps, more experience might have won. In early May, one of the first URC features he ever ran, Ely hooked up in a sensational dual with veteran Paul Molz for the win at Delaware International. Lap-after-lap, the pair battled for the lead before Molz eventually prevailed. The string of being denied the first URC victory of his career hurt Ely for only an instant. Six months later, the main plays back easily in his mind. "That was one of the best races I ran," he says. "I thought I could win that night. Afterwards, I was a little bit down, but it felt good to be able to race with somebody for a win like that." In July, Ely thought he had victory in hand at the Delaware State Fairgrounds. The horse track in Harrington is not a favorite of many drivers within the club since its sandy surface seldom allows quality action, but it produced Ely's most spectacular run of the year. "I started seventh that night, and had the lead in three laps," he recalls. "But I got taken out by a lapped car while leading. Even so, that was a good race for me because there's usually not a lot of passing at that place." The moments tumble from Ely's mouth in rapid-fire fashion. There was the feature at Selinsgrove in which his first start with the Empire Super Sprints resulted in third place. There was the trip to Tri-City Speedway in the wilds of Western Pennsylvania for a meeting with the Ohio-based Sprint Bandits. In Ely's maiden visit to the track, and his first chance to time trial, he was the night's quick qualifier en route to a fourth place feature finish. So many races, so much promise. The races never stop playing inside Dave Ely's head. After spending his first two seasons in Sprint Car racing with the KARS organization, he switched to URC this year. Along the way, he finished ninth in points. It was in July, though, when Ely received his biggest break. When driver Billy Ellis was unable to make the long trip to Metrolina and 311 due to a wedding, car owner Larry Gilbert selected Ely to fill in for the weekend. Initially, that's all the deal was supposed to be. However, Ellis soon came to Gilbert and informed him that he was looking to scale back his driving efforts. The rest of the season found Ely buckled between the rails of Gilbert's Schnee. The ride offer also made a URC regular out of Ely for the rest of the season. Up to that point, he had already missed a half-dozen shows within the club. "Actually, I wasn't planning to run all the races with (URC)," says Ely. "Originally, I was just going to run for my dad. We were going to run some with URC, some with ESS and some with the Sprint Bandits. When I got hooked up with Larry, it paid to finish the season with URC." The numbers leap out as if scrawled with indelible ink. He ended up ninth in club points, yet missed all those shows. The association with Gilbert has opened so many doors for Ely. While he will do much of his racing with URC next season, he figures to again miss shows. The pairing with Gilbert will allow Ely to make the first starts of his career in a 410 Sprint Car. Currently, he eyes about a 40-50 race schedule. Ely's ascension up the ladder has been rapid. He spent only three seasons racing a go-kart locally before getting into a Sprint Car in 1994. "The whole time I was racing karts, I was planning to move to the Sprints," he says. "Ever since I can remember, all I wanted to do was race a Sprint Car. If that's what you want, you're best off getting comfortable in a Sprint right away." Ely did grow comfortable in a Sprint Car immediately. Precious races into his rookie season with KARS, he won at SeaCoast Speedway. To this day, that remains the only victory of his three-year Sprint career. The moment served as a reassuring affirmation that he really could be a Sprint driver. "I knew that every time I went to the race track, I would have a car capable of winning." he says. "My parents gave me the best stuff we could buy. It was just a matter of whether or not I was good enough to win." Before this season began, Ely had never turned a wheel in a URC event. His solid season will not result in Rookie of the Year honors from the club, however. URC rules dictate that a driver have no more than three career Sprint Car starts anywhere. Ely's time spent with KARS disqualifies him for the award. In reality, such a fact matters little. There are so many more races to run and features to win. At 19, the future seems endless. "I want to race for a living," he admits. "But that's just my goal for the future. I know that I need to keep gaining experience. I need to race as much as I can, wherever it is." Right now, his dream seems so far away. He graduated from Wilson High School in Suburban Reading, PA, only last June. Ever since then, he has spent his days working alongside his uncle, Don Kreitz Jr., at Kreitz Oval Track Parts. Every second of Ely's existence is consumed by racing. Certainly, the tutelage he receives from Kreitz plays a big part in the driver he is becoming. But Ely's dad, Mike, also influences the direction his son is taking. In addition to working with Kreitz, the elder Ely has also helped Fred Rahmer and Howie Locke through the years. Above all, winning with URC is a matter of experience. With exception of Greg Coverdale's championship in 1994, the past decade has been monopolized by men like Kramer Williamson and Glenn Fitzcharles, drivers with countless years spent in the Sprint Car wars. "It's tough trying to beat guys like that, " says Ely. "At some of the places we run, like Bridgeport or Delaware International, those guys might have 100 career starts just at that one track. You can never eat experience." The races roll around easily in Dave Ely's head. At age 19, his stock is rising quickly. This season was but a bit part in the big pictures. Back to News Archives

News Archives

Dave Ely: Looking at the Big Picture
by Eddie Smith
URC Season Yearbook, 1996

The races roll around easily in Dave Ely's head. They represent the best of his season, and serve as a beacon to the future. None of them ended with him perched in Victory Lane, but he recounts their most minute details just the same.

For a 19-year old, Sprint Car wins can be a difficult thing to come by. However, there were nights from this past season Ely has tucked away for future reference. After all, they were features in which a driver with more years, more laps, more experience might have won.

In early May, one of the first URC features he ever ran, Ely hooked up in a sensational dual with veteran Paul Molz for the win at Delaware International. Lap-after-lap, the pair battled for the lead before Molz eventually prevailed. The string of being denied the first URC victory of his career hurt Ely for only an instant. Six months later, the main plays back easily in his mind.

"That was one of the best races I ran," he says. "I thought I could win that night. Afterwards, I was a little bit down, but it felt good to be able to race with somebody for a win like that."

In July, Ely thought he had victory in hand at the Delaware State Fairgrounds. The horse track in Harrington is not a favorite of many drivers within the club since its sandy surface seldom allows quality action, but it produced Ely's most spectacular run of the year.

"I started seventh that night, and had the lead in three laps," he recalls. "But I got taken out by a lapped car while leading. Even so, that was a good race for me because there's usually not a lot of passing at that place."

The moments tumble from Ely's mouth in rapid-fire fashion. There was the feature at Selinsgrove in which his first start with the Empire Super Sprints resulted in third place. There was the trip to Tri-City Speedway in the wilds of Western Pennsylvania for a meeting with the Ohio-based Sprint Bandits. In Ely's maiden visit to the track, and his first chance to time trial, he was the night's quick qualifier en route to a fourth place feature finish.

So many races, so much promise. The races never stop playing inside Dave Ely's head. After spending his first two seasons in Sprint Car racing with the KARS organization, he switched to URC this year. Along the way, he finished ninth in points. It was in July, though, when Ely received his biggest break.

When driver Billy Ellis was unable to make the long trip to Metrolina and 311 due to a wedding, car owner Larry Gilbert selected Ely to fill in for the weekend. Initially, that's all the deal was supposed to be. However, Ellis soon came to Gilbert and informed him that he was looking to scale back his driving efforts.

The rest of the season found Ely buckled between the rails of Gilbert's Schnee. The ride offer also made a URC regular out of Ely for the rest of the season. Up to that point, he had already missed a half-dozen shows within the club. "Actually, I wasn't planning to run all the races with (URC)," says Ely. "Originally, I was just going to run for my dad. We were going to run some with URC, some with ESS and some with the Sprint Bandits. When I got hooked up with Larry, it paid to finish the season with URC."

The numbers leap out as if scrawled with indelible ink. He ended up ninth in club points, yet missed all those shows. The association with Gilbert has opened so many doors for Ely. While he will do much of his racing with URC next season, he figures to again miss shows. The pairing with Gilbert will allow Ely to make the first starts of his career in a 410 Sprint Car. Currently, he eyes about a 40-50 race schedule.

Ely's ascension up the ladder has been rapid. He spent only three seasons racing a go-kart locally before getting into a Sprint Car in 1994.

"The whole time I was racing karts, I was planning to move to the Sprints," he says. "Ever since I can remember, all I wanted to do was race a Sprint Car. If that's what you want, you're best off getting comfortable in a Sprint right away."

Ely did grow comfortable in a Sprint Car immediately. Precious races into his rookie season with KARS, he won at SeaCoast Speedway. To this day, that remains the only victory of his three-year Sprint career. The moment served as a reassuring affirmation that he really could be a Sprint driver.

"I knew that every time I went to the race track, I would have a car capable of winning." he says. "My parents gave me the best stuff we could buy. It was just a matter of whether or not I was good enough to win."

Before this season began, Ely had never turned a wheel in a URC event. His solid season will not result in Rookie of the Year honors from the club, however. URC rules dictate that a driver have no more than three career Sprint Car starts anywhere. Ely's time spent with KARS disqualifies him for the award.

In reality, such a fact matters little. There are so many more races to run and features to win. At 19, the future seems endless.

"I want to race for a living," he admits. "But that's just my goal for the future. I know that I need to keep gaining experience. I need to race as much as I can, wherever it is."

Right now, his dream seems so far away. He graduated from Wilson High School in Suburban Reading, PA, only last June. Ever since then, he has spent his days working alongside his uncle, Don Kreitz Jr., at Kreitz Oval Track Parts. Every second of Ely's existence is consumed by racing. Certainly, the tutelage he receives from Kreitz plays a big part in the driver he is becoming.

But Ely's dad, Mike, also influences the direction his son is taking. In addition to working with Kreitz, the elder Ely has also helped Fred Rahmer and Howie Locke through the years.

Above all, winning with URC is a matter of experience. With exception of Greg Coverdale's championship in 1994, the past decade has been monopolized by men like Kramer Williamson and Glenn Fitzcharles, drivers with countless years spent in the Sprint Car wars.

"It's tough trying to beat guys like that, " says Ely. "At some of the places we run, like Bridgeport or Delaware International, those guys might have 100 career starts just at that one track. You can never eat experience."

The races roll around easily in Dave Ely's head. At age 19, his stock is rising quickly. This season was but a bit part in the big pictures.

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