NORWALK — One of the most endearing sights this weekend at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park has been the young children crowding around the drivers’ trailers, eagerly hoping to get an autograph or picture with their sports hero.
About two decades ago, one of those heroes was the enthusiastic kid soaking in the thrills of drag racing in Norwalk.
“(Dave) was just a little guy,” Elyria’s Ray Connolly said of his son’s first trips to the drag strip. “We had open trailers, not quite like they have now, and he was out there running around all over the place … he’s come a long ways.”
That’s an understatement.
Dave Connolly is one of the top drivers in the NHRA’s Pro Stock division, and credits his father for his successful career.
“He’s the biggest part of why I’m racing today,” Dave said. “When I started my career he kind of took the sidelines and let me jump in the dragster because we only had one car at the time.
“He gave me an opportunity that I’ll never forget.”
It wasn’t really a sacrifice Ray had to think about for long.
“He kind of started out in Sportsman racing like I did, but he progressed a lot faster than I ever did,” Ray said. “He was probably around 15 and I decided to just let him race.
“I’d rather watch him than race myself.”
During last year’s inaugural Summit NHRA Nationals, Dave got to repay the favor by letting his father use one of his cars so that Ray could compete in several Sportsman events.
“He only had one car and I had a dragster lying around and was able to do him a favor so that he could run in both Super Gas and Super Comp,” Dave said. “Kind of made it worth his while to come out here.”
These days the Connollys continue their relationships as father and son and fellow drivers by running on tracks together all over the country.
“He runs a limited schedule and probably goes to eight to 10 nationals a year,” Dave said of his father. “It’s not all 24, but, of course, this year I didn’t get to run in all 24 so I guess we’re both taking a short season.”
Top Alcohol Dragster driver Dave Weber of North Ridgeville called Dave Connolly a local hero, “not just because he races in the pro division but because he wins up there.”
That kind of praise makes Ray proud, and helps him deal with his son’s fame — something that still amazes him to this day.
“Sometimes you have to just stand back and watch it all,” Ray said. “We went to dinner the other night and people know him and recognize him.
“That’s kind of neat.”

Good sports

While this year’s NHRA event didn’t have the happy hometown ending last season’s did when Dave Connolly captured the Pro Stock title, several racers did have good showings in the Sportsman series races.
One was Connolly himself, as he advanced all the way to the semifinals in the Super Competition class before a red-light start ended his run. Connolly was at the starting line for his quarterfinal race in the event, preparing to do his burnout when a downpour began and caused an hour-and-a-half delay.
“I’m kind of glad that happened,” Connolly said during the delay. “I was still a little irritated about my (quarterfinal) loss in the Pro Stock car and now I get to look at my Super Comp car a little bit longer.”
Matching Connolly’s performance with a quarterfinal win and then semifinal loss was Avon Lake’s Pat Ross Sr. in the Competition Eliminator class. Ross follows the Division I schedule — which doesn’t include all the national events — and was looking for his first championship in an NHRA Nationals event.
“It’s a tough division,” Ross said. “Whoever gets off the starting line first is going to win.”
Ross has been racing for 43 years, since the age of 15.
“You’ve got to have the desire to do this,” he said. “My wife says I’m ruined.”
Two other local drivers— Weber in Top Alcohol Dragster and Ray Connolly in Super Comp and Super Gas — were eliminated during Saturday’s competition.

Burnouts

The winners of the Sportsman series events were Tom Conway (Bixby, Okla.) in Top Alcohol Dragster, Bobby Martin (Beaver Falls, Pa.) in Top Alcohol Funny Car, David Rampy (Piedmont, Ala.) in Competition Eliminator, Tim Worner (Duncannon, Pa.) in Super Stock, Doug Doll Jr. (Lititz, Pa.) in Super Comp and Alan Kenny (Kingston, Ontario) in Super Gas.
• It didn’t pay to be a top qualifier this weekend, as the highest qualifier to win a championship was No. 5 Doug Herbert in Top Fuel. The other qualifiers were No. 6 Tony Pedregon in Funny Car, No. 9 Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and No. 13 Hector Arana in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
• The top times and speeds in each pro category were: Top Fuel — Rod Fuller with a 4.541 ET and 320.43 mph; Funny Car — Robert Hight with 4.882 and 309.77; Pro Stock — Greg Anderson with 6.683 and 206.48; Pro Stock Motorcycle — Chip Ellis with 6.997 and Andrew Hines with 191.21.
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. 

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