Drag Illustrated Issue 136, September 2018 | Page 36

Gratifying
Shift
wrong time, for sure,” Con-
nolly says. “This year, I’m
taking everything that hap-
pened and learning from it.
I’ll put Tanner up against
anybody on the starting line,
and if I do my job, we defi-
nitely have a shot. If it works
out or doesn’t, it won’t be for
lack of effort.”
Connolly’s role of crew
chief was born from necessity
in 2009, when he was tapped
as driver for four races with
IDG under the Cagnazzi Rac-
ing umbrella.
“I’d always been hands-on
with my car, and I learned
a lot from [former crew
chief ] Tommy Utt over the
years,” says Connolly. “Rath-
er than hire a crew chief, I
said I would just crew chief
my own car.”
Success in the role came
quickly as Connolly won the
NHRA race at Maple Grove
Raceway in Reading in just
his second race as driver/
crew chief. The successful
stint earned an invitation to
crew chief for Erica Enders in 2010.
“There was a huge, huge learning curve [in
becoming a crew chief ],” Connolly admits. “You
learn to appreciate things from a different per-
spective. It didn’t happen often, but I might have
butted heads with Tommy Utt a few times over
the years. Now I can understand what it was like
from his point of view.”
As for his relationship with Gray, there is al-
most a familial element. Connolly joined the team
as a driver in 2014, when Cagnazzi Racing and
Gray Motorsports joined forces.
“It’s kind of funny to think about how long I’ve
known Tanner,” Connolly says. “A little while
ago, a picture of us popped up from 2014, and
he looked like a baby. That was only four years
ago and look where we are now. He’s gone from
hanging around the pits when I was driving to
me watching him develop as a driver. It’s pretty
special.”
Accomplished driver Dave
Connolly gains great
satisfaction as crew chief
By Kelly Wade
G
ray Motorsports crew chief
Dave Connolly had an opportunity
to test his mettle in the 2017 season
of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing
Series as both coach and crew chief for young
Tanner Gray. Third-generation driver Gray made
his debut last year in the ultra-competitive Pro
Stock class, and his immediately evident capabili-
ties behind the wheel were complemented neatly
by Connolly’s effective efforts.
No stranger to Pro Stock, Connolly himself
owns 26 hard-fought trophies as a driver and
finished No. 3 in the standings on four separate
occasions. He also took a turn behind the wheel
of Bob Vandergriff ’s Top Fuel dragster before that
operation was shuttered early in 2016, and in the
nitro class he reached the final round three times.
“It’s crazy, but it’s almost more gratifying to
stand behind the car,” says Connolly. “I think it’s
because there is just so much more work involved
in the crew chief role. It’s more mentally chal-
lenging for me. Driving doesn’t necessarily come
more natural, but I was born and raised behind
the steering wheel. I worked hard at being a good
driver, but there are so many more elements that
go into crew chiefing. I miss driving, absolutely,
but to win as a crew chief is very rewarding.”
There were plenty of rewarding moments for
Connolly as he worked alongside Gray in his first
season of Pro Stock, and the satisfaction con-
tinued through the first part of 2018 as the duo
continued as top contenders.
Gray got his bearings as a driver early in his
first year with the big dogs, and four races in, he
scored his first NHRA Wally trophy in the Gray
Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Overall for 2017,
the now 19-year-old won five events in seven final
rounds, ultimately finishing No. 4 in the nation
and walking away with Rookie of the Year honors
as the Auto Club Road the Future Award winner.
Despite the collective success of the Gray Mo-
torsports team, Connolly felt that at the conclu-
sion of the season, they had unfinished business.
“I’ve been racing some time and haven’t got a
championship yet, so obviously, that weighs on
you,” he admits. “I thought we had a good shot at
it last year, and Tanner did a great job behind the
wheel. We won the first race of the Countdown,
and then we just hit a slump. Unfortunately, in
all of motorsports, everything comes and goes in
circles. We hit our stride a little too soon, I think.”
That stride included seven consecutive vic-
tories for the Gray Motorsports camp: four for
teammate Drew Skillman and three for Gray
between Chicago and Charlotte, the first race of
the Countdown to the Championship.
“Tanner came back and was runner-up in Po-
mona to end the year. We just stumbled at the
Pro Stock to Pro Street
shifting gears is just more fun!
ramclutches.com 803.788.6034
36 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Trevor Eman - pro stock
Issue 136
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