Ellwood to Split Time on NWMT, Riverhead
Kyle Ellwood of Riverhead, NY will enter several NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races this season. He plans four races at Thompson (Icebreaker and World Series) and both races at his home track, Riverhead (NY) Raceway. Ellwood is looking for more races if financing is available, especially the NAPA Spring Sizzler at Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway.
“That’s going to be the biggest part this year is running these couple of tour races that we’re going to run and finding enough people do to it,” Ellwood said. “It all depends on how funding goes, and how our team is, and how Jeff’s (Goodale) doing. … on how the cards fall, and how the first couple weeks at Riverhead go.”
Ellwood made his initial foray into the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour last year at Riverhead in June and the World Series at Thompson.
“It was a great experience. I got to learn a lot, a lot of seat time and you get to learn a lot about the car too in the longer races.”
Ellwood will pursue the Riverhead Modified championship at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series facility. Ellwood sold his old Troyer car for an updated, newer one. The car will remain powered by Big Sal Race Engines of Long Island.
“I definitely want to see if I can keep the ball rolling how we ended last year ’cause we ended on a tear last year. … And if it works in our favor it does, if not hopefully we’ll have a good year and not tear too much stuff up.
Ellwood is a teammate to Jeff Goodale. He began driving for Jeff’s parents in the Legend Cars at Riverhead, where he claimed the 2012 title and continued with them into the following season. Ellwood put the Goodale’s family business, Riverhead Building Supply on his No. 17x car as a thank you for their help last year.
“We’ve got the same group of people working on both cars, so it’s a big family over there. It’s a fun time, no drama.”
“The Legend field at Riverhead that’s a unique field of racers. I don’t understand why they have just such stiff competition as they do. … Riverhead is a tough racetrack to win at and I hear from a lot of people if you can win there, you can win anywhere.”
He began racing Modifieds in 2013, but mostly started and parked.
“We got our equipment together about halfway through the season and we started just clicking. Everything started to work really good. We got the car going pretty good and it was finally rewarding to win a race there.”
He won in his first full season in the premier class at the quarter mile oval. The July 12, 2014 win came over Vincent Biondolillo, Jason Agugliaro, Howie Brode and , Jeff Goodale. Track champion Howie Brode and former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece are among the aces he has to contend with.
“That was probably the most stressful thing that I’ve ever been through. … “It’s a tough place to win… It’s crazy when you can win at the same track that people that you look up to win at like Mike Ewanitsko and Chuck Steuer.”
Ellwood emphasizes that knowing your surroundings is critical on the tight confines of a bullring. Racing side-by-side can be a compromise. He felt that his first Modified season went well with fellow racers. ” They didn’t rough me up as much as I thought they were.”
“It’s kind of key to keep peace with everybody at that racetrack and like I said you can end somebody’s night on any given second at Riverhead because you’ve got so much control over them when you’re on the inside.”
After a “smooth” season, Ellwood traveled to Thompson for the annual World Series of Speedway Racing and Wall (NJ) Stadium Speedway for additional races last fall.
He is familiar with the 5/8 mile from his dad racing several years there. When he was working for Eddie Partridge’s Sunoco Modified team, Ellwood was a regular on Thursday nights with drivers Jimmy Blewett and later Ron Silk.
“Every time you went there you’d think if I could turn a lap at this place, this should be something wild.”
The “reality check” did not sink in until he was waiting to enter the track for practice. Racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was the “ultimate goal” and on one of the fastest tracks. He was able to realize his dream with in his series debut at Riverhead last year.
“That’s just one place where you got a lot of dreams behind you and you got the right people behind you, you can make it happen and we made it happen last year.”
Compared to Riverhead, where Ellwood estimates you’re in the throttle for three seconds, Thompson is a world of difference.
“You’re wide open. It seems like you can open a soda going down the straightaway, but it was definitely probably one the coolest experiences I’ve had driving before ever.”
Ellwood would like to try a Supermodified one day, but does not expect to race in the NEMA Midgets. After sitting in a Midget, he said “I wouldn’t feel comfortable racing this car and be able to drive it hard because I’d be afraid.”
“I couldn’t imagine going just as fast as you would in a tour car. You feel safe when you pull out on the racetrack. Take for granted anything can happen, but you feel like you’ve got safety behind you. You’ve got all the tools to make you safe in that car.”
Ellwood’s father raced Charger cars until Kyle was born. Kyle began his career at age five in Go Karts on Long Island.
“I was always afraid of racing. You get strapped into a Go Kart, that’s a little intimidating at first, and I didn’t really take to it at first. It took a really long time for me to really want to get up every Sunday and want to race. My dad kind of forced me to race, ‘Kyle lets go were going up to the track.’ (It never was) something that I wanted to do at the time.
Ellwood stopped racing at age 14 after breaking his hand in a Go Kart crash at Riverhead. Ellwood played lacrosse for two years. During his hiatus, Ellwood’s father returned to the Charger class in 2006 and won the championship in 2007.
“It sparked my interest to race again. I’m like dad I want to try this again.” Ellwood was back in the Go Karts in 2008. He crossed paths with one of the fastest kart drivers. An old friend, Jeff Goodale, ” taught me all of the tricks of the trade ’cause he was fast in the Go Karts.”
A full Riverhead season saw multiple 2009 victories before he was given an opportunity in Legend Cars.
“It just started clicking right when I got into the car with the springs. I really started to adapt to it really well and got this kind of crazy desire for it now.”
From that point on, racing become something he enjoyed instead of dreading. Ellwood said he was hard on himself until he achieved success.
“Once I realized that I could do it, it was a big change for me. I just took to it so much differently. It’s my way of life now other than just a hobby. I live to race.”
Ellwood will be returning to Atlantic City later this month for the NAPA indoor weekend at Boardwalk Hall. His first race when he came back to racing was at Atlantic City in 2009, where he crashed out. 2010 went better with a fifth place effort, among a 70 Go Kart field. With setup help from Eric Zeh, Ellwood is eager to get back to Boardwalk Hall.
“It’s really aggressive and whenever a whole opens, you gotta go. It’s like you can’t even you’ve got to have quick reactions because you can’t think about it. It’s got to be natural.”
Ellwood said drivers have to be “up on the wheel” to succeed including some of the Modified standouts Jimmy Blewett and Erick Rudolph. For Ellwood, once indoors, “They run them indoor cars even harder.” Frequent winner Ted Christopher is no exception.
“I look up to Teddy and what he does as a driver. He’s very good and you watch him on indoors and he’s on the wheel 24/7. That’s what you gotta do on indoors and that’s why he’s so successful.”
The indoor events are a proving ground for competitors in the winter. A blend of drivers from dirt, midget, Modifieds get to race on the same card, something that is not seen during the outdoor season. Atlantic City has hosted races for many years, while Trenton’s Sun Bank National Center has held it for two years. Recent former host cities include Baltimore and Providence.
“It brings everybody from a different style of racing and it all brings them together in one race. … You kind of get to see who has the strength of all of them, which is cool to watch. That’s one thing I think so many people to the track because it’s an exciting race. There’s nothing more exciting than watching Jimmy Blewett and Teddy Christopher start deep in a TQ race.”
Keeping up with a changing track is also a factor in the events.
“The problem with indoors is its more chemical warfare than anything else. That’s why I think the teams with more funding tend to do a little bit better ’cause you’ve got people assigned to do a job when you come to the racetrack. … They’ve got tire guys that’s what it’s all about. It’s almost like dirt racing in a way because the track changes so much between each round you gotta kind of keep after it. That’s why the dirt guys are good on indoors ’cause it’s not like they can predict what the tracks going to do, but at least they’re used to it changing.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com