DI Women of Power 2024: Kelly Clontz is Respectfully Bold
Kelly Clontz isn’t afraid to speak what’s on her mind. In fact, her motto is “respectfully bold.” It’s something that she embraces, not only as a woman competing in drag racing but also as a woman working in a man-dominated industry and navigating the rivalries and personalities of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #189, the Women of Power Issue, in July/August of 2024.]
In the past, Clontz’s approach was to sit back and not get involved in the off-track tension. However, in the last few months, she’s decided to tell people what she thinks.
“I mean, that’s what I do anyway,” she says. “It’s like when you go to work every day, there’s always that one employee that has to walk around talking about how hard they work. But they ain’t doing nothing because if you were that busy, you wouldn’t be in my office telling me how hard you work.
“It’s the same thing in Pro Stock Motorcycle. It’s that one person who’s told us how hard they work, and it’s like, invest all that energy into your program, and let’s see how it unfolds.”
Clontz, who is the estimating director for a large electrical company by trade, has put in the work, along with passion and perseverance.
“I’m not this fairy tale story of I grew up around motorcycles, and I created this great opportunity, and I’m such an athlete,” explains Clontz. “I’ve had to work for every single thing that I have. I was very smart in school and that’s basically what I had. I graduated and got my career going, and I feel like if you stick with things and you continue to put one foot in front of the other and make forward progress, you can have anything you want in life.”
Two things that Clontz, who has worked in construction for 22 years and has raced for over 20, doesn’t let hold her back are age and gender.
“I feel like all too often we put timelines on things, especially for young women. I’m a perfect definition of if you just continue to work towards whatever your dream is, you can make anything happen if you just stick with it and put one foot in front of the other,” she adds.
When it comes to equality in drag racing, Clontz sheds light on gender and why it shouldn’t be a barrier.
“Yes, I feel that more women are in it. Do I think there’s equal respect? Yes, to a certain point, but part of me thinks a lot of the inequality is women’s fault, and that’s because so many women accept certain things instead of saying, ‘Hey, this is how you’re going to treat me,’ or ‘this is how it’s going to be.’ They kind of just sit back and allow people to dictate what’s going to happen for them instead of going out and getting it and not using [gender] as an excuse,” she begins.
“I’m sure that there are a lot of people that don’t agree with me, but like I said, I work in construction, and I race in a man’s dominated world, and I’m one that’s not going to take no crap from anybody, period, and people know it. You can demand respect, and I think we still have work to do.”
Addressing the work that still needs to be done, she shares her thoughts on how to achieve greater equality.
“I think they need to stop categorizing themselves as a woman because I try to go in every day with just the mentality like, ‘I’m here, and I’ve got to get this and that done,’” Clontz continues. “There’s never even a thought process of ‘Oh, it’s because I’m a woman.’ I don’t play that card, and I feel like if you do play that card, you can’t play it and then be mad about it at the same time. You have to say, ‘Hey, this is my value, this is what I’m worth, this is the respect that I demand.’ People treat you differently when you have that thought process.”
During Clontz’s ride to the professional ranks, she looked up to one person, who has since become a family friend.
“I met Karen Stoffer – I think it was like 2004 – and she’s always been my favorite person in racing, and we built that relationship,” explains Clontz, sharing that her husband, Chris, and Karen’s husband, Gary, would discuss various tune-ups. “I call her Mama Bear because she’s just such a wonderful person, and she really has the best interest in success for people, and she’s really helped me out in that aspect.”
Besides working her way up the racing ladder to the Pro Stock Motorcycle level, Clontz is especially proud of her performance in 2023 at the NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, where she set her career-best E.T. and speed, going 6.705 at 201.99 MPH.
“It kind of just elevates you to a different mindset level when you see the numbers on paper, and you walk up on stage, and you’re No. 2 – that was freaking awesome,” she says.
As for what’s next for Clontz and her Steamfitters UA Local 602-backed team, which has been on board as a primary sponsor since 2018, is to win a Wally.
“I feel like my skill set, my team effort, and my efforts as a racer haven’t been put on paper statistically at the level that I feel we’re at,” says Clontz.
“That’s one thing I don’t have – a whole lot of luck on my side,” she continues. “I have to earn every little thing that we have out here. I feel like the time’s going to turn when everything falls into place because I’m a big believer, and I wouldn’t be in Pro Stock Motorcycle for seven years if I didn’t believe it. My ultimate goal is to hoist the Wally. That is it. I can see it, feel it, taste it, and visualize it. I know I have everything I need to make that happen. It’s just all the pieces coming together.”
This story was originally published on August 23, 2024.
The post DI Women of Power 2024: Kelly Clontz is Respectfully Bold first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
