You may have noticed recently that one of our fellow columnists, Bruce Ellis, has been missing from the pages of Sprint Car & Midget.
You may have noticed recently that one of our fellow columnists, Bruce Ellis, has been missing from the pages of Sprint Car & Midget.
After 44 years of tireless work, Bruce recently decided to dial back his writing efforts.
This would be a good time to tell Bruce — and the rest of the world — just how much he has meant to all of us through these years.
The early 1980s were a watershed period for sprint car racing. The introduction of the World of Outlaws in 1978 signaled a new era in the sport, and a host of colorful personalities captured the imagination of a new generation of sprint fans.
In the midst of the transformation, Bruce Ellis stood at the center. As a writer with Gater Racing News, and later National Speed Sport News, Ellis quickly became a leading voice from his native Pennsylvania.
The debut of Open Wheel magazine in 1980 remains one of the most important developments in the history of sprint car racing. Open Wheel immediately became the de facto voice and face of the sport, with spectacular writing and photography that established a new standard.
With his byline appearing in just the second issue of Open Wheel, Ellis quickly became a household name among sprint car people. He introduced the PA Posse to the rest of the world, telling a dynamic and enduring story that remains vital to this day.
In January 1985, Ellis began writing a monthly column in Open Wheel. Other columnists would follow, but it‘s worth noting that he was the first. In 1987, he took over as the voice of Williams Grove Speedway on the P.A., a job he still holds today.
In short, Bruce Ellis has been one of the most important voices — in print and on the P.A. — in the modern era of sprint car racing. If Central Pennsylvania had a Mt. Rushmore, Bruce would be there. No person has been more important in establishing the area as one of the most interesting and dynamic regions in all motorsports.
When Bruce penned his inaugural column in Open Wheel in 1985, it began an amazing run. From that issue until February of 2020 — aside from a couple of months in late 2001 when Open Wheel went away and Sprint Car & Midget was introduced — Bruce‘s monthly column was a mainstay. That‘s 35 years of writing excellence, every month, without a break.
My first introduction to Bruce‘s work came in those early issues of Open Wheel, and through his columns in Speed Sport. My own writing career was in its infancy, and I was definitely inspired by Bruce‘s work. His writing was always solid, often spectacular, and unfailingly entertaining.
In the October 1981 issue of Open Wheel, Bruce penned a feature story on the Outlaws swing through the east, when Steve Kinser went eight-for-eight to sweep the series.
The lead paragraph in Bruce‘s story read: “On June 13, 1981, at the Lincoln (PA) Speedway the final race of the World of Outlaws Eastern tour was rained out. It took an act of God to stop Steve Kinser.”
To this day, this remains the greatest lead paragraph of any motorsports story I have ever read. It blew me away the moment I read it and it carries just as much punch today, almost 39 years later.
Somewhere along the line in those early years our paths inevitably crossed, and it was an exciting day when I got to meet Bruce personally. However, I distinctly remember that we were at a race track somewhere, and Bruce was focused on the business at hand.
I laugh today as I think about the abrupt nature of the “easterner” but nonetheless that first meeting began a decades-long friendship that I cherish today.
Bruce hasn‘t officially retired from writing, and that‘s good news. Everybody — including our readers — hopes he can be recruited to continue writing his Knoxville Nationals Preview each summer, one of the most important — and enjoyable — reads of the year.
At any rate, Bruce has earned the right to do whatever he wants in terms of his writing efforts. He has toiled for 44 years to tell the story the right way, and nobody can dispute the amazing effort and contribution he has made.
So, take a bow, Bruce. You can‘t hear them, of course, but tens of thousands of your readers are rising up to cheer the amazing gift you have given all of us for the past 44 years.
You didn‘t just give us your words; you gave us all of you. And for that, we say thanks.
Thanks from the heart.