Hughesville’s Kelly Clontz Brings Local Roots To NHRA Potomac Nationals At Maryland International Raceway

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — A Southern Maryland racer with deep ties to Maryland International Raceway (MIR) will compete on her home track this month as the NHRA Potomac Nationals brings national drag racing to Mechanicsville for the first time under the NHRA banner.

Kelly Clontz, a Hughesville resident and NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider from Kelly Clontz Racing, said the event represents a major moment not only for her racing career, but also for the Southern Maryland motorsports community that helped shape her path from local bracket racing at Budds Creek to national-level competition.

Clontz said the event will spotlight the region’s racing culture, blue-collar workforce and close-knit raceway community while giving local fans a chance to experience NHRA competition at Maryland International Raceway.

A Southern Maryland Racer On A National Stage

Clontz described the NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway as both a professional milestone and a deeply personal homecoming tied to decades of racing, family history and Southern Maryland culture. 

“Just to have our home track host an NHRA race, it’s something we always thought would be the coolest thing, but I don’t know that we ever thought it would happen,” Clontz said. “It’s going to be big for the community. I think it’s going to really put Southern Maryland on the map of how big of a racing family they are.”

Clontz said she grew up around Maryland International Raceway, known locally as Budds Creek, where her family raced throughout her childhood. She met her husband, Chris Clontz, at the raceway and the couple later built their racing career together through local bracket racing before advancing into NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition — a Southern Maryland team on the national stage. She began motorcycle racing in 2003 after first racing cars with her father. 

“I don’t think people realize that Southern Maryland is a thing — we’re a close-knit group of people, and somebody knows somebody, or they all know who you are,” Clontz said. “To race nationally and promote Southern Maryland, our home, and the relationships we’ve built our whole lives means a lot to us, because we both, Chris and I, are from here, so these are our people, there is a lot of excitement.”

Although she competes nationally, Clontz said she still views herself as a local racer shaped by Southern Maryland’s racing culture. She described Maryland International Raceway as a longtime gathering place for local families, racers and blue-collar workers, with many families maintaining generational ties to the track.

“I think I will always have the mentality that I’m a local racer. We bracket raced here for so long, and I know the work that it took to get to where we’re at now,” Clontz said.  “You don’t forget the people that helped you get there. Ultimately, we’re still Chris and Kelly from Maryland International Raceway, racing Friday, Saturday, Sunday with all our people.”

Clontz said the NHRA Potomac Nationals represented more than a race weekend. The event is an opportunity for Southern Maryland to showcase its motorsports culture on a national stage. She said the national broadcast and visibility around the event will highlight not only the raceway itself, but also local businesses, local workers and the community that helped build the team’s career.

“My family raced my whole life. My dad, my uncles, Chris’ uncles. Now, my sister’s husbands race. I have a bunch of nieces and nephews that race, now they’re meeting spouses at the racetrack,” Clontz said. “There was not a whole lot to do back in the day, so the track has always been the place to go.”

A Woman Competing On The NHRA Stage

Clontz also spoke about the challenges of working and competing in male-dominated fields. In addition to racing professionally in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle, she works in construction estimating and said she hopes younger women see racing and the skilled trades as career paths where they can succeed.

“I try to be a very stand-up woman and do all the right things to show other women that they can be very successful,” Clontz said. “I am so passionate about that, and I’m one that never backs down from that conversation or promoting women.”

She said she sees herself as someone younger women can look up to, and that it is important for them to surround themselves with supportive people while pushing through difficult environments and continuing to pursue passions — even when the path is complicated. 

“As much as you want it to be equal, it’s not equal, but I think as long as women continue to push forward and do the hard things and have the hard conversations and surround themselves with people who want women to be successful, I think that’s the main thing,” Clontz said. “I don’t think women really give themselves credit for what they accomplish and what they bring to the table.”

Clontz said several of her nieces race at Maryland International Raceway, including one who recently earned her first victory. She said moments like that have helped her see the impact her racing career may have on younger women and girls in the community. 

“I hope that they say, ‘you know, I saw her do it, so I know I can do it,’” Clontz said. “Never quit, you never know when your time is your time, just keep one foot in front of the other.”

Labor Represented: Union Backed, NHRA Bound

The team’s connection to organized labor and the skilled trades also remains central to its identity. Clontz works as director of electrical estimating for ArchKey Solutions/Mona Electric, while Chris Clontz has been a Steamfitters UA Local 602 member since 1995. Clontz said Local 602 has sponsored the race team since 2018 and has remained one of the team’s strongest supporters throughout its rise in NHRA competition.

“Southern Maryland is all about the blue-collar, the unions, they all stick together,” Clontz said. “Steamfitters UA Local 602 has supported us since 2018 as a sponsor. Their logo has been shown for nine years at the national level, and now their logo is going to be shown at home.”

According to Clontz, the team uses professional racing as a platform to promote training and apprenticeship programs, union careers and opportunities in the skilled trades. She said labor shortages remain a major concern throughout the DMV region and believes more young people — including women — should be encouraged to consider careers in union trades and construction-related industries.

“They pay you to go to school, and you make really good money. They have their own five-year apprenticeship program. Chris did that and graduated in 2001 when we met,” Clontz said. “We need labor, there’s a shortage, we need to get these kids excited to come in, men and women. The work is not stopping, especially here in the DMV, D.C., Maryland, Virginia.”

Family, Racing And Commitment

Clontz said reaching the NHRA level required years of work, financial sacrifice and long-term commitment from both her and Chris while balancing careers, marriage and racing. She described professional drag racing as one of the most demanding challenges of her life.

“It’s all about perfection,” Clontz said. “It’s fast, it’s amazing.”

She said the Potomac Nationals will give local supporters an opportunity to see the team compete at its home track after more than 20 years of racing together. Clontz said a victory at Maryland International Raceway would likely stand as the biggest win of her career.

“I mean, it’s family, whether it’s blood family or racing family, it’s family,” Clontz said. “Not everybody gets to the NHRA level, but we all have racing deep down inside at heart, so it doesn’t matter what we’re racing, as long as we’re racing.”

Fast Facts About NHRA Potomac Nationals

• Event: NHRA Potomac Nationals (NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series)
• Dates: May 29–31, 2026
• Location: Maryland International Raceway, 27861 Budds Creek Rd, Mechanicsville, Md. 
• Final Eliminations: Sunday, May 31
• Spectator Gates Open: 9 a.m. daily 
• Track Walk & Driver Introductions: 10 a.m. Sunday 
• Mission Foods Series Eliminations Begin: 11 a.m. Sunday
• Hotels: MIR hosting hotels
• Results: Live results page

Fan Fest: Thursday, May 28, from 5–7 p.m. at The Barns at New Market in Mechanicsville, with driver autographs scheduled from 5:30–6:30 p.m. 

Tickets And Information: Tickets, schedules, maps, camping and event information are available through the NHRA and Maryland International Raceway event pages.

How To Watch the NHRA Potomac Nationals

Fans unable to attend in person can watch the NHRA Potomac Nationals on NHRA.tv and through FOX Sports television coverage throughout race weekend.

Additional re-airings are expected on FS1 and FS2 following the event weekend. More information about Maryland International Raceway can be found at https://goracemir.com.

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