Schumacher Electric Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Chip Ellis had the chance to be a rock star for a day on Tuesday at the Don Schumacher Racing facility in Brownsburg, Ind. Ellis didn’t play in a rock band for the entertainment of the guys at the DSR shop. Instead, he sat behind the wheel of the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car and made a warm-up start.
 
Before rumors develop that Ellis is following Antron Brown's lead and leaving the PSM class to drive in the Funny Car category of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series (Brown joined the Top Fuel class after leaving DSR's PSM team last year), here is the real story:

"This all came about after the Rockstar Energy Drink Funny Car suffered a couple of wheelstands in Bristol," explained Ellis of what happened to driver Jerry Toliver at the last NHRA event in Tennessee. "The Rockstar crew stripped the chassis and sent it out for repair and they just got it back from the chassis shop and put it back together. Phil Shuler (Toliver's crew chief) said they needed to start it up and he asked me if I wanted to do the warm-up (as the resident DSR professional racer) and I was glad I was here for the opportunity to try it out. 

Schumacher Electric Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Chip Ellis had the chance to be a rock star for a day on Tuesday at the Don Schumacher Racing facility in Brownsburg, Ind. Ellis didn’t play in a rock band for the entertainment of the guys at the DSR shop. Instead, he sat behind the wheel of the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car and made a warm-up start.
 
Before rumors develop that Ellis is following Antron Brown's lead and leaving the PSM class to drive in the Funny Car category of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series (Brown joined the Top Fuel class after leaving DSR's PSM team last year), here is the real story:

"This all came about after the Rockstar Energy Drink Funny Car suffered a couple of wheelstands in Bristol," explained Ellis of what happened to driver Jerry Toliver at the last NHRA event in Tennessee. "The Rockstar crew stripped the chassis and sent it out for repair and they just got it back from the chassis shop and put it back together. Phil Shuler (Toliver's crew chief) said they needed to start it up and he asked me if I wanted to do the warm-up (as the resident DSR professional racer) and I was glad I was here for the opportunity to try it out.

"It was pretty exciting and a lot different from what I normally do. I was a little nervous because I was afraid I might mess something up, but after seeing what you have to do, there was really nothing to it. It was pretty cool. We warmed it up once and they put it in the truck and headed off to Topeka (for this weekend’s NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka)."
 
This was Ellis' first opportunity to warm up a fuel car and he was quick to point out that he had no intentions of trading in his Suzuki for a ride in a Funny Car or Top Fuel dragster a la Antron Brown. At least for right now.
 
"I wouldn't mind driving a fuel car some day, but right now my goal is to focus on the Schumacher Electric Suzuki Pro Stock bike,” said Ellis. “It was pretty cool to have an opportunity like that, but my goal is to be very focused on what we've got going on right now, and that’s winning races in the PSM class.”

Ellis, a Florida native who lives in Brownsburg, will compete at the next NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., June 5-8, round 5 of 17 PSM events in 2008. He is third in the point standings.