The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down NHRA races since March 12.

In the latest revised schedule, racing is supposed to begin July 11-12 with NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, including the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

With all the changes and postponements and cancellations of races it has made competitors like Chip Ellis adjust his schedule.

The veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer was scheduled to ride an Erik Buell Racing motorcycle for Matt Smith Racing at the Gatornationals, in Gainesville, Fla., March 13-15, the season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

That race didn’t happen.

Now, Ellis is going to ride the same motorcycle for MSR at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 18-20.

“I was going to run Gainesville, but it got rescheduled to Sept. 25-27 and I have been racing boats and they rescheduled Gainesville to a weekend that I have a boat race,” Ellis said. “I just changed up with Matt (Smith) so I can run Charlotte. That’s better too because I can go home every night and it is close to the house and all that stuff.”

Ellis lives in Mocksville, N.C., and he has a shop there where he builds stainless steel headers for cars and motorcycles. Mocksville is an hour from Charlotte.

Ellis drives an outboard boat and his daughter, McKenzie, 18, are teammates in boat racing. Chip drives a Pro Modified boat and McKenzie is scheduled to compete in the 1,400-pound class.

“I was driving my buddy’s boat, but he has it for sale, so if he sells it we will just focus on McKenzie’s boat and let her drive and have fun and I will just tune the thing,” Ellis said.

Ellis last competed in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 2018 when he ran a third Harley-Davidson for Vance & Hines in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Charlotte, Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. He qualified No. 1 in St. Louis and made it to the finals in Charlotte before losing to Matt Smith.

Ellis has competed in 143 career PSM national events. He has seven wins and seven runner-up finishes. He has a 147-133 career elimination-round record.