Kelly Wade is a Nashville-based writer who loves family, adventure, and really good homemade cookies.

Follow her on Instagram + Twitter + Facebook: kellywadewrites

The Long Story
Kelly Wade knew she was going to be a writer by the time she was 13 years old. Growing up in Southern California, she was influenced by the poetic prose of her father, who was a charismatic longboard surfer, dirt track motorcycle racer, big-time auto racing fan, and the guy she considers “the greatest storyteller of all time.”

Although Kelly recognized creative writing as her destiny, she was also powerfully attracted to the adrenaline rush of quarter-mile drag racing. Lacking the composure necessary to succeed as a driver, she found a loophole and entered the extraordinarily fast-paced and completely addictive world of drag racing as a reporter for NHRA’s National Dragster in 2007. 

In 2011, Kelly conceptualized and launched WinLight Communications, a Public Relations and Social Media firm serving NHRA drag racing teams. While growing the business, she continued to expanded her reputation as a creative and driven motorsports writer, regularly contributing feature stories to NHRA.com, DragIllustrated, DragRaceCentral.com, and various other esteemed publications. She also held the role of web editor for the dynamic online photo magazine LOOKatDragRacing.com over the course of its creation and debut in 2012.

In 2019, Kelly was tapped to write the biography of one of the most prolific racecar drivers and engine builders in motorsports, Warren Johnson. The book, covering the life and career of the most winning Pro Stock driver in the history of the sport, was released in May of 2021 under the CarTech Books label. Find Drag Racing’s Warren “The Professor” Johnson: The Cars, People, and Wins Behind His Pro Stock Success here.