U.S. Representative Jake Ellzey (R-TX), who won a July 2021 special election to represent Texas’ 6th Congressional District in Congress, recently visited Summit Racing Equipment in Arlington, Texas, for a tour of its retail superstore, order fulfillment center, and distribution center, which totals nearly one million square feet. 

Summit Racing has come a long way from its humble beginnings. The company was founded in Northeast Ohio by a young engineer who owned a big block powered ’67 Corvette Roadster and had a knack for getting performance parts at a good price. It didn’t take long for his fellow drag racers to start inquiring about deals on hop-up parts out of which a side business was born. Summit Racing’s first “store” was located in the basement of a donut shop in Stow, Ohio, although the company moved to its first true store, a 1,500 square feet location in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in 1969. 

Today, Summit Racing is one of the biggest names in the industry, as the company calls itself the world’s largest direct marketer of performance automotive parts and accessories. While Summit Racing is headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, the company has three other facilities, including locations in Sparks, Nevada (opened in 1998); McDonough, Georgia (opened in 2006); and Arlington (opened in 2017), their largest facility. Each location features a destination retail superstore, an order fulfillment center, a customer support center team, and passionate enthusiasts about their customers’ projects. 

Rep. Ellzey’s visit to Summit Racing provided the Congressman a chance to learn more about the specialty automotive aftermarket and the industry’s role in Texas’ 6th Congressional District, which is located both to the south and west of Dallas and includes parts of Fort Worth and Arlington. While touring the superstore, the Congressman spoke fondly of the ’67 Mustang he once owned and aspires to one day restore a vintage Ford truck that’s been in his family for over 40 years. 

“The tour of Summit racing was nothing short of remarkable,” said Rep. Ellzey, “You all have a tremendous facility, but what was most impressive was all of the employees. The afternoon I spent there, I could tell that everyone cared about their job, each other, and the customer. I am glad that Summit Racing is in our district. It is something we can all be proud of, and I look forward to rebuilding my ’79 F-150 with a little bit of help.” 

Rep. Ellzey grew up in Perryton, Texas, and he maintains that he wanted to be a fighter pilot since the age of seven when his father took him on his first plane ride. The Congressman is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and throughout his 20-year Naval career, Rep. Ellzey flew H-60 helicopters, F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 Hornets, and Super Hornets in defense of our Nation. A survivor of 830 carrier landings, he served a tour embedded with Navy SEALs and called in air support in 2006 in Anbar province, Iraq. After retiring from the military, he was a private pilot, civilian contractor, and worked as a White House under President George W. Bush. Rep. Ellzey also founded and ran a public speaking and executive coaching firm and was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Perry to serve as a commissioner of the Texas Veterans Commission, serving from 2012 until 2018. Rep. Ellzey was elected to the Texas State Legislature in 2020 before winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives just nine months later. 

Rep. Ellzey currently serves as a member of the U.S. House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Science, Space, and Technology. The Congressman’s top priorities include supporting military veterans and our armed forces, protecting private property rights, stopping proposed high-speed rail in Texas, and reducing federal spending and debt reduction. Upon learning about the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), Congressman Ellzey agreed to cosponsor the bill and is passionate about enacting the bill into law given the importance of the issue to his constituents. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to showcase our enthusiast-based company culture and our outstanding team at Summit Racing Equipment, especially in support of initiatives that protect our industry,” said Dave Ritchey, Summit Racing’s Manager of Phone Sales. “Thank you to SEMA/PRI for organizing and participating in the meeting, and to Rep. Ellzey for taking the time to visit and get to know our company, and for reinforcing his support of the RPM Act. Supporting this bill helps protect the livelihood of our company and employees, our business partners, and race tracks throughout the country.” 

For more information on planning your own Congressional District site visit, please contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.