For nearly two decades, J.A. Ackley has delivered hard-hitting stories that dig deep beneath the surface. With an innate curiosity about how things work and what makes people tick, he thoroughly captures the essence of the subject through the creative use of words and photos.
Grassroots Motorsports and Classic Motorsports hired J.A. as a senior editor in April 2022. There he continues to craft award-winning articles while also using his experience to coach the next generation of staff. In addition, J.A. combines data analysis with a gut instinct to help steer the publications’ online content strategy.
In February 2021, J.A. went back to his promotional roots and started the Outside Groove Racing Show in Knoxville, Tennessee. The trade show offers racers in the region access to parts suppliers and vendors found at bigger shows, but in a more intimate setting. In addition, the event connects the public with a variety of forms of motorsport to help increase participation. The show has also become well known for its promoter-oriented seminars.
At the height of the Covid pandemic, J.A. launched the media outlet Outside Groove in April 2020. As its executive editor, he helped assemble an award-winning group of writers, photographers, and videographers to deliver creative, insightful, and relevant stories for the oval-track racing world.
From 2019 to 2020, J.A. wrote and photographed stories for Performance Racing Industry (PRI) magazine, OneDirt.com, and Turnology.com.
For more than a decade (2007–2019), he worked as managing editor of Speedway Illustrated. During that time, he and his team won numerous accolades. J.A.’s favorite moment came when his story on tire treatments in dirt late model racing won the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism, which had previously honored journalists from national outlets such as USA Today, The New York Times, CBS Sports, ESPN, and The Washington Post.
Prior to Speedway Illustrated, J.A. founded several successful news websites covering local auto racing scenes at the turn of the current millennium. In addition to his journalistic endeavors, J.A. has promoted auto racing events, worked as a PA announcer and in public relations for a traveling sprint car series, and managed a group of multimillion-dollar convenience stories for a major worldwide corporation.
While a lifelong learner, J.A. also earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration—Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology, with a concentration in Communications, and additional coursework in mechanical engineering, printing, and graphic design.
J.A., a New York native, currently resides in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife, Jess, and two dogs, Enzo and Notty. His hobbies include coaching his neighborhood wiffle ball team, designing landscapes, restoring old houses, researching random topics, watching off-the-radar films and TV shows (especially foreign), learning new languages, and traveling.
