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Teenage Wonderland: With Big Names in Field, Jones, Dulabhan Poised to Race for Allen Turner PLM Championship on Saturday

By Chuck Corder

It must feel like a swarm of butterflies has descended into the bellies of Garrett Jones and Bryce Dulabhan.

The two teenagers — Jones, 14; Dulabhan, 17 — figured to have a pressure-packed evening of racing ahead of them this Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway.

Separated by a ho-hum 12 points heading into the Whataburger Night of Champions, Jones and Dulabhan will likely determine the Allen Turner Pro Late Model series track championship at the end of the Tune Up 100 on Saturday.

Needless to say, nerves were already going to be an issue.

With the recent announcement that rising NASCAR stars Johanna Long and Chase Elliott would be in Saturday night’s field, one expects the young guns to be as nervous as a pair of long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs.

“It definitely blows my mind,� said Jones, an eighth grader who currently resides in North Carolina and leads Dulabhan in the overall Allen Turner PLM season standings. “I would’ve never thought this would’ve been me two years ago. Racing against those guys, I really just hope to learn a lot by following ’em and keeping pace.

“This is what I love about racing: Definitely the competition, but when it gets down to the end, it’s you and the steering wheel. It’s cool that they trust me and I, definitely, trust them.�
While Dulabhan, too, is basking in the surreal opportunity of battling 100 laps against two of the last three Snowball Derby champions, he’s doing his best to temper expectations.

After all, Dulabhan still has a championship to hunt down.

“I can’t get caught up in racing those guys too much, especially as much as I will race Garrett,� the Fairhope (Ala.) High School senior said. “I’ve gotta keep my head down and do what’s right for us. Hopefully I’m around ’em during race.�

The regular season finale at Pensacola’s high banks promises to be full of fireworks, and not just for the PLMs.

The Beef “O� Brady’s Sportsmen, Butler U-Pull-It Bombers, Modifieds and Pro Trucks are also vying to be crowned track champions when the gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, students and military; $8 for children 6-11; and free for kids under 6.

For Long, the Pensacola native and current Nationwide Series driver, being the object of younger drivers’ admiration is a feeling the 21 year old is still growing accustomed to.

“It’s definitely different,� the 2010 Snowball Derby champion said. “It’s crazy to take in. I remembering being that age and looking up to a lotta people around the racetrack at Five Flags.

“It’s really cool for young people like that to come up through the ranks. They seem to be getting younger and younger each year.�

For those aforementioned teens, finding a balance between respecting your idols and not being intimidated by them will be key Saturday.

True, this weekend’s 100 lapper is a detour from the four previous split-feature races Jones and Dulabhan have competed in this season at the famed half-mile, asphalt oval.

But, as Dulabhan put it, “maybe I should have a leg up on (Long and Elliott) since they haven’t been here all year.�

Neither former Derby champ has raced a PLM event at Five Flags this season.

Long did make a summer appearance at America’s Favorite Home Track. But that was for a Super Late Model, Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series 125 lapper.

The last time Elliott was inside a PLM at Five Flags was last December. Oh, by the way, the Camping World Trucks winner earlier this month in Canada won his second Snowflake 100 that night.

“It definitely means a lot to me that the next wave of drivers look up to me,� said 2011 Derby winner, just 17 himself. “But I definitely still find myself learning as much now as I did a few years ago. The learning process never stops.�

And that seems to be the approach Jones and Dulabhan are taking this weekend.

“I’m going out there Saturday to learn,� said Jones in the No. 88. “It’d be icing on cake to win a championship.�

While both are hungry for the win — especially Jones who leads despite a victory eluding him — they remain determined to not let the moment swallow them whole.

“We’ve gotta be dead on,� Dulabhan said of his No. 28 team. “We can’t miss our setup. This’ll be the most demanding race of the year, by far. But sometimes pressure is good, and can make us perform well.�

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