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Elliott’s Return Proves Victorious in Allen Turner Tune Up 100; 14-Year-Old Jones among Five Track Champs Crowned

By Chuck Corder

It’s not often that Chase Elliott gets dwarfed by the moment on a racetrack.

Especially when the 17-year-old phenom winds up in Victory Lane.

Elliott came home with the Allen Turner Tune Up 100 win Saturday at Five Flags Speedway, but it was Garrett Jones receiving all the attention.

The 14-year-old West Palm Beach native, living now in North Carolina, celebrated the Allen Turner Pro Late Model track championship. His eighth-place finish, one spot better than Bryce Dulabhan, was good enough to capture the hardware by a single point over Dulabhan on the Whataburger Night of Champions.

Johanna Long, in her first PLM race at Five Flags since last December, struggled mightily most of the night and finished a distant 23rd after being involved in a crash midway through the race.

“We had a bad weekend, to be honest,� said Jones, who struggled in qualifying while Dulabhan took the pole with a track record (16.602). “But we fought hard and were right there at the end. Bryce had some bad luck, and I hate it for him. But that’s racing; I can’t control that.�

Dulabhan started on the pole and was a rocket ship until contact with Elliott, while battling to maintain the lead, cost him.

The 17-year-old senior at Fairhope (Ala.) High School struggled with mechanical issues the rest of the night, but still nearly caught and overtook Jones for the track crown on the final lap.

“I hate it for Bryce that we got into each other,� a humbled Elliott said afterward. “I didn’t want to do anything to mess up the championship.�

Because of severe damage he sustained to his No. 28 in Mobile a few weeks ago, Dulabhan opted to lease Bubba Pollard’s No. 26 late model for Saturday.

After the mementos of success he took away from Saturday, it figures he’ll likely purchase that ride so he can drive it again come the Snowflake 100 during the first week in December.

“It’s been a good week,� said Dulabhan, whose pole victory clipped the previous track record by one one-thousandth of a second. “I couldn’t do it without Bubba Pollard and my family. To come out here and sit on the pole, all our hard work has paid off this season.�

And it seemed it would lead directly to a championship piece. With Jones starting all the way back in 28th in the 33-car field, it only seemed a formality that Dulabhan would walk away with the track title.

But following a caution, Dulabhan was attempting to hang onto the lead when he got into the side of Elliott coming outta Turn 4.

Elliott, as he is prone to do, showed his skill by not wrecking and taking the lead on Lap 39.

Dulabhan began experiencing troubles and was never the same.

The 100 lapper was delayed by 20 minutes after a huge fire erupted between turn Nos. 3 and 4 on Lap 6.

The No. 41 car driven by Troy Grisaffi was engulfed in flames while Kody Carl, driving the other car involved in the wreck caught fire, too.

Both escaped their cars unharmed, as emergency crews quickly squelched the blaze.

Long was involved in a nine-cae pileup on Lap 38, ignited by Junior Niedecken.

“I don’t know what happened,� she said. “The (No.) 99 (Niedecken) got into the (No.) 22 (Jeremy Pate), and it all break loose from there.�

 

Modifieds

Donnie Hamrac’s goal was simple: Set the fast time in qualifying and win the 35-lap Modifieds feature.

Accomplish both of those goals, and the 40 year old from Alabama figured his tight battle with points leader Brandon Howell would take care of itself.

Hamrac’s premonitions nearly came true.

While he qualified second, failing to capture the pole, Hamrac hoisted his second track championship after his runner-up finish was well ahead of Howell.

“We fought hard,� Hamrac said. “We brought our best piece tonight. We’ve been trying all year to get it ready. It’s an incredible car.�

Donald Crocker won his third feature at Five Flags this season in his No. 5 that he remained undefeated in at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

“This old car is a hot rod,� he said in Victory Lane. “We’re three-for-three over here. We had a good car tonight.�

After qualifying, Hammrac flipped his five-point deficit to a slim, two-point cushion after post a fast time just slower than Crocker’s top time.

Howell, in a backup car to the one he’s driven so deftly at Pensacola’s high banks all season, qualified back in ninth.

At the drop of the opening green, Howell tried to push it early on, but climbed only two spots through seven laps.

Hamrac was staying cautious until around the 10-lap mark when he began to make a risky move on Crocker.

Hamrac tapped the wall between turn Nos.1 and 2 and got loose underneath Crocker. While he was able to hold on and remain second, it certainly was anxious moment that made fans hold their breath.

And once Howell peeled off to the pits at Lap 31, Hamrac realized that discretion was the better part of valor and saw little reason to push the envelope.

 

Pro Trucks

Steve “Chopper� Stagner sure went out in style.

He wasn’t content with simply wrapping up the inaugural Pro Trucks track championship with his fifth win in the 25-lap feature

No, Stagner wanted to make a statement to the 12-car field Saturday. The message was received loud and clear in qualifying when Stagner blistered the track record with a fast lap of 18.607.

That was a full tenth faster than Oakie Mason’s previous mark of 18.723.

“I can’t thank my crew enough,� said Stagner, who swept all five features for the regular season. “They worked their tails off. Tonight, they worked overtime. I’ll take luck over skill any day.�

Jay Jay Day, who trailed Stagner by just four points coming into the night, finished third when Oakie Mason past him for second with two laps to go.

“That’s one of the best trucks I’ve ever had. Those guys deserved it,� Day said. “Chopper and that team have got their stuff together here. They won every race. We were lucky to even be in it.�

But at the drop of the opening green, Day had Stagner on his heels. He made a nifty move on the back straightaway, going inside of Stagner to take the lead.

Unfortunately, though, it was all for naught as the caution flag waved before a lap could be completed for a car that went for a spin at the tail end.

 

Beef “O� Brady’s Sportsmen

Hard work and sleepless nights this week were Steve Buttrick’s path to success on this night.

A week after a vicious crash along the front stretch, Buttrick had his No. 33 back up front.

While he couldn’t add to his eye-popping total of 10 victories this season, his runner-up finish to Brannon Fowler on Saturday’s Whataburger Night of Champions was more than good enough to lock up his second Sportsman track championship in four years.

How important was this season crown to Buttrick? He missed precious hours at his full-time job all week to make repairs to the front end and rest of the car.

“It took a lot of work,� said Buttrick, who credited fellow racers Chris Cotto, Brandon Burks, Tracy Soles among the many who helped turn a wrench this week.

Damage fixed, things only got worse for Buttrick at Friday’s practice. He broke a timing chain in the engine and immediately left for the shop to salve that failure.

Fowler, who had won the last two track titles, captured his second victory in as many weeks.

“We’re certainly proud of two in row,� Fowler said. “Congratulations to Steve. He does things right.�

 

Butler U-Pull-It Bombers

Good thing Michael Nelson had an insurmountable lead.

He came into Saturday’s Whataburger Night of Champions with a triple-digit cushion.

And when he exited the 20-lap feature after the right front broke on his No. 03 on Lap 8, Nelson need not to worry about a rival driver overtaking him.

Tracy Soles capped a roller-coaster regular season with his sixth Butler U-Pull-It Bombers 20-lap feature of the year.

Nelson celebrated his track championship from the comforts of the pits.

“I’m glad I finally got that monkey off back,� said Soles, who won five of the first seven races to 2013 before enduring a long drought. “I waited for this for so long.�

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