Drag Illustrated Issue 151, December 2019 | Page 96
30 UNDER 30 / 2019
CHRIS
GARNER-
JONES
■ LOSING A CHAMPIONSHIP on the
final day of a successful eight-race season is a
trying experience, and even more frustrating
when it happens twice. That’s what happened
to Chris Garner-Jones this year when he fell to
2017 and 2019 PDRA Pro Nitrous Motorcycle
world champion Travis Davis in the semifinals
at the PDRA World Finals. Rather than pushing
Garner-Jones to frustration, the experience only
inspired him to look ahead.
Plus, Garner-Jones, who turned 30 earlier this
year, realizes he’s racing against veterans who
have years of riding experience and data on him.
“Being not really new to drag racing, but new
to actually doing the work and having to ride,
it’s hard to stay consistent,” says Garner-Jones,
whose motorcycle is tuned by his younger brother,
William. “These other guys, they’ve been doing
it for a long time and it shows. I guess that’s why
it’s so challenging, but I love it. I wouldn’t trade
it for anything.”
Garner-Jones started riding drag bikes only six
years ago, progressing from a Suzuki GSX-R100
to a Top Gas bike before hopping on a Pro Mod
bike formerly campaigned by his father, T.T.
Jones. He’s since excelled in the PDRA’s lone
motorcycle class, as well as
on the local level at the fam-
ily’s Huntsville Dragway in
Alabama, where he won in
two classes at the King of the
Crown race this year.
That level of performance
also helped Garner-Jones lock
down an international ride.
He joined brother William for
a tuning gig in Bahrain last
year, and when the primary
rider was injured in an acci-
dent, Garner-Jones was given
the chance to ride. He deliv-
ered a career-best 3.95-sec-
ond pass on his first of two
runs. The Alabama native re-
turns to Bahrain this winter to
run a full season.
“I feel like we have a lot
of stuff to finish,” says Gar-
ner-Jones, who dreams of rac-
ing NHRA Pro Stock Motor-
cycle one day. “The two passes
that we made, we hurt the bike
on both passes. I feel like we can go way faster than
that with more testing and more laps down the
track. They race in perfect conditions [in Bahrain].
I’m very excited.” – N AT E VA N WAG N DI
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ALLIE AND CODY BLAND
■ ALLIE BLAND'S first experience with drag
racing came on a trip to the U.S. Nationals at 18
years old, distinctly remembering Doug Kalitta
warm up his Top Fuel dragster in the pits. Her
then-boyfriend, Cody, who was well-versed in the
World of Outlaws scene, soon joined her, sharing
an immediate passion for the sport.
They’ve been married for eight years now, but
while locations, teams and duties have changed,
the one constant is that the sport remains an
important part of both their lives.
Allie is a media relations manager at the
NHRA, and Cody spent 2019 as the clutch guy
for Austin Prock’s Top Fuel team. While the pair
of 29-year-olds have far different tasks on the
road, being entrenched in the sport has allowed
both to thrive – both professionally and in their
relationship.
“It’s a world that means so much to both of us,”
Allie says. “You need to have that passion and it’s
something we both understand. We both enjoy
it a lot and we’re very fortunate the two of us are
on the road together.”
Adds Cody: “It’s pretty cool that you can talk
about work in a way that isn’t necessarily like
your everyday couple. A lot of people wouldn’t
understand it, but you can talk about work and
it’s cool to share that passion.”
Life on the road for half the year can put a
strain on relationships when one half of the rela-
tionship is staying home, but the traveling circuit
has enabled the Blands to bring out the best in
their abilities and still spend ample time together,
as both earned spots on the 2019 30 Under 30 list.
Allie started at Impact Racing before moving to
Don Schumacher Racing in 2015, handling a vari-
ety of social media duties. She began with NHRA
at the start of this season, bringing a noticeable
jolt of energy and enthusiasm to the public re-
lations and communication department. That
infectious passion has rubbed off on everyone
in media centers across the country, which lets
Bland know she’s flourishing in her role.
“My theory is I want to treat people with kind-
ness because I want eyeballs to see the NHRA,”
Bland says. “If I can try to treat everybody well
and educate everyone on NHRA and create a fan,
that’s pretty cool.”
Cody has dabbled in a little bit of everything on
the mechanical side, building an impressive and
diverse resume starting his experience on cylinder
heads at Kalitta Motorsports. He followed by
working on superchargers with Al-Anabi Racing
and then Alan Johnson Racing before moving to
Tony Schumacher’s DSR team in 2016. He built
engines for the Army squad for three years, going
to Prock’s team early this year after Schumacher
wasn’t able to secure a sponsor for 2019.
He moved to the clutch on Prock’s team, show-
ing an uncanny ability to fill a number of key
positions. Prock was named NHRA’s Rookie of
the Year – and is also a 30 Under 30 recipient
in 2019 – as his team came together quickly in
short order this year.
That part was a thrill for Bland, who has con-
tinued to make a name for himself.
“Being diverse definitely helps,” Bland says.
“This was my first year doing the clutch, and it’s
another learning curve, but being in all these
situations certainly helps.” – J O S H H AC H DI
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