Battle For The Belts Roll Call: PJD’s Tyler Allen

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Tyler Allen was just excited to be part of the moment.Enjoying his time in the MAVTV Winner’s Circle as much as anyone last Friday at Texas Motorplex, the Pro Junior Dragster had a starry look in his eyes as he glanced around at the likes of Frankie Taylor and John Montecalvo.But Allen certainly belonged there just as much as anyone.His special moment at the LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VI and the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts” concluded with a win in the finals, as Allen edged out Alexander Oppen by running an impressive 7.93.As he basked in the glow of winning the title - his first in the 2010 season - Allen also became the first ADRL youngster to claim a Pro Junior Dragster title.Their title belt was added to the mix in 2010 and Allen became the first to hoist it over his end.“This is pretty cool,” Allen said.Allen’s youthful enthusiasm was one of the highlights of the post-race celebration, where Allen simply seemed to be in awe of the moment.The magnitude of the moment had not totally sunk in yet, but Allen and his family were beaming in the spotlight.Allen deserved every part of his special day, as he was consistent in picking up his three wins.He edged out Kyle Dvorak by just seven feet in the semifinals and then added the final win with a spectacular run against Oppen at Texas Motorplex.What followed in the party that came next will surely be a moment Allen will never forget.ANATOMY OF A CHAMPIONSHIPTyler Allen ended up with the title in Pro Junior Dragster, but there was a lot that took place for it to reach that point.The anticipated sibling vs. sibling matchup featuring Ty and Tia Tutterow didn’t materialize after the eight-driver field reshuffled before Friday’s race.The biggest surprise was Morgan Benfield’s red light in the semifinals. She was the No. 1 seed heading into the race after becoming the first ADRL PJD driver to win three races in a season.Her season was still a massive success, but Alexander Oppen was more than pleased to take advantage of the opportunity and move onto the finals.Oppen’s first win came against KJ Nowling, but Oppen just missed out on matching his win in St. Louis with a championship run in Ennis.Allen’s wins leading up to the finals came against Tia Tutterow and Kyle Dvorak in the semifinals.Dvorak, who beat Ty Tutterow in the race-in matchup and then Timmy Clifton in the first round, lost to Allen by just seven feet in an exciting race.Of course, everything that took place eventually all led Allen to the finals and a World Championship later that night in Ennis.(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

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