Kelly Jones slipped her feet into weathered, black-suede Alpinestars racing shoes last Saturday for the first time in 16 years, taking a rare moment to herself during what she knew would be a long and busy day.
She last wore the shoes as an 18-year-old, racing cars on the very same track on Tucson’s southeast side. Her mother, Denise Germain, had found them in her closet earlier Saturday.
They still fit, the soot-colored suede emblazoned with red accents clinging to the curves of Kelly’s feet.
She put the shoes on and just like the fairy tale, magic happened. Kelly had already found her Prince Charming more than two decades ago, racing go-karts as kids and, later, competing against one another as teenagers at the Tucson Speedway.
Kelly, 34, has spent the past decade raising her two children. She’s also been helping her husband, Dustin, run their landscaping business during the week. On the weekends, she worked the pits as he or the kids raced.
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On Saturday, the roles were reversed as Dustin and a crew of friends and family doted on Kelly and her truck, making sure everything was perfect for her long-awaited return to the track.
The family business
Kelly and Dustin own a landscaping service, sure. But racing is their family business.
Kelly said her father, Colin Germain, “pretty much raced anything and everything his whole life, from snow mobiles to drag cars to stock cars.”
Kelly started going to the racetrack as a kid, watching her dad race. When she was 10, she raced her first go-kart. At 16, she moved up to Factory Stocks at the old Tucson Raceway Park. At the time, there were no kids’ divisions. She raced against adults.
“The first time she went out on the track, she’d never driven a stick before, so she stalled it about five or six times,” her father said. “And then, the fifth race in, she won.”
Later that year, she became the youngest driver to win a feature race at the track.
Dustin began his racing career at 6, riding dirt bikes, before moving into go-karts when he was 13. Dustin and Kelly met the go-kart track, but didn’t start dating until high school.
She went to high school at Sahuaro and he attended Sahuarita, but they spent Saturday nights at the track and watched film together on Sunday. They missed their senior prom after getting held up at the track.
During the 2003 season, her second at TRP, Kelly became the first woman to win a points championship racing Factory Stocks. By the time she turned 18, she had moved out of that division and into Late Models, racing alongside her boyfriend.
The two made news when, in 2004, they raced against one another in the Late Models division, with Kelly snapping Dustin’s four-race win streak with her first victory of the season. Dustin went on to win his first championship later that year. Kelly came in second and took home Rookie of the Year honors.
By 2005, Kelly had graduated from high school and the Late Model division, moving over Super Late Models.
“We didn’t do too good. We were both rookies,” Colin Germain said. “We went one year and then the next year, the track closed, so we lost all our sponsors.”
Then life happened.
Dustin moved to North Carolina to attend the Richard Petty Driving School, returning to Tucson when he was done. He and Kelly married in 2008 and focused their efforts on raising their two kids, Keirstin and Devin. With the racetrack still closed, the Joneses gave dirt track racing a try. Kelly won one race and Dustin won two or three, but it wasn’t the same.
They spent much of their time growing their business, opening Rincon Vista Landscaping four years ago. Between raising her kids, owning a business, Kelly found herself out of the driver’s seat.
“We have created a good little life for ourselves and our kids,” Kelly said.
In 2013, Tucson Raceway Park reopened as Tucson Speedway, following a handful of ownership changes over the past eight years. Dustin returned to the track in 2019 to compete in both Pro Stocks and Thunder Trucks. He ended up winning the points championship for Thunder Trucks, and came in third in points for Pro Stocks.
Back on track
Neither Dustin nor Kelly regret the time away from driving. In fact, they take almost as much pleasure in watching their kids thrive in the sport as they did racing.
Keirstin, 13, got her start in go-karts and has been at the speedway for three years. She just took second in points in the Outlaw Bandolero season for drivers ages 11 and up. The Joneses youngest child, 10-year-old Devin, competes in the Bandits Bandolero division for drivers ages 8 through 11. Last year, Devin was points leader in his division.
“I like, obviously, the adrenaline rush you get out of the racing, but I like how it’s a very family-oriented sport. It’s all of us in it together, we all like it,” Kelly said. “It’s just something we’ve always done. All of our friends that we’ve always hung out with love racing, too.”
In late September, Kelly made the decision to enter the final Thunder Trucks race of the season. She drove a truck that Dustin had raced a few times.
“Dustin’s been pushing me. I said, ‘You need to race it first.’ We just built this truck, so the first couple times he went out in it, we had some engine issues and struggled a bit,” Kelly said. “So I was like, ‘You get it fast first and then I’ll race it.’”
Kelly’s last-minute decision meant little preparation, and track time was hot in demand. Kelly rented the track once.
Before open practice the night before the race, Kelly admitted to being a little on edge.
“Extremely nervous. I did practice the other day and it went good,” she said. “They say it’s like riding a bike. You kind of get back in and everything comes back to you, even though it’s nerve-racking because you haven’t done it for so long.”
The energy was high, with Kelly and her crew readying the truck, taking measurements and writing down specs.
Shortly before the few trucks on site lined up to take their places on the track, Kelly slipped into the front of the family’s 30-foot toy hauler to change into her racing suit.
As soon as she stepped away from the vehicle, her father and husband descended on the truck, making sure everything was just right.
Kelly emerged, pulled on her helmet — matte black with red adornments — and slid her tall frame through the window of the truck and into the driver’s seat. She took her place in line and the trucks were off, flying around the track. Thunder Trucks typically reach speeds of 90 mph on straightaways and 75 mph around the corners, but at times during practice and the next day’s race, Kelly’s car looked faster than the others.
After it was over, Kelly stood next to her truck and watched video of her practice laps on her dad’s phone.
“That was more practice than I got the other day,” she said.
‘It’s her turn’
The Jones family was back at the track at noon on race day, their excitement palpable even from a distance.
Dustin put his nervous energy to work, going over the truck with a dust mop, making sure every square inch shined in the afternoon sun.
“I was pushing Kelly to get back in it, and get back in it, and here she is,” Dustin said. “Her being a mom and doing her deal finally got her back in it. It’s her turn.”
Kelly’s spot in the pits was nestled in between those belonging to her brother-in-law, Dylan Jones, and family friend, Richard Dorman, both of whom were competing in the Pro Stock season finale.
Dorman credits the Jones family for getting him into racing. They brought him to the track one day, and, like many before him, he was hooked.
Even though Dorman had his own race to prepare for, he checked in with the Joneses throughout the day.
Keirstin also helped out, ferrying her dad and others around the pits in the family’s golf cart and keeping the handful of younger children attached to the group occupied.
A few hours before the race, Kelly pulled her car out of the pits and into position to line up for qualifying. She paused her black and blue truck with neon-colored yellow and pink accents before she got into line.
The men in her life approached the vehicle. Kelly’s father and husband flanked the truck on either side while Devin rode circles around the car on his bicycle. Kelly’s brother Colin wore a custom “Kelly Germain” T-shirt from her high school racing days.
“I’ll have to get a new one, since she’s a Jones now,” Germain said.
‘I’ve still got it’
Kelly qualified for the main event, saying, “That felt good,” as she came off the track.
A few hours later, as the other divisions ran through their main events, her nerves had kicked in. As the race neared, she sat down for what seemed like the first time all day, lowering herself in a folding camping chair next to some friends.
“The waiting is the worst part,” she said later.
After what felt like an eternity, it was race time. Dylan Jones raced up the bleachers in the spotters’ section, moments after claiming his victory as Pro Stock season champ and eager to watch his sister-in-law’s return.
Dustin at the top of the bleachers amongst the other spotters, sporting the same hot-pink headset that his wife used for years while spotting for her husband and kids.
The rest of the Jones camp quietly watched in anticipation as the race began.
By lap 14 of the 30-lap race, Kelly was in sixth place. She moved up to fifth on lap 24.
And then, in the final lap of the race, Kelly’s truck — with its neon pink 77 splashed across the side — overtook the 88 truck and cruised across the finish line in fourth place.
It was hard to tell who was happiest about Kelly’s finish. Dustin’s elation was impossible to contain, and he jumped up and down outside the windows of her truck.
“That was so awesome!” he told his beaming wife. “You did so good!”
When the Jones family eventually returned to their spot in the pits, a champagne toast ensued. Cans of White Claw were passed around to those old enough to indulge.
“That was so much fun,” Kelly told the mob of friends and family who gathered to congratulate her on her performance.
Colin Germain watched his daughter proudly from a few feet away. A woman leaned over and told him, “That brought back all the feels from the old days.”
As the weekend of racing drew to a close, Kelly and Dustin stepped away from the group and toasted what felt like a victory, with so many firsts and after so much time away.
“I’ve still got it!”
Photos: Stock car racer Kelly Jones returns to the track after a six year hiatus
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Kelly Jones, racing family
These 3 race car-driving girls just made Tucson Speedway history
The first time she raced on the track, Quinn Davis was 5 years old.
She’ll never forget what happened.
Quinn climbed into a club car and drove 10 laps around the Tucson Quarter Midget Association’s Marana track. Then she couldn’t stop.
Really. Quinn didn’t know how to stop the car.
“I hit the wall,” says Quinn, now 11. “And I wanted to do it again.”
Quinn’s driving quickly improved and she went on from driving a club car — a four-cylinder vehicle weighing a few hundred pounds and traveling upwards of 45 mph around a 1/20-mile track — to win four championships in the association before moving up to Bandolero racing on Tucson Speedway’s 3/8-mile track. She’s had success with the larger Outlaw Bandolero vehicles as well. Earlier this month, Quinn took third in points in this year’s Outlaw season, for drivers who are 11 years old and older.
For the first time in Tucson Speedway history, the top three Outlaw Bandolero point leaders — Anika O’Brien, Keirstin Jones and Quinn Davis, who finished in first, second and third place, respectively — are girls.
The Outlaw cars are small but mighty, capable of reaching speeds up to 70 mph .
The sport has obvious dangers. But these girls are taking risks in order to achieve their goals, and they’re tearing it up on the track while slashing stereotypes in what’s historically been a male-dominated sport.(
They’re also forging friendships, supporting each other and providing a solid example of good sportsmanship to drivers of all ages.
All three girls had their struggles during the track’s shortened 2020 season, including crashes and breakdowns, but they stayed focused and stuck together as they drove their way to success.
“I knew my car had it and I had it”
Anika says nothing compares to racing.
“The adrenaline is what makes it fun,” Anika said. “Every time you go on the track, you don’t know what could happen. You have a split-second to decide what to do in a situation.”
The 14-year-old has been driving for five years, but is still two years away from earning her driver’s license, something she calls “not fair.”
Like Keirstin and Quinn, Anika was born into racing. Her dad, Brian O’Brien, began racing stock cars when he was 21 years old. He was Tucson Speedway’s 2016 and 2017 Pro Stock Champion. He also finished second in points in 2018 and again in 2020.()
“Eventually, I want to move up and race against him,” Anika O’Brien said.
Anika began her racing career five years ago in the racetrack’s Bandit division, which is for drivers ages 8 through 11. She’s been a rising star from the start. In her three seasons in the division, she took one Rookie of the Year and two championships before moving up to the Outlaw division.
“Last year, when I moved up to Outlaw, I got Rookie of the Year,” Anika said. “This year, I was hoping for another championship title. That was my goal.”
She has finished in the top five in all four races she’s competed in this year. On Oct. 3, she finished first.
“I knew my car had it and I had it” that day, Anika said.
Next year, Anika will compete in the speedway’s Hobby Stock Division, driving an early 1980s Monte Carlo that she and her dad built earlier this year.
“I raced it once this year, but at a practice the weekend after the first race I crashed into the wall and wrecked it,” Anika said.
The car survived, and Anika’s father drove it to a second-place finish in the Hobby Stock season’s final race last weekend. Anika and her mother, Kristi, proudly watched.()
Anika wants to keep racing for as long as she can. She wants to be a police officer someday, saying she isn’t particularly interested in racing professionally.
“I wouldn’t be interested in going big-time, because it’s not the same, but I do want to continue with short track racing,” Anika said. “My favorite part is the fun of it. Going out there every weekend, you meet a whole bunch of great people.”
“This was a special season”
One of those “great people” is 13-year-old Keirstin Jones, whose racing bloodlines run deep.
Her parents, Dustin and Kelly, competed at the speedway as teenagers and later married. Keirstin Jones’ uncle, Dylan Jones, was crowned Pro Stock season champion last weekend. Her younger brother, Devin, races in the track’s Bandit division.
Keirstin Jones was 8 years old when she got her start in go-karts, She moved up to Bandolero racing three years ago. Last year, during her first season in Outlaws, Keirstin came in third in points.
“My favorite thing is just having fun and winning,” said Keirstin, who has been racing alongside — and against — Anika for the past three years. “This was a special season, because it was all three girls.”
When she’s not busy working on her car and practicing at the track, Keirstin also plays volleyball at Old Vail Middle School.()
After the shortened season, Keirstin is eager to get back on the track next year for a full — and possibly final — season in the Outlaw division. Racing resumed in August following the coronavirus pandemic closures, but with only a few months left in the season, there was only time for three more races.
Keirstin can move up from Outlaw racing when she turns 14, but will likely compete in the full season before “probably” moving up to Thunder Trucks, the same division in which her mom just made her racing return.
Keirstin’s second-place finish was a highlight of her racing career. As far as a career in racing goes, that’s yet to be decided.
“It kind of depends on how everything goes,” Keirstin said.
What’s not up in the air is her love for racing and all that comes with it.
It’s a very competitive sport, but it’s also a nice (way to form) friendships,” Keirstin said. “I’ve made so many friends at the racetrack.”
“It’s not about trophies for me”
While Anika and Keirstin spent last weekend at Tucson Speedway, Quinn was at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring and Dirt Track, competing in the Bandoleros at INEX Asphalt Nationals.
Quinn loved racing quarter midgets, but at 10, she and her parents realized she was outgrowing the car. She decided she wanted to move over to Bandoleros, and had an impressive first season. Quinn finished fifth in points after only racing half the season, and was named Rookie of the Year.()
“I like to have fun,” Quinn said. “It’s not about the trophies for me. It’s about having fun.”
Like her friends, Quinn was born into racing. Her father, Mark, raced off-road vehicles and motorcycles, and at one point worked as a NASCAR official.
“It’s really surprising that some people say that girls aren’t capable of stuff,” Quinn said. “I do this to make girls have a positive energy and give them inspiration to do this and try other sports as well that boys like to do. We’re not allowed to do baseball, but we can do softball.”
Quinn said the sport allows her to let out her emotions on the track. “They’re really strong at this point because of COVID and not being able to see anyone. You can get them all out on the track,” Quinn said. She added that when “aggressive driving happens on the track, it’s just like, ‘Oh we’re racing now.’”
Quinn is planning to return for another season at Tucson Speedway, and will continue racing in Las Vegas, despite some bad luck at the track, including wrecking her car on the first lap last weekend.
When she’s not helping her dad out with her car, Quinn loves going to cafes and getting her nails done with her mom. She can do both, she says, thanks to the support she receives at home and at the track.
The girl who couldn’t stop her car in her first trip around the track now can’t stop racing.
“I suggest (kids try) racing because everyone is accepting of people and they don’t judge.” Quinn said. “Your friends are supportive no matter what.”
Quinn says she would love to race professionally someday. She rattles off a list of NASCAR drivers, including Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson and Hailie Deegan, saying, “I want to be like them, but different.
Quinn was 4 years old the first time her dad took her to a race at Tucson Speedway.
On that day, kids were invited onto the track to meet Keselowski and touch his race car, she said.
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to touch the car,” Quinn said. “I want to drive it.”
Contact reporter Caitlin Schmidt at cschmidt@tucson.com or 573-4191.