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December 27, 2005
Section: features
Edition: BRADENTON
Page: 32E
DUTILLY FINDS SUCCESS AT EVERY LEVEL OF RACING
Scott Lockwood, Special to The Herald
When you have a family that is heavily involved in a sport, it would seem natural
the next generation would follow suit. That's exactly what happened with 26
year-old Jesse Dutilly of Bradenton.
"My family brought me out here when I was younger, and I really got into it then,"
Dutilly said.
Dutilly's start in racing didn't come as a driver, but as a crew member on his father
John's race car. Even then, his career didn't get off to a conventional start.
"When we came to race, he had to get in the trunk of the car to get in the pits
because he was 16 but looked 12," said the elder Dutilly, who had a successful
driving career in street stocks, mini stocks and late models.
After spending some time helping his father's and other racers' cars, Dutilly finally
got his chance to drive a few years ago in a mini stock racer.
"I started in the back and ended up fifth," he said. "I got in a wreck and tore the
whole left side up, but I had a blast."
That top-five finish turned out to be a foreshadowing of things to come for Dutilly.
In his first full season of racing at DeSoto, he finished third in points. He followed
that up with back-to-back track championships in the mini-stock division.
In that three-year period, he won 34 feature races, including a whopping 18 events
in his second championship year of 2002.
"They ended up kicking me out of the mini-stock class," Dutilly said about the result
of his success. "I'm not allowed to run them anymore."
At that point, it was obvious Dutilly needed to start climbing up the ladder in
classes. He landed a ride in the sportsman division, which is a class in between
street stocks and late models. A successful season in this class landed him the
Rookie of the Year as well as Sportsman Driver of the Year.
When John Dutilly decided to get out of the driver's seat, it freed up a ride in the
limited late models. In his first season driving his father's No. 30 car, he made the
adjustment to the fastest class that races at DeSoto. He made it look easy, winning
half his starts in a limited schedule. He also claimed another rookie of the year
award.
"It was the same car I brought home wrecked every week," John Dutilly said. "And
now he's bringing home trophies."
When the 2005 season began, the team added a second car. They tapped one of
Jesse Dutilly's closest friends, Dean Butrum, to drive the No. 32 mini stock car.
Butrum, who won 16 feature races in 2004 in the mini stock division, added not
only experience but a key helping hand for Dutilly's late model team.
"When Jesse is at the shop getting these cars ready, I'm usually right there with
him," Butrum said. "Some help is better than none, but it's usually just me and him."
The team came out of the box strong and was a force all season long. Butrum was
dominant all season, finishing regularly in the top three and winning several feature
races en route to a track championship.
For Dutilly, he used a more methodical approach to his first full season driving the
late models. While he still won two feature races, he also ran consistently in the top
five. He was also able to stay out of trouble, failing to finish only two events en
route to the track championship, his third in six years at DeSoto.
Dutilly acknowledges he probably could have won more races but was pleased with
the way he won the title.
"My goal was to win three this year, but I was running for the points too," Dutilly
said. "But sometimes you have to sacrifice the wins to finish second. It's all about
the big picture."
For Dutilly, a mechanic at team sponsor Integrity Transmissions in Sarasota, the
big picture is the 2006 racing season. While he may have other hobbies, his spare
time is mainly devoted to just one thing.
"I like to go fast, and I like to win," he said. "I don't really understand why I like to
race, but it's something I'm pretty good at and love to do."
BRIAN BLANCO/The Herald
Jesse Dutilly began his racing career as a crew member on his father John's race
car. "I like to go fast, and I like to win," the younger Dutilly said. "I don't really
understand why I like to race, but it's something I'm pretty good at and love to do."
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