<a href="http://www.stlracingphotos.com/Macon%20Speedway/824275" target="_blank">CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM MACON SPEEDWAY'S UMP SUMMER NATIONALS!</a>
By Brett Zerfowski
(Macon, IL) The UMP Summernationals presents the only opportunity Moweaqua native Shannon Babb has to return to his home track. He was able to dominate the 2006 Summernationals tour and the Herald & Review 100 leading all 100 laps. The 29th Annual Herald & Review 100 was also a memorable night for Babb as he grabbed his first Summernationals win and second Herald & Review 100.
After taking the overall top qualifying time of 10.406 (track record is 10.311), Babb finished second in the second heat behind Rodney Melvin of Benton. That helped put him second row outside to start the 100-lap event.
Rodney Melvin started the race front row outside and led the first 18 laps. Into the third turn of the 19th lap, Melvin was running along side Babb on the bottom of the track and Babb blew by Melvin to take the lead. That would be the last time Babb would be seriously challenged.
Bloomington’s Jason Feger tried to catch up to Babb but the Sheltra Construction car was too much for any other racecar on the track.
Feger and Brian Shirley needed a caution to catch up to the leader, who was nearly a straight-away lead from the rest of the frontrunners. They would get that on lap 82, breaking a streak of 56 consecutive green-flag laps. On the restart, Feger would trail Babb and Shirley but then a flat tire doomed him and forced him to the infield for a right rear tire change. After the change, Feger would jump to the back of the pack and try to work his way back up with only 18 laps remaining.
On the lap 82 restart, Babb blew away the field en route to his first win of the tour, only his second checkered flag of 2009, and his name etched into the Macon Speedway history books as a two-time Herald & Review 100 winner.
All 100 laps were completed an amazing 33 minutes and only saw four cautions.
On the pole for the feature was the 16-year-old Brandon Sheppard, the youngest to ever take the pole for Herald & Review 100. He was second-fastest in his qualifying group and took the heat win over his father Steve Sheppard, Jr.
The Street Stocks and Modifieds were also apart of the program and saw Steve Ewing win his sixth Street Stock feature and Tim Hancock won his first feature in his first trip to Macon Speedway. Hancock started from the 14th position (seventh row outside) and wound bypassing Aaron Burcham and Mike Haas to claim the lead and the win.
The first of two big nights of racing is over and that paves the way to our nation’s birthday and the 95Q Firecracker 40s. Modifieds and Street Stocks will run 40-lap features and Macon Speedway will welcome back the POWRi Mini Sprints for their next race in the summer series. Touchstone Energy Sportsman and Pro and Amateur Hornets will also be on the card for the special July 4th program at Macon Speedway. During the StarTek Intermission program, there will be a huge fireworks display!
By Brett Zerfowski
(Macon, IL) The UMP Summernationals presents the only opportunity Moweaqua native Shannon Babb has to return to his home track. He was able to dominate the 2006 Summernationals tour and the Herald & Review 100 leading all 100 laps. The 29th Annual Herald & Review 100 was also a memorable night for Babb as he grabbed his first Summernationals win and second Herald & Review 100.
After taking the overall top qualifying time of 10.406 (track record is 10.311), Babb finished second in the second heat behind Rodney Melvin of Benton. That helped put him second row outside to start the 100-lap event.
Rodney Melvin started the race front row outside and led the first 18 laps. Into the third turn of the 19th lap, Melvin was running along side Babb on the bottom of the track and Babb blew by Melvin to take the lead. That would be the last time Babb would be seriously challenged.
Bloomington’s Jason Feger tried to catch up to Babb but the Sheltra Construction car was too much for any other racecar on the track.
Feger and Brian Shirley needed a caution to catch up to the leader, who was nearly a straight-away lead from the rest of the frontrunners. They would get that on lap 82, breaking a streak of 56 consecutive green-flag laps. On the restart, Feger would trail Babb and Shirley but then a flat tire doomed him and forced him to the infield for a right rear tire change. After the change, Feger would jump to the back of the pack and try to work his way back up with only 18 laps remaining.
On the lap 82 restart, Babb blew away the field en route to his first win of the tour, only his second checkered flag of 2009, and his name etched into the Macon Speedway history books as a two-time Herald & Review 100 winner.
All 100 laps were completed an amazing 33 minutes and only saw four cautions.
On the pole for the feature was the 16-year-old Brandon Sheppard, the youngest to ever take the pole for Herald & Review 100. He was second-fastest in his qualifying group and took the heat win over his father Steve Sheppard, Jr.
The Street Stocks and Modifieds were also apart of the program and saw Steve Ewing win his sixth Street Stock feature and Tim Hancock won his first feature in his first trip to Macon Speedway. Hancock started from the 14th position (seventh row outside) and wound bypassing Aaron Burcham and Mike Haas to claim the lead and the win.
The first of two big nights of racing is over and that paves the way to our nation’s birthday and the 95Q Firecracker 40s. Modifieds and Street Stocks will run 40-lap features and Macon Speedway will welcome back the POWRi Mini Sprints for their next race in the summer series. Touchstone Energy Sportsman and Pro and Amateur Hornets will also be on the card for the special July 4th program at Macon Speedway. During the StarTek Intermission program, there will be a huge fireworks display!
