By Michelle Petroff for Shannon Babb Racing
PEVELY, MO (September 19, 2010) – Shannon Babb's 2010 season has been fraught with bad luck and tribulations but his unrelenting work ethic and perseverance paid off in a thrilling finale to Saturday night's World of Outlaws Late Model Series' "29th Annual Pepsi Nationals" at I-55 Raceway. Babb, 36, boasts one of the most impressive resumes in professional dirt late model racing but is all too aware that even the best competitors can have winless droughts. Fortunately, the same grit and determination that has earned him two UMP Summernationals' championships and a pair of Dirt Track World Championship titles also paid off with a victory over six-time event winner Billy Moyer.
The Illinois native turned the sixth fastest lap during qualifying and finished third in the third heat race in spite of a battery failing on the final circuit. Babb started ninth on the grid for the 55-lap main event and only advanced one position at the halfway mark. Following the final caution flag on lap 29, Babb's Petroff Towing/Donley Trucking/Kreke's Powerhouse Pro Power Racing Engines propelled Rocket Chassis hooked traction on the low groove and catapulted past five competitors in one lap. Babb then maneuvered passed Moyer for second and began challenging current WoOLMS' point leader Darrell Lanigan for the top spot.
"I had to wait for the middle and top to slow down to move to the bottom and our car was really good down there," recalled Babb. "The field is so competitive with the World of Outlaws that you never know what is going to happen and Moyer has been unbeatable this season so win a race against this field is awesome."
Indeed the competition was fierce with a tight championship points battle on the line and Moyer taking the checkers in his three previous I-55 appearances this season. Four different drivers swapped the lead six different times with three-wide racing action that brought a large crowd to their feet. The final circuits saw Babb, who won the "Pepsi Nationals" once before in 1997 and was the only competitor present to earn top-5 finishes in the WoOLMS' three previous visits to I-55, being closely shadowed by Moyer but able to master lapped traffic to cruise to victory.
Babb was quick to divert the attention away from himself and share the spotlight. "(Ray) Marler and (Ken) Schrader (I-55's owners) gave us an awesome track surface tonight and reworked it just before the feature. It was probably the best racing surface I have seen here in a long time and was also great that so many fans came out to support us and I think they saw one of the best races of the year," praised Babb. "This has been a less-than-perfect season but my family, crew, and sponsors including Donley Trucking, Petroff Towing, Ken Schrader Racing, Kreke's Powerhouse, Rocket Chassis, VP Racing Fuels, Clements Automotive, PRC, Hoosier Racing Tires, and all of our other product sponsors have stood by me and there is nothing better than being able to thank them all in Victory Lane."
The No. 18 team is tentatively hoping to keep their momentum going at next weekend's $20,000-to-win "31st Annual Jackson 100" with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in Brownstown, IN. For the latest news and information, stay tuned to http://www.shannonbabb.net
Shannon Babb Racing would like to thank the sponsors that help put the #18 in Victory Lane: Petroff Towing, Donley Trucking, Kreke's Powerhouse, Ken Schrader Racing, Clements Automotive, Rocket Chassis, Performance Rod & Custom, VP Racing Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Allstar Performance, Pro Power Racing Engines, Chase Signs & Graphics, Ringer's Gloves, Port City Racing, Bell Helmets, Integra Racing Shocks, Bert Transmission, Weld Wheels, Out Pace Racing Products, Wiles Driveshafts, Peterson Fluid Systems, Sweet Manufacturing, Wehr's Machine, Hypercoils, Schaeffer's Oil, Cizmar Racing, Wrisco Industries, Mason Racin', Shoenfeld Headers, Performance Bodies, Outerwears, Stealth Carbs, and The Joie of Seating.
PEVELY, MO (September 19, 2010) – Shannon Babb's 2010 season has been fraught with bad luck and tribulations but his unrelenting work ethic and perseverance paid off in a thrilling finale to Saturday night's World of Outlaws Late Model Series' "29th Annual Pepsi Nationals" at I-55 Raceway. Babb, 36, boasts one of the most impressive resumes in professional dirt late model racing but is all too aware that even the best competitors can have winless droughts. Fortunately, the same grit and determination that has earned him two UMP Summernationals' championships and a pair of Dirt Track World Championship titles also paid off with a victory over six-time event winner Billy Moyer.
The Illinois native turned the sixth fastest lap during qualifying and finished third in the third heat race in spite of a battery failing on the final circuit. Babb started ninth on the grid for the 55-lap main event and only advanced one position at the halfway mark. Following the final caution flag on lap 29, Babb's Petroff Towing/Donley Trucking/Kreke's Powerhouse Pro Power Racing Engines propelled Rocket Chassis hooked traction on the low groove and catapulted past five competitors in one lap. Babb then maneuvered passed Moyer for second and began challenging current WoOLMS' point leader Darrell Lanigan for the top spot.
"I had to wait for the middle and top to slow down to move to the bottom and our car was really good down there," recalled Babb. "The field is so competitive with the World of Outlaws that you never know what is going to happen and Moyer has been unbeatable this season so win a race against this field is awesome."
Indeed the competition was fierce with a tight championship points battle on the line and Moyer taking the checkers in his three previous I-55 appearances this season. Four different drivers swapped the lead six different times with three-wide racing action that brought a large crowd to their feet. The final circuits saw Babb, who won the "Pepsi Nationals" once before in 1997 and was the only competitor present to earn top-5 finishes in the WoOLMS' three previous visits to I-55, being closely shadowed by Moyer but able to master lapped traffic to cruise to victory.
Babb was quick to divert the attention away from himself and share the spotlight. "(Ray) Marler and (Ken) Schrader (I-55's owners) gave us an awesome track surface tonight and reworked it just before the feature. It was probably the best racing surface I have seen here in a long time and was also great that so many fans came out to support us and I think they saw one of the best races of the year," praised Babb. "This has been a less-than-perfect season but my family, crew, and sponsors including Donley Trucking, Petroff Towing, Ken Schrader Racing, Kreke's Powerhouse, Rocket Chassis, VP Racing Fuels, Clements Automotive, PRC, Hoosier Racing Tires, and all of our other product sponsors have stood by me and there is nothing better than being able to thank them all in Victory Lane."
The No. 18 team is tentatively hoping to keep their momentum going at next weekend's $20,000-to-win "31st Annual Jackson 100" with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in Brownstown, IN. For the latest news and information, stay tuned to http://www.shannonbabb.net
Shannon Babb Racing would like to thank the sponsors that help put the #18 in Victory Lane: Petroff Towing, Donley Trucking, Kreke's Powerhouse, Ken Schrader Racing, Clements Automotive, Rocket Chassis, Performance Rod & Custom, VP Racing Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Allstar Performance, Pro Power Racing Engines, Chase Signs & Graphics, Ringer's Gloves, Port City Racing, Bell Helmets, Integra Racing Shocks, Bert Transmission, Weld Wheels, Out Pace Racing Products, Wiles Driveshafts, Peterson Fluid Systems, Sweet Manufacturing, Wehr's Machine, Hypercoils, Schaeffer's Oil, Cizmar Racing, Wrisco Industries, Mason Racin', Shoenfeld Headers, Performance Bodies, Outerwears, Stealth Carbs, and The Joie of Seating.
