Babb Blasts to $10,000 Summer Nationals Win at Tri-City!

By Steve Birmingham
 

July 11, 2004; Granite City, IL -Records tumbled as Shanonb Babb set fast time and new Dash and Feature records enroute to a green to checker victory in the UMP Summer Nationals at Tri-City Speedway.

Babb blistered the half-mile with a New Track Record for UMP Super Late Models with a 20.570-second tour of the flat half-mile dirt. He then blasted to the front and never let go to win the opening nine-car Dash.

Terry Phillips went flag to flag to win the first heat, while Greg Johnson and Randy "King Kong" Korte took the remaining heats. BIlly Moyer broke a motor in the second heat after a quick swap was relegated to a back-of-the-pack start in the Semi. Moyer steadily moved to the front in the 12-lapper and raced to a second-place transfer position behind winner John Seets.

Babb screamed away from the 22-car field to lead into turn one at the drop of the green and from then on never saw a car draw alongside to challenge. The action behind was furious though, with Don O' Neal, Earl Pearson, Jr., Brian Birkhofer, Randy Korte and Phillips all taking a shot at the second and third spots. Babb continued to stretch out the lead and crossed the stripe a full half-straightaway ahead of Pearson, O'Neal, Birkhofer and Darren Miller. Rounding out the top 10 were Phillips, Korte, Terry English, Jimmy Mars and Justin Allgaier.

Babb gave credit for the win to his crew.

"I blew the motor up last night (in Kentucky) and we got homeabout six inthe morning sand didn;lt even feel like racing todfay but these guys let me sleep in and theydid all the work so I owe everything to them," Babb said. "We staryted moving around a little bit and our tires may have been shining up a little bit. Old Don (O'Neal) he's always tough, so you can't forget about that guy, he's back there wrestling around all the time."

Jim Schereck went flag to flag in the 25-lap UMP Modified go and fought off several challenges from Dean Hoffman and Bobby Bittle to grab the $1,000 winner's check. Chasing Schereck across the stripe were Hoffman, Bittle, B.J. Seets and Rusty Griffaw. Rounding out the top 10 were Jeff LeBaube, John Stanton, Marty Smith, Jr., Denny Tribout, Jr., and Tommie Seets. The heats were won by Bittle, Hoffman, Schereck and Dean Vickers with the Semi going to Stanton.