World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Farmer City Raceway
April 25, 2014
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Babb earns first Illini 100 victory in front of hometown crowd Land of Lincoln driver pockets $20,000, becomes eighth different WoOLMS winner this season 
by Chris Tilley
FARMER CITY, Ill. (April 26) - Shannon Babb became the first Illinois driver to capture the Illini 100 on Saturday night at Farmer City Raceway.
The Moweaqua, Ill., driver started seventh, took the lead on lap 46 from Bobby Pierce and never looked back en route to a $20,000 payday in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series-sanctioned Sixth Annual Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway. Babb became the eighth different winner in eight races on this year's World of Outlaws Late Model Series tour across America.
"Man I'm pumped, 20 grand right here at Farmer City, shoot!" exclaimed a very excited Babb in Victory Lane in front of a packed hometown crowd. "This race means a lot, there's no better crowd in the Midwest than right here, every year they keep supporting it, we've got a lot of good race fans and race teams around here, it's great. Love to win it right here at home."
Polesitter Morgan Bagley and Rick Eckert brought the field of 24 to life for the Illini 100 with Eckert taking the point and leading the opening circuit with Pierce, Tim McCreadie and Bagley in tow. On the third lap Pierce took the lead from Eckert coming off the fourth turn and tried to hold off the field.
By the eighth lap, points leader and two-time champion Darrell Lanigan made his presence known as he rallied from his eighth starting spot to challenge for third and eventually take the position from McCreadie. By the next lap, Lanigan rolled his Club 29 Race Car to the second.
Pierce continued leading, but Lanigan kept the pressure on, closing the gap on Pierce by the 16th lap. Lanigan put his nose to the outside of Pierce on several occasions but Pierce's momentum on the bottom of the quarter-mile bullring keep him out front.
Lapped traffic came into play by the 21st circuit as both Pierce and Lanigan had their hands full behind several lapped cars. For the next eight laps the duo worked through lapped cars with Pierce still holding his momentum.
Pierce continued to lead until the 45th lap when the caution flew for debris. On the restart, Babb knocked off second place and by the 46th lap he moved up the track and took the lead from Pierce.
"When those guys went to the bottom, my mouth was watering, I just got up there and got 'er done," Babb said.
As the race went on after the lap-50 yellow flag, Babb could flex his muscle with the lead on the field, but after a final yellow on lap-88, the field bunched up again for the final time but Babb still held off a determined Lanigan for his first WoO LMS victory of the season.
Only four caution flags slowed the event which took just over 36 minutes to run. The first yellow flag came on the sixth lap as Steve Sheppard Jr. and Jeep VanWormer both spun in turn one. The next yellow would be on lap 45 for debris in turn four. The third yellow would come out on the 50th lap as Chase Junghans slowed in turn three with a flat tire. The fourth and final yellow would wave on the 88th lap as Clint Smith brought his car to rest in turn four with a right-rear flat tire. Both Junghans and Smith entered the work area and bolted on new rubber for the rest of the main event.
Babb drove his Petroff Towing, Donley Trucking and Krekes Powerhouse sponsored Rocket Chassis to the payday. Completing the top-five were eighth-starting Lanigan of Union, Ky., fourth-starting Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., sixth-starting McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Eckert, of York, Pa., who drove to his first top-five filling in for three-time series champ Josh Richards in the #1 Rocket Chassis car.
Lanigan just couldn't get over the hump he needed to get the win.
"We did have a good car all night, that's my fault, I should have took the outside on the first restart and picked the inside," stated Lanigan after his podium finish.
Lanigan turned the fastest overall lap of Ohlins Shocks Time Trials on Friday night, circling the blistering-fast oval in 13.369 seconds during Group 'A' of the split qualifying session.
Heat winners on Friday were Lanigan, Shannon Babb, Kevin Weaver and Bobby Pierce. Ryan Unzicker and Darren Friedman captured the Last Chance Showdowns on Saturday.
The WoO LMS will be back in action to kick off an ultra-busy Month of May on Friday May 2, at Fayetteville Motor Speedway in Fayetteville, N.C., and Saturday, May 3, at Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, Ga. Each event pays $10,000-to-win.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com .
A-Main
1 18b Shannon Babb $20,000
2 29 Darrell Lanigan
3 32 Bobby Pierce
4 39 Tim McCreadie
5 1 Rick Eckert
6 25F Jason Feger
7 B12 Kevin Weaver
8 1* Chub Frank
9 99jr Frankie Heckenast Jr
10 B5 Brandon Sheppard
11 10 Scott Schmitt
12 24 Ryan Unzicker
13 25 Shane Clanton
14 18 Eric Wells
15 2 Brady Smith
16 14M Morgan Bagley
17 99B Boom Briggs
18 18c Chase Junghans
19 44 Clint Smith
20 Z Joe Harlan
21 5s Steve Sheppard
22 11d Brian Diverley
23 55 Jeep VanWormer
24 89 Darren Friedman
B-Main #1
1 24 Ryan Unzicker
2 55 Jeep VanWormer
3 44 Clint Smith
4 18c Chase Junghans
5 18 Eric Wells
6 45 Kyle Hammer
7 116 Torin Mettille
8 93 Jay Johnson
9 9D Daniel Flessner
B-Main #2
1 89 Darren Friedman
2 5s Steve Sheppard
3 2 Brady Smith
4 77M Jay Morris
5 83 Scott Bull
6 1W Donny Walden
7 35 Derek Chandler
8 7T Steve Thorston
Heat #1
1 1 29 Darrell Lanigan
2 3 14M Morgan Bagley
3 4 25 Shane Clanton
4 2 1* Chub Frank
5 7 18C Chase Junghans
6 5 44 Clint Smith
7 6 116 Torin Mettille
8 8 32J Jason Jaggers
9 9 18W Eric Wells
Heat #2
1 2 18 Shannon Babb
2 1 39 Tim McCreadie
3 4 10S Scott Schmitt
4 3 25F Jason Feger
5 5 89 Daren Friedman
6 6 5S Steve Sheppard Jr
7 7 77M Jay Morris
8 9 93 Jay Johnson
9 8 7T Steve Thorsten
Heat #3
1 1 B12 Kevin Weaver
2 2 99 Frank Heckenhast Jr
3 3 11D Brian Diveley
4 5 Z Joe Harlan
5 7 55 Jeep Vanwormer
6 4 24U Ryan Unzicker
7 6 45K Kyle Hammer
8 8 74 Russ Adams
9 9 9D Daniel Flessner
Heat #4
1 9 32 Bobby Pierce
2 1 1 Rick Eckert
3 3 B5 Brandon Sheppard
4 6 99B Rick Boom Briggs
5 2 35 Derek Chandler
6 4 83 Scott Bull
7 5 1W Donny Walden
8 7 2 Brady Smith
9 8 42 Mckay Wenger
Group A Qualifying
1 29 Darrell Lanigan 13.369
2 39 Tim McCreadie 13.498
3 1* Chub Frank 13.560
4 18b Shannon Babb 13.588
5 14M Morgan Bagley 13.592
6 25F Jason Feger 13.690 0
7 25 Shane Clanton 13.718
8 10 Scott Schmitt 13.724
9 44 Clint Smith 13.780
10 89 Darren Friedman 13.789
11 116 Torin Mettille 13.792
12 5s Steve Sheppard 13.826
13 18c Chase Junghans 13.941
14 77M Jay Morris 14.045
15 32j Jason Jaggers 14.143
16 7T Steve Thorston 14.148
17 18 Eric Wells 14.156
18 93 Jay Johnson 14.328
Group B Qualifying
1 B12 Kevin Weaver 13.646
2 1 Rick Eckert 13.691
3 35 Derek Chandler 13.780
4 11d Brian Diverley 13.822
5 B5 Brandon Sheppard 13.865
6 24 Ryan Unzicker 13.866
7 83 Scott Bull 13.898
8 Z Joe Harlan 13.904
9 1W Donny Walden 13.922
10 45 Kyle Hammer 13.939
11 99B Boom Briggs 13.977
12 55 Jeep Van Wormer 13.992
13 2 Brady Smith 14.151
14 74 Russ Adams 14.475
15 99jr Frankie Heckenast Jr no time
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