By STEVE EIGHINGER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
The Moweaqua Missile outmuscled Mr. Smooth Friday night to cash the biggest paycheck in the 35-year history of Quincy Raceways.
Shannon "The Moweaqua Missile" Babb held off Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Billy "Mr. Smooth" Moyer over the final seven laps to win the Titan Wheel and Tire Shootout in front of more than 3,000 fans.
Babb's United Midwest Promoters (UMP) Summernationals tour victory was worth $10,000 of a track-record $42,500 purse that also included the Tri-State Stock Car Shootout and the hobby stocks as support series.
"This was the best track I've seen all year," Babb said after the grueling 40-lap duel on the .29-mile Bullring that featured a fast, tacky surface -- a perfect setting for the ground-pounding, 800-horsepower UMP sheet-metal behemoths.
And the native of Moweaqua, Ill., used every inch of the 8000 Broadway property to win his second Summernationals race at Quincy. Babb was also victorious in 2007.
Babb spent the first 33 laps trying both the low groove and running the cushion to get around former UMP national champion Rodney Melvin of Benton, Ill. Babb finally assumed the lead, but only after Melvin brought out a caution when his car came to an unexpected stop in turn two.
Moyer, who resides in Batesville, Ark., was running third at the time of the caution and inherited the runner-up spot behind Babb to begin what wound up being seven-lap shootout to determine the winner.
Babb managed an excellent jump on the restart and immediately opened up a several-car length lead and was never seriously challenged.
Terry Casey of New London, Wis., two-time defending Summernationals champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., rounded out the top five.
The event drew 33 late models from eight states, with only three Quincy Raceways regulars in the pits -- Bill Genenbacher of Camp Point, Denny Woodworth of Mendon and Jason Perry of Payson. Genenbacher finished 15th and Woodworth 16th. Perry did not qualify for the feature.
The rest of the top 10 finishers included tour points leader Randy "King Kong" Korte of Highland, Ill., in sixth, followed by Donny Walden of Towanda, Ill., Terry English of Benton, Ky., Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., and Jason "The High Side Hustler" of Bloomington, Ill.
Nine of the top 10 and 15 of the top 17 drivers in the Summernationals points standings were on hand.
The Quincy race was the 13th straight night of competition for the UMP drivers. The 21st annual Summernationals encompasses 27 cities in 31 days, crisscrossing Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Ohio. That's why they call it the "Hell Tour."
About 15 of the Summernationals drivers are professionals -- it's what they do for a living.
"What a lot of people might not realize is how much time we miss with out families doing this," said the 51-year-old Moyer, who has raced full-time for 28 years. "A lot of people will be getting together on July 4 with their families ... but we won't. We eat, sleep and breathe this stuff."
This was Moyer's first trip to Quincy Raceways.
"I thought I had been to every dirt track in the United States, but when we pulled in here I realized I'd never been to Quincy," said Moyer, a six-time Summernationals champion and winner of more than 700 features.
The night was frustrating for several of the tour's big names, including Erb, who nursed his damaged No. 28 to an impressive fourth-place finish after being involved in an early crash.
"You try to win every night, but there are nights if you have a fourth-place car, you take it," he said.
The fastest qualifier in time trials was Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., who turned a 12.669-second lap, good for 82.406 mph. That's the fastest late model lap since the track was reconfigured to .29 of a mile two years ago.
The fastest feature lap Friday night was 78.284 mph by Jeep Van Wormer of Pinconning, Mich, which also established a new in-race track record. Van Wormer was contending with Melvin and Babb for the lead before crashing on the 17th lap. Lonnie Bailey of Quincy retains the IMCA portion of the track record at 74.127 mph, established May 10.
Aaron Brocksieck of Camp Point led flag-to-flag to win the 30-lap Tri-States Stock Car Shootout and the $1,000 first prize that went with it. The race drew 27 cars, some from as far away as Nebraska and North Dakota.
Damon Murty of Chelsea, Iowa, finished a close second to Brocksieck -- .253 of a second to be exact. Abe Huls of Carthage was third, followed by Jeff Joldersman of McClelland, Iowa, and Shawn Johnson of Independence, Iowa.
James Leffew of Quincy dominated the hobby stock feature with a flag-to-flag victory that earned a $300 paycheck. Adam Scott of Payson, Larry W. Powell of Hannibal, Mo., Mike Wiley of Hannibal and Wes Mayfield of Hull completed the top five.
The track hosts its midseason championship races Sunday. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m.
-- seighinger@whig.com / 221-3377
