(Macon, IL) Decatur’s Terry Babb has run laps at Macon Speedway for many years, decades, in fact. He’s had his successes and failures. In July 2018, Babb secured the checkered flag after winning the Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Car feature in a grueling 25-lap race. Babb returned to the MOWA 410 winged sprint car division Saturday night at Macon Speedway, home of the $150,000 Contingency Connection Racer Rewards program, and left just the same way.
After a promising start to his night in the heat race, Babb earned a chance at the redraw in which the top eight spots would be drawn for with frisbees to increase the risk and chance of where the drivers would start. Babb flipped over his chosen disc and revealed the number 2. That meant Babb would begin the feature from the front row outside, a pretty desired spot.
As the race reached the green flag, Babb took off on the top of the 1/5th mile dirt oval. Challenges from Andy Bishop, the polesitter, as well as Zach Daum, a multi-time winner at Macon, were met and Babb kept on pursuing the top of the track. As lapped traffic reached trouble, the leader would weave his way through the slower cars and avoid them as well as the followers.
Babb’s careful maneuvering allowed him to capture the 25-lap win, taking all 25 laps in the process, to win back-to-back Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Car features.
The race did have a handful of hold-your-breath moments such as the scary collision with Logan Faucon and Justin Standridge. Faucon was bounced from his spot in turn four and darted into Standridge who was catapulted into the retaining fence and the concrete wall. Standridge’s winged sprint would be crushed and mangled but the Athens native would walk away unscathed. Along with that, Chapin’s Paul Nienhiser had a rough start to his evening with a flat tire in his heat race. Starting in the 19th position, out of 20 cars, Nienhiser blasted his way through the grid and by a caution on lap 8 had charged all the way up to 6th place. He would take home a top-five feature finish.
New Berlin’s Jake Neuman would be the dominating winner in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget feature event. Neuman was cruising across the top of the track with no challengers in site. The 30-lap A-Main would see a consistent amount of consecutive green flag laps which allowed Neuman to open his lead over the runner up Tyler Thomas. Terry Babb would also run in the POWRi Midgets and finish sixth place.
Another dominating performance was the effort by Andy Bishop in the Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis. Bishop crossed the line first all 15 laps and despite a caution-plagued event, never seemed rattled or anxious. Bishop just kept pursuing the top of the track and the checkered flag.
In the Neal Tire & Auto Pro Modifieds, Tim Hancock, Sr. returned to victory lane. The leader in the track points was able to win his heat and begin the feature from the front row and that helped carry him to another feature win.
Jose Parga squeaked by Jake Little at the finish in the Midwest Big Ten Series feature race for the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models. Parga was in line for an easy checkered flag until things started to come unraveled for the New Berlin driver towards the end with slip-ups. Little, who was easily a car-length behind Parga, became closing in and as the checkered flag came out was able to make it a close finish but the top side came through for Parga while Little’s ride on the bottom was only good enough for second place.
Macon Speedway thanks Neal Tire & Auto for their sponsorship of the Open Wheel Madness night as well as their sponsorship of the Pro Modified class. The crowd was full and excited for the rare appearance from the MOWA Sprint Cars as well as the POWRi Midgets.
The track will rest for a week and dismiss racing activities until its return on August 10th with the fan favorite “Eve of Destruction Night” with the flagpole race, race’em & wreck’em bash as well as the rollover contest. A full show of stock cars will join the mayhem with the Diane Bennett Memorial race.
Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Car Series by Morrow Brothers—1. Terry Babb (Decatur), 2. Andy Bishop (Harrisburg), 3. Zach Daum (Pocahontas), 4. Chad Boespflug (Hanford, CA), 5. Paul Nienhiser (Chapin), 6. Cory Bruns (Lincoln), 7. Brayton Lynch, 8. Robby McQuinn (Springfield), 9. Dustin Barks, 10. Steve Short
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series—1. Jake Neuman (New Berlin), 2. Tyler Thomas (Collinsville, OK), 3. Daniel Adler (St. Louis, MO), 4. Jesse Colwell (Red Bluff, CA), 5. Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, OK), 6. Terry Babb (Decatur), 7. Zach Daum (Pocahontas), 8. Karter Sarff (Mason City), 9. Daniel Robinson (Ewing), 10. Shelby Bosie (Sherman)
Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis—1. Andy Bishop (Harrisburg), 2. Jeremy Camp (Sullivan), 3. Kyle Schuett (Philo), 4. Will Armitage (Athens), 5. James Koenigseein (New Athens), 6. Jacob Tipton (Decatur), 7. Molly Day (Atwood), 8. Jeff Beasley (Urbana), 9. Daryn Stark (Springfield), 10. Steve Finn (Collinsville)
Neal Tire & Auto Pro Modifieds—1. Tim Hancock, Sr. (Mt. Olive), 2. Nick Justice (Decatur), 3. Rob Timmons (Centralia), 4. Kyle Helmick (Smithton), 5. Tim Hancock, Jr. (Mt. Olive), 6. Jarrett Styker (Millstadt), 7. Tim Riech (Petersburg), 8. Roy Magee (Springfield), 9. Brady Lynch (Hillsboro), 10. Kevin Rench (Hillsboro)
Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models—1. Jose Parga (New Berlin), 2. Jake Little (Springfield), 3. Dakota Ewing (Warrensburg), 4. Colby Sheppard (Williamsville), 5. Donny Koehler (Macon), 6. Cody Maguire (Carlinville), 7. Blake Damery (Blue Mound), 8. Roben Huffman (Midland City), 9. Jeff Reed, Jr. (Blue Mound), 10. Braden Johnson (Taylorville)
