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success. But a mid-June slump - and the fact that he didn't feel truly prepared for the rigors of following the entire series - prompted him to pull back and enter only selected shows for the remainder of the campaign, dropping him to 10th in the final points standings.
This year, however, Babb is ready to tackle the WoO LMS. Thanks to his news-making off-season decision to join NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer's new dirt Late Model team after spending seven years driving for Billy Moyer Sr., he feels the required mix of equipment and manpower is in place for him to make a serious run at a lucrative national title.
Babb will start his '08 championship bid in the upcoming season-opening WoO LMS events, on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
"When we went to Florida (for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals) last year, we weren't planning to do the whole World of Outlaws deal," said Babb, a two-time champion of the grueling, month-long UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals series. "We were just going to do the same thing we always did - run around home and go to some bigger shows.
"Then we got off to a good start (four wins in the first 16 WoO LMS events), so we kept going with it for awhile. But when you commit to the whole schedule you have to have enough (crew) help, and you have to be ready for all the different tracks and conditions with your car, your tires, your setups, and we really weren't.
"This deal with Clint makes me feel better," bottom-lined Babb. "He's giving us everything we need to get the job done."
Indeed, Bowyer has assembled a powerhouse team in short order. There's a mix of chassis brands (Rayburn and Rocket); engines from Clements; sponsorship from Chevrolet, Traeger Grills, Brake Buddy, Scheck Industries and J&J Steel; and, perhaps most importantly, a pair of experienced fulltime mechanics - Babb's longtime right-hand man Jay Hunt and Tommy Grecco, who won the 2006 WoO LMS title wrenching for Tim McCreadie before moving south in June 2007 to head Bowyer's burgeoning dirt-track program.
Bowyer, a native of Emporia, Kans., who excelled racing open-wheel Modifieds on dirt before breaking into the NASCAR world, is pumped to provide Babb the tools to pursue the prestigious WoO LMS points crown. He's so enthused about the effort that he's even decided to let Babb use his customary No. 18 this season, rather than the No. 79 (Bowyer's old dirt-track number) that had originally been announced.
"I'm excited to have Shannon Babb competing for Clint Bowyer Racing in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series," said the 28-year-old Bowyer, who in 2007 enjoyed a breakout NASCAR Sprint Cup season (finishing third in the points standings) with Richard Childress Racing. "The World of Outlaws is a name that has been synonymous with dirt racing for years. The Series visits some great venues all across the country and gives dirt racing fans a chance to see their favorite drivers at their favorite tracks."
Bowyer's expanded dirt Late Model program has come together in whirlwind fashion. Babb, who met Bowyer for the first time in 2003 when the up-and-coming Kansas driver attended a race with Wichita's Brett Phillip (then one of Billy Moyer Sr.'s chauffeurs), had his initial talks with Bowyer about a deal in November. An agreement was struck around Christmas, and then the tall order of building a championship-caliber team began in earnest.
Over the past month, Grecco, Hunt and Babb have essentially built a team from scratch in Bowyer's dirt shop at the RCR complex in Welcome, N.C. They have one new Rayburn and one new Rocket car race-ready with new Clements engines (a third powerplant is to be delivered this week, with more on the way) and hope to make their debut this week during the tail-end of the 'Super Bowl of Racing' at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga.
"These guys have done a real good job getting everything ready," Babb said of Hunt (the 2006 UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model 'Mechanic of the Year') and Grecco (the 2005 WoO LMS 'Crew Chief of the Year'). "Building the cars has really been the easiest part. There are so many other things that need to be done to put a team together - from getting tires to ordering parts that can't just be bought off the shelf.
"A UPS truck has been making a delivery to us every day."
Babb, who will continue to live in central Illinois, recently left all the equipment preparation to Hunt and Grecco for a few days so he could make a trip up to Iowa to pick up a truck and trailer for the team's travels. With Bowyer's new hauler not expected to be ready until April, the team is borrowing a rig from veteran racer/sponsor Johnny Johnson, whose J&J Steel company will be displayed on the flanks of Babb's car.
Of course, leaving the Billy Moyer Sr. team was arguably the most difficult thing Babb has ever done. The backing and guidance he received from the elder Moyer and his son, dirt Late Model legend Billy Moyer, helped make him a star, but he felt that driving for Bowyer was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
"It was real tough to leave Bill Sr. and Billy after everything we built up over the years," said Babb. "They did everything they could to help my career and I thank them for it.
"We were gonna do our eighth year together. But when I talked with Clint (Bowyer) he had a lot of interesting ideas, and with the crew and team he was talking about putting together, I knew it would be a deal capable of winning a championship.
"I figured there would be a little more room to grow with Clint. I think Billy (Moyer, the three-time WoO LMS champion) would probably do the same thing if he was in my position, at this point in my career."
So now Babb, who won five of his six career WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007, will go after the tour's big prize with two all-star crewmen and a NASCAR standout behind him. He's ready for the challenge.
"It's gonna be good to start off the year knowing we're going for the championship," said Babb. "As a racer, it's always a good thing to be going after something, and this is a serious deal that you have to be prepared to run. There's a lot of competitors who are going to be tough to beat, but we'll give it our best shot."
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.
Fans unable to attend the spectacular week at Volusia can still catch all the action on the DIRTVision Cybercast. For just $29.99 fans can purchase the 'Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass' and watch live streaming video of all 12 nights of racing action from Feb. 5-16. Log on to www.dirtvision.com for more information.
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