By John Clayton
Staff Writer

In corporate America, Shannon Babb would be the consultant, the troubleshooter, hired out to the highest bidder — Dilbert with an attitude. He would rent, never own.
In racing circles, Babb has been the late-model driver who found the highest paydays on dirt that were reasonably close to his Illinois home, regardless of tour or sanctioning body. The travel was modest and the paydays were good. Except for forays into the month-long UMP Summer Nationals tour, which he won in 2005 and 2006, he stuck to the plan.
That plan had proven to be infallible for Babb, who has become one of the top late-model drivers in the country.
But that has changed this season. Babb has found a home in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, thanks in large part to early season success that has him not only in the thick of a championship chase, but atop the point standings. With this past weekend’s victory at Hagerstown Speedway, Babb had recorded four WoO victories and trailed point leader Clint Smith by 12 points (2,200-2,188). 
“We’ve always run a lot of World of Outlaws Series races in the spring of the year, but then we would stay in the Midwest and run the big-money races out there that were close to home,” Babb said. “This year, we’ve gotten up there in the points, and this may be the year we need to stay after it.
“When you try to do something, it doesn’t always go your way, and we just kind of fell into this and maybe it will fall our way.”
Babb admitted that passing up the $5,000-$10,000 shares for winners close to home was a tough decision, but one he and crew chief Jay Hunt hope will pay off with a World of Outlaws championship at the end of the year.
“We’ve run well, and I looked at it as maybe this is our sign to follow through with it,” he said. “We’re real happy. So far we’re having a great little run. We just try to take each night one at a time and do our best... So far, it has really been worth it to me. We’ve had some success, and you know that when you don’t do so good, you’re getting beat by the best.”
Former World of Outlaws Late Model champion Billy Moyer is one of those competitors, but he is also one of Babb’s biggest backers. The two met by chance before Babb landed on the national scene, and started a relationship that now has Babb driving the Moyer-owned No. 18.
“I could tell there was potential there — he was there short-handed and running with a motor that wasn’t up to par,” said Moyer. “I thought that maybe with a little help and a little guidance, he had the potential to run good, for sure.
Moyer and Babb started working together.
“I just wanted Shannon to make some money and do well,” said Moyer. “He’s turned into a hell of a racer.”
Moyer’s confidence has not been misplaced. If anything, Babb has upped his game to race full-time in the World of Outlaws.
“Every night, every one of these guys — Josh Richards, Steve Francis, Chris Madden  — every one of them is capable of winning any race. They’re all super-tough to beat and they’ve all done it before, but we just go out and attack every night. We race hard and try to improve our program.”
Given Babb’s success, particularly in the early stages of the season, it is hard to believe that he came painfully close to being a spectator.
An avid bow hunter who has been featured in national outdoors publications, Babb broke his left arm when a deer stand he was in collapsed, sending him crashing to the ground from 22 feet above.
“It just shows you that any day you don’t know what could happen to you,” Babb said. “Luckily, it was my left arm... It had me worried for a while.”
As a driver, there are few worries for the now-established Babb beyond the unfamiliar ground of a season-long point chase.
“Hopefully, Shannon will stay with us for quite a while,” Moyer said. “With my son, Billy, Jr., racing — I see a lot of potential in him now, too — I’d like to maybe someday sit back, have a drink and watch the couple of them running out of Moyer stables for a long time to come.”

Shannon Babb File

Hometown: Moweaqua, Ill.
Birthday: Dec. 23, 1973
Car: No. 18 Car City/J&J Steel/All-Star Performance Rayburn
Car Owner: Billy Moyer, Sr.
Web site: www.shannonbabb.net
Career highlights: UMP Summer Nationals champion in 2005 and 2006, including a series-record 15 feature victories in 2005, followed by 13 in 2006… Babb’s 51 Summer Nationals triumphs rank him second on the series’s all-time win list behind Billy Moyer (58)… A two-time winner of the Dirt Track World Championship, in 2002 at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky., and in 2006 at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio… Other major victories include the 2003 Topless 100 at Batesville (Ark.) Speedway; the 2001 Illinois Fall Nationals at the Springfield Mile; the 2002 Gopher 50 I in Owatonna, Minn., the 2003 Pepsi Nationals at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.; and the 2005 Dixie Shootout in Woodstock, Ga.