PASS North Series: Bradley Babb
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
WINDHAM, Maine – Third-generation driver Bradley Babb of Windham, Maine, returns to the PASS North Series for the Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 4. Babb won the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track championship in the Pro Series at Beech Ridge last season, and he’s hoping that the “home track advantage” will play in his favor this weekend. Babb won the pole for the season-opening PASS race at Oxford Plains Speedway two weeks ago and was running inside the Top-10 when he was shuffled back on a late-race restart and had to settle for a 13th-place finish. He’ll bring the same brand new Dale Shaw Race Cars chassis to the track that debuted for that Oxford race on April 21.
THE FACTS
WHO: Bradley Babb, Windham, Maine
TEAM: No. 14 Babb Wood Contractors/McGoldrick Bros. Blasting Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Bobby Babb, Windham, Maine
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 11th (May 2012)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 22nd (September 2012)
WHAT: PASS North Series Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep 150
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: Thursday, May 2 – 12 noon, practice; Friday, May 3 – 12 noon, practice; Saturday, May 4 – 11:30 a.m., practice; 3 p.m., qualifying; 6 p.m., race
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: April 21, Ripley & Fletcher Ford 150, Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (13th)
NEXT RACE: May 18, PASS 150, Autodrome Chaudiere, Vallee-Jonction, Que. (.25-mile oval)
DID YOU KNOW?
- Bradley Babb became the first third-generation champion in Beech Ridge Motor Speedway’s top division when he won the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Pro Series championship at the track. His father Bobby Babb and grandfather Robert Babb are both multi-time Beech Ridge champions in the top division.
- Bradley Babb was honored at the NASCAR Hall of Fame convention center in Charlotte, N.C., in December as both a state and track champion in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
- Bradley Babb won his first career PASS North Series pole in the 2013 series opener at Oxford Plains Speedway on April 21.
- Bradley Babb was the 2010 ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRADLEY BABB, Driver of the No. 14 Babb Wood Contractors/McGoldrick Bros. Blasting Chevrolet, On whether his confidence is up as the PASS North Series heads to his home track: “After working on the car this week and figuring out what was wrong at Oxford, I would say it is. There was something that was overlooked in the setup. We should be a lot better at Beech Ridge. It’s something that gets checked every week, but whether we just overlooked it or it wasn’t done right, we don’t really know.
“All I know now is that it’s fixed and it’s going to make the car drive completely different. It looks like a small thing, but now that we found it, we should be pretty good this weekend.”
On whether he feels his Beech Ridge experience is a factor this weekend: “I think there’s definitely a little bit of a home track advantage. Experience at Beech Ridge is always a good thing when the PASS tour goes there, but it’s still a completely different ballgame.
“They run such a different tire from what we run weekly, and we’ve only run a few races on those tires. As far as tires go, the PASS teams probably have the advantage, while when it comes to the track itself and knowing what it’s going to do, we probably have the advantage.”
On if he approaches this weekend differently than the race at Oxford Plains two weeks ago: “Yeah, I’m going there to win. That’s all there is to it. If we come out second or third, I’m going to tell you after the race, ‘Yeah, we had a good day.’ But I go the track to win and leave a sour taste in everyone else’s mouth when it’s all over.”
UP NEXT
Bradley Babb begins defense of his 2012 track championship at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on opening night for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series on Saturday, May 25… Babb won the season-opening NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature at Beech Ridge en route to the track title last year.