Babbit Redeems Himself With Ocala Mod Lite Victory

Feature, Mod Lite, News

By Ben Deatherage

OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2025) — Corey Babbit got his shot at redemption in race three of the 2025 Florida Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway, claiming victory in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite main event. After being overtaken late in lapped traffic the night before, the New Caney, Texas polesitter dominated the 25-lap finale to secure his first win of the season. The event drew an impressive 42 entries from across the United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Despite a red flag incident on the initial start, Babbit rocketed away once the race got underway. 2023 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner Ronnie Choate tried to keep pace, but the Tennessee driver soon found himself losing ground as Babbit stretched his lead.

Navigating through lapped traffic, the former Texas Mod Lite Nationals winner efficiently maneuvered past slower cars without incident. However, a caution on lap 11 bunched the field back up, setting up a dramatic restart.

When racing resumed, Iowa’s Josh May surged forward, overtaking Choate and nearly passing Babbit before a violent crash down the backstretch ended his charge.

On the final restart, Babbit returned to his dominant form, pulling away once again. In a déjà vu moment from the previous night, he found himself caught behind lapped traffic in the closing laps, allowing Choate to close in.

This time, however, Babbit held his ground, fending off Choate to secure the $1,000 payday by a razor-thin margin of 0.118 seconds.

Choate settled for a close second, while Ohio traveler Carson Hubbard rounded out the podium in third.

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