Shawn, his brother George & his father Larry have enjoyed some great success over the past 5 years. With a runner up finish in 2003 this showed to be the start of a serious, but fun racing program. In 2004 Shawn & his family stepped it up with outstanding performances along with many round victories to win a Modified Super Stock Championship. Then in 2005 it was going to be a test of endurance to see if a repeat could be had. This was not an easy season as the Bakers were plagued with some misfortunes & troubles, it all came down to the season closer at Byron Dragway. A balance of skill & luck is what was going to be needed to accomplish this almost unreachable goal, since going into this race Shawn was not in the points lead. At the end of the day with both great driving & a little bit mother luck Shawn was able to capture another Modified Super Stock Championship. The 2006 season brought about some changes, but did not slow the determination of the Baker family to bring home another Championship. This season would be a lot tougher since many racers had stepped up their respective programs in order to knock off the 2 time Champ. It was a hard fought season, but this was a regrouping year so Shawn & his family would settle for a runner up finish. Coming into the 2007 season Shawn was determined to win another championship & wanted to step up the performance. He started out by having a new engine combination built by MPG Racing Engines in Highland Park IL. The engine would be a 522 C.I. BBC with big chief 16* Brodix heads. The season opener in May was rained out & going to have to wait until the June race. This would show who had done their homework over the winter & weather or not Shawn had made the right choices with this whole combination. On the second qualifier at the June race, Shawn laid down a 7.65 @ 182 mph & reset the MSSA record, he also would go on to win the event. The second race of the season in July was a little bit of a struggle between the heat & track conditions, but after some small chassis adjustments this too would go in the books as a victory. Then came the third race in August, which would also be in the heat. In the first round the MSSA record would be reset again, but this time to a 7.61 @ 183 mph. Then in the semi finals the MSSA record would get reset again, but this time with a mind blowing 7.59 @ 183 mph & would set another milestone in the MSSA by being the first car to the 7.50s. In the final it was Baker again making this first part of the 07’ season a hat trick. The rest of the season was nothing short of fun & exciting with lots of round victories. Shawn would once again win the MSSA Championship & did it with a slew of outstanding passes that set the bar for the season to come.
A very big congratulations to Shawn, George & Larry Baker on a 3rd very well deserved Championship. Without a doubt Shawn has lived up to the nickname “The Trouble Maker”. I can not thank the Baker family enough for letting me be part of their racing program & I am looking forward to the season to come.
