August 16, 2004 – Munroe Falls, OH – The Ruman Racing team had a slightly tough weekend at Mid-Ohio. Amy Ruman tried to grab a win to help her regain the lead in the NE division points battle as well as get some good practice in for the upcoming Runoffs in September. Despite Ruman’s efforts the win was elusive and 2nd place slipped away.
Ruman qualified 4th on the grid, after having an altercation with a T-1 Corvette in the second qualifying round on Saturday. She had a great start and got by Trevor Hopwood for 3rd. The trio of Ruman, Phil Lasco, and Hopwood battled closely for third, fourth, and fifth. But Ruman held the 3rd place position and gained ground on 2nd place driver Bret Moyer. Ruman passed Moyer for 2nd going into turn one and steadily closed the gap to about 2 seconds on race leader Tom Sloe. With about 6 laps to go, Ruman messed up a downshift and headed into the grass near the keyhole. She was able to continue but had to pit to clear the grill. She gained a spot in the final laps to finish 6th.
“Wow, another heartbreaker for me. It was a great race with Lasco and Hopwood. Those guys were really putting on the pressure. When I gathered up 2nd from Moyer I thought I might have a shot at the win. Unfortunately, I made a driver error and went off. If I wouldn’t have had to pit, I might have caught the pack again, but it was too late in the race. I felt really bad for the guys on my team, they put the car back together for me after the T-1 incident in qualifying. This one just got away from me,” exclaimed Ruman.
Ruman will be heading to the double National at Pocono this weekend to wrap up her season before the National Runoffs in September. The tight points race in the GT-1 Northeast Division could change between Busch, Ruman, and Thummel after the finial two races at Pocono. Ruman hopes to move ahead for 1st but at least hold on to 2nd.
On Deck: Amy Ruman in GT-1 and Niki Ruman in SRF at the August 20-21 SCCA Double National at Pocono International Raceway, PA
