Munroe Falls, Ohio – Amy Ruman and the Ruman Racing team were victorious again at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Sunday, scoring consecutive Trans Am wins at NJMP. Amy won the last Trans Am race there in 2012.

Ruman was fast all weekend long, leading every session from practice to qualifying. She captured her first Trans Am career pole position, posting a fast time of 1:16.622, just edging out the 1:16.670 time of Doug Peterson. The pair have been dueling it out all season long with close qualifying times.

“The season has been quite exciting so far this year,” said Ruman. “Doug and I have been running really close together in qualifying; he’s been squeezing me out the past couple times, which has been extremely frustrating. We’re just excited to have come out on top and to have my first Trans Am pole. “

Ruman led the field from the start of the RacingJunk.com 100 in her No. 23 McNichols Chevrolet Corvette. It was a drag race through turn one, with Ruman staying out front. She was quick to build a significant lead on the field through the early laps and again after a short caution on lap 9. The field bunched back up on lap 26 due to a mid race caution, allowing Peterson a third chance to pressure Ruman. The two picked up the pace even more on the restart, with Ruman setting the fastest lap time of the race. Ruman never gave up the lead despite losing her power steering with 8 laps to go and took the checkered well in command of the race.

“It was an endurance race,” said Ruman. “I knew Peterson would be there when we got the yellow, he was probably being conservative with his tires; I was trying to be as conservative as possible with mine too. At the end, I knew he’d be gunning for me; I didn’t anticipate the power steering problems. I was ok on the straights; but in the corners he caught up with me, so I had to get back on the gas as fast as I could. I don’t know how much longer I could have done that; but you know, I’ve been working out, so we’re good!”

“This weekend has been all about my team, my mom, my dad, everyone that works so hard for me, McNichols, everyone that lets me do what I do,” said Ruman. “I can’t thank everyone enough for all the effort they give me week in and week out. It felt great to start on pole and lead the race, back-to-back wins in New Jersey is pretty cool too—so I guess I really like the Thunderbolt track here!”

This was Ruman’s first Trans Am win since the 2012 season, the fourth of her Trans Am career. After the pole and win, Ruman (130) is now within 2 points of Peterson (132) for the Championship lead at the halfway point of the 2014 season. Gregg slipped to third with 122 points.

“We’re focusing on trying to win this Championship; it’s really a goal of ours,” said Ruman. “I’m excited that we’re back in the hunt for it. It’s basically a new season; I think it’s going to be exciting for the fans and exciting for us. There are six races to go and anything can happen!”

Sponsor: McNICHOLS Nationwide Service Centers is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.

For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.

Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com
Live Timing/Twitter Feed: www.gotransam.com/live-timing-and-scoring/

Looking ahead: Round 6 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (June 21) || Round 7 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH (Aug. 16)

Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Munroe Falls, Ohio – After finishing second in Round 4 of the Trans Am Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Canada, Amy Ruman hopes to carry her momentum into this weekend’s RacingJunk.com 100, Round 5 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey.

Ruman and her No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette, will return the track as the defending 2012 race winner, the last time the Series visited the track.

“I am excited to be back racing at the NJMP Thunderbolt track,” enthused Ruman. “The race in 2012 was crazy – we had to pit for a flat tire but we managed to come back for the win! This should be another exciting weekend of racing, with a schedule that is jam packed for the fans.”

Trans Am’s RacingJunk.com 100 will be part of New Jersey Motorsports Park Great Railing Weekend of Thunder. The schedule will also feature the ARCA Racing Series, the Pirelli World Challenge Series, and the Fidelity Power Systems SCCA Pro IT Series. For tickets and schedule info, visit gotransam.com or njmp.com.

The Trans Am Championship chase is heating up heading into Round 5 at NJMP. Peterson is still in front with 103 points, Gregg with 98, and Ruman closing in with 95.

Round 5 of the 2014 Trans Am Championship will begin on Friday with an unofficial track test day. Then teams will then take to the track Saturday, May 31, with official practice sessions at 9:10 am and 3:05 pm. Qualifying will be on Sunday, at 8:35 am, with the 100.25 mile – 45 lap race slated to start at 4:00 pm. All times are EST.

Sponsor: McNICHOLS Nationwide Service Centers is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.

For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.

Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com
Live Timing/Twitter Feed: www.gotransam.com/live-timing-and-scoring/

Looking ahead: Round 5 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ (June 1) || Round 6 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (June 21)

Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Munroe Falls, Ohio – Amy Ruman finished in 2nd place in round 4 of the Trans Am Championship in a very exciting race in front of the Victoria Day Castrol Speedfest Canadian crowd at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Bomanville, Ontario, Canada.

Ruman and her No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette were quick right out of the trailer during the track test day, keeping pace with front runner, road racing legend Ron Fellows who joined the Trans Am field this weekend. Fellows appearance marked his 100th Trans Am start, his first since 2004.

The Canadian weather was not cooperating for the beginning of the weekend, as both official practices saw rain and cold temperatures. However, the rain let up and the track dried for qualifying. Ruman qualified 3rd on the grid, with Simon Gregg edging her out of 2nd place by just .079 of a second. Fellows grabbed the pole, and Trans Am points leader Doug Peterson was 4th.

The field had two pace laps to warm the tires due to the extremely cool weather. The green flag flew and Ruman had a good start and immediately passed Gregg into turn one. She settled in behind Fellows and the two put distance on Peterson who had slotted into 3rd. Peterson didn’t last long and he was forced to pull off with a mechanical failure, putting Gregg back into a distant 3rd.

Fellows and Ruman held closely the top two positions after several full course cautions and restarts. On the final restart, Ruman turned up the wick and was fiercely pressuring Fellows for the lead with 6 laps to go. The #6 of Fellows started to fall off pace with a few laps to go and it turned out he had a rear tire going down slowly. Ruman tried to get around him, but he was able to hold her off when they crossed the finish line, at only a gap of 1.8 seconds.

“What a great race,” stated Ruman. “The #23 was fast all weekend and I was pleased with our performance against Fellows, Gregg, and Peterson. We really had something for Ron, especially on that last restart. We were nose to tail all the way into 5, I took a few looks but couldn’t make them stick. I don’t think that his rear tire wouldn’t have lasted one more lap. Fellows has a million miles here and he practically owns this track, so I was very happy that we kept such a good pace with him.”

This was Ruman’s second podium finish for the year. She made significant ground in the hunt for the Championship, moving up from 5th to 3rd. Peterson is still in front with 103 points, Gregg with 98, and Ruman with 95. As the teams head to New Jersey at the end of the month, the Championship race is shaping up to be very interesting.

Sponsor: McNICHOLS Nationwide Service Centers is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.

For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.

Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com
Live Timing/Twitter Feed: www.gotransam.com/live-timing-and-scoring/

Looking ahead: Round 5 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ (June 1) || Round 6 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (June 21)

Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Munroe Falls, Ohio – After a great start to the weekend at Road Atlanta, Ruman fell just shy of the podium in the 100-Mile Trans Am race sponsored by Luna-C Clothing.

It was a warm Georgia weekend, and Ruman was running quickly right out of the box. Ruman and Doug Peterson were neck and neck all weekend, trading top spots in the practice sessions. The pair continued a qualifying shootout show for the fans, which had Ruman sitting on the pole until Peterson snuck under her time on the last lap of the session by 2-tenths of a second!

“Man was I disappointed when Doug bumped me off the pole…it’s like the third or fourth time he has done that to me in the past year!” commented Ruman. “It was a great show though, and we had a lot of fun out there.”

Ruman would start the race on the outside of the front row. The race was off to a great start with Ruman in second and the top three cars running nose to tail for nearly half the race. Slightly after mid-way, the No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette encountered a problem with lapped traffic, causing a quick off and on, dropping her to third. Shortly after, a restart gave promise, but a spin coming out of turn one dropped Ruman to the back of the pack. She continued to fight hard, moving her way back through the field. After another restart, Ruman was able to get by Gregg moving her to fourth, then a last lap effort saw her battling for the podium again. Ruman and Pintaric had some side-by-side racing all the way through the last lap, with Pintaric just able to hold her off at the checkered.

“That was a challenging race, regrettably, things happen out of our control sometimes. It was a shame, we had a really fast car and we were right there to defiantly get a podium, if not a win. I have to thank my crew this weekend for working so hard once again, we had a really tight schedule, but they gave me a fast car every session!” stated Ruman.

Ruman slipped a position in the championship hunt this weekend; she is currently now fifth in the standings. Positions 2nd through 5th are neck and neck with Gregg at 71, Ebben at 70, Baucom at 69, and Ruman at 67 points.

Sponsor: McNICHOLS Nationwide Service Centers is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.

For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.

Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com
Live Timing/Twitter Feed: www.gotransam.com/live-timing-and-scoring/

Looking ahead: Round 4 – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bomanville, Ontario, Canada (May 17) || Round 5 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ (June 1)

Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Munroe Falls, Ohio – No break in the Trans Am action this week as the teams do a quick turnaround and head North from Georgia to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Bomanville, Ontario, Canada. Trans Am has been a part of the traditional Victoria Day Speedfest Weekend sponsored by Castrol, and the event will be Round 4 of the 2014 Trans Am Championship.

Ruman had a tough end to the race at CMPT last year, when the left front tire exploded and sent her into the concrete wall at the fastest part of the racetrack. Ruman emerged unscathed from the incident, but the No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette sustained heavy damage and had extensive repairs made in the following weeks.

The 2.5-mile circuit will host a very busy racing weekend, and the Trans Am race will be part of an impressive lineup. The fans will get to enjoy NASCAR’s Canadian Tire Series, Canadian Touring Car, Pirelli World Challenge, Porsche GT3 Cup, and F1600 series.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on the CTMP track. I left there on a bad note last year, and I’m hoping to have a really good race this weekend. The car was great at Road Atlanta last weekend, and I’m looking forward to putting together some good laps here. The fans are always awesome, and really get into the racing here,” exclaimed Ruman.

Round 4 of the 2014 Trans Am Championship will begin on Thursday, May 15, with an official practice session from 3:50 pm to 4:20 pm EDT. The action will continue on Friday at 10:30 a.m. with another practice session, followed by qualifying later in the afternoon at 2:40 p.m. The 100.8 mile, 41 lap Trans Am race, featuring 34 entries across all three classes, commences on Saturday, May 17, at 1:40 p.m.

In a very tight championship race, Ruman will try to improve her position in the hunt after dropping to fifth last weekend. Peterson is in the lead with 94 points, while positions 2nd through 5th are neck and neck with Gregg at 71, Ebben at 70, Baucom at 69, and Ruman at 67 points respectively.

Sponsor: McNICHOLS Nationwide Service Centers is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.

For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.

Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com
Live Timing/Twitter Feed: www.gotransam.com/live-timing-and-scoring/

Looking ahead: Round 5 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ (June 1) || Round 7 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (June 21)

Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.