Munroe Falls, Ohio (4 September 2013) – Amy Ruman had another big weekend of Trans Am competition over the Labor Day weekend as the defending race winner returned to Brainerd International Raceway for Round 7 of the 2013 Trans Am Championship.
The holiday weekend marked the 26th running of the “Muscle Car Shootout” event on the Minnesota track where Ruman proved victorious last year in the second race of the double header event. Entering the weekend fourth in the championship standings, Ruman not only wanted to bring home a new trophy, but was also focused on trying to gain as many points as she could in the championship since the season has just three race weekends to go before a champion is crowned in Daytona.
With Trans Am continuing to show increases in both field size and competitiveness, Ruman knew that she’d have to make the most of every chance she got on the 3.1-mile track if she wanted to emerge up front of the 22-car field.
The top five TA class cars were running tight times all weekend putting on a great show and Ruman slotted the No. 23 McNichols Corvettethird quickest in the combined practice sessions (1:29.713-seconds).
Qualifying also proved to be exciting, with the No. 23 coming in second with a time of 1:26.886-seconds, just fifteen-hundredths off Doug Peterson’s pole time of 1:26.851-seconds.. Unfortunately, a unintentional post qualifying technical infraction found the team with a two second penalty added on to Ruman’s time dropping her to 5th on the grid for Sunday’s start.
Race day saw much cooler temperatures then the days before making the 4:00 pm race start much more comfortable for the drivers. Ruman had a great start and made up two positions early in the race, however that gained ground was soon lost to a quick spin in the patched area of turn 4 where the newly paved track had been breaking up.
A furious charge ensued as Ruman posted the fastest race lap time of 1:28.974 seconds to not only move herself up to take third at the finish, but also setting a new Trans Am track record to boot. While she had been hoping to repeat the results from last year’s win, the weekend still provided some highlights for Ruman in her return to the track.
“That was some incredible racing and even though we were hoping to make a little bit more ground in the championship with a win, I’m still very happy to be back up on the podium,” said Ruman. “We worked hard to get a set up to work with the new surface as quickly as we could, as it was pretty slippery out there. I’m disappointed we lost ground early in the race and that there were so many caution laps again, but it was thrilling to come back through the field the way we did.”
The top four finishers crossed the line less than 1.5 seconds adrift of the winner, underscoring how competitive the race was.
“There are just three races now to go in this championship, and everyone was going for it this weekend,” said Ruman. “A big thanks to my crew and my Dad for the great setup – the car was really fast. We are all looking forward to the next race at VIR, the track is an incredible place to drive.”
Sponsors: 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. Goodyear Tire & Rubber is a Ruman Racing sponsor as well as the Series sponsor.
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: www.gotransam.com/live-timing-and-scoring/
Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
Looking ahead: || Round 8 – Virginia International Raceway, Danville, VA (Sept. 29) || Round 9 – Road Atlanta, Flowery Branch, GA (Nov. 3)
