Munroe Falls, Ohio – It was hot and steamy for the Trans Am Series drivers and crews at the debut of the Keystone Speedfest weekend at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex last weekend. Ruman had some great in-race battles, eventually grabbing a solid 4th place finish int the No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette.
Temperatures and humidity were sky high over the weekend which made for slick track conditions and hot race cars. During Saturday’s qualifying run, Ruman was running near the front and then got bumped down to 6th in the late stages of qualifying. The field saw the green flag at 2:00pm on Sunday, and Ruman had a great start moving up a few spots in the first turn. Into the next few turns, there were some exchanges as she battled alongside the No. 03 of McAleese and had a race long bout with the No. 57 of Pintaric. Ruman eventually passed the No. 57 in the last turn, on the last lap of the race, beating him back to the line to finish in fourth. That pass earned Ruman the Trans Am COOLSHIRT Systems Cool Move of the Race, which was presented to her during the podium festivities.
“That was a fun one, but super-hot! Unfortunately, we didn’t have the car under us to stick with the leaders today, but I had some great racing with some great competitors. David (Pintaric) and I duked it out all the way down to the last turn of the last lap, ending with a drag race to the line! This track was crazy busy out there, lots of hard braking, turns, shifts…we all had our hands full! It was a solid finish and I gained some valuable points today and moved into fifth in point chase, now on to my home track of Mid-Ohio!” exclaimed Ruman.
The Series is running back-to-back weekends and are now staged and ready to compete at popular Mid-Ohio event this weekend. Round 6 of the 2018 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli will be running in conjunction with the NASCAR Xfinity Series once again. Trans Am will feature two races, The First Energy Trans Am 100 and the First Energy Muscle Car Challenge. 47 competitors are entered for the weekend, and both races will be 101.96-miles, 45 laps around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile legendary course in Lexington, Ohio.
Ruman has faced many challenges and adversity at her “home track” Mid-Ohio over the years, this year she is hopeful and confident for a top spot on the podium. “Things haven’t always gone our way here, that’s for sure. But I’m hopeful this year will be different. We have been running up front consistently the past three races, so I’m ride and use that momentum going into this race. We are determined to be on top here at home in front of all our fans and McNichols partners this year!” stated Ruman.
The weekend will start off with a promoter test day and official practice 1 on Thursday August 9th. Practice 2 and qualifying will take place on Friday August 10th. The First Energy Trans Am 100 – TA/3/4 will start at 9:00am EST, followed TA2 First Energy Muscle Car Challenge at 12:40pm EST. Visit gotransam.com or midohio.com for ticket, full schedule, and all other weekend information.
LIVE COVERAGE!! Fans can tune into LIVE streaming coverage of both races – FREE on Motor Trend On Demand, with replays of the stream available following the event for Motor Trend On Demand subscribers. Also, a 60-minute highlight show of the weekend will broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network, Sunday August 26th at 2:00pm.
Heading into the weekend, Ernie Francis, Jr. leads the TA Championship with 159 points, followed by Chris Dyson in second – 125, David Pintaric sits third (tied) – 117, Lawrence Loshak in forth (tied) – 117, and Amy Ruman moved up to fifth with – 104 points.
SPONSORS: McNICHOLS CO. 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.
OMP Racing, Inc., OMP Racing is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of racing safety equipment and tuning accessories with a catalog of over 3,000 different items. Operating from a technologically advanced 80,000 sqft facility in Italy, OMP products are renowned for its quality, the meticulous attention to details that is constantly challenged by setting higher standards. For products and information visit ompamerica.com or ompsport.com.
For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow us on all social media! Twitter: @rumanracing, @mcnicholsco, @opmracing and @gotransam. Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, OMP Racing, and Go Trans Am.
Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
