2nd Consecutive Championship Title – Team Wins Crew of the Year Award
Daytona, FL – More history was made on Saturday with Amy Ruman scoring her third consecutive win at Daytona International Speedway and earning the 2016 Trans Am Championship title for the second year in a row.
The Daytona Race Report
Ruman was nine points down from Paul Fix in the Trans Am Championship coming into Saturday’s race. She started second on the grid after a super tight qualifying session – just two-tenths of a second separated Ruman (01:44.794) and Fix (01:44.541) on the front row. Ruman, in the No. 23 McNichols Chevrolet Corvette, vied with Fix as the two sped away from the field. Fix retired with mechanical issues 10 laps into the 29-lap race. Ruman took over the lead and never looked back, taking the checkered flag ten seconds ahead of the second place finisher RJ Lopez. The win at Daytona marked Ruman’s third win in a season of ups and downs that ended on a high note.
Ruman’s 2016 Season
This is the Trans Am Series 50th anniversary year and the Ohio based Ruman Racing team has competed in the Series for 20 years, fielding Ruman’s father Bob before Amy took the reins. Amy Ruman’s first Championship last year brought the Series its first female Champion. Ruman now has an overall Trans Am win total of sixteen, nearing some of the all-time race winners in Trans Am history. She was the first woman to capture a professional road racing title and can now add another to that count.
Ruman finished the year with 299 points over Paul Fix’s 290, with Simon Gregg taking third place in the final tally in the race for the Trigon Trophy Championship. In addition, the Ruman Racing team won the Pitboxes.com Pit Crew of the Year award thanks to the strong performances of Mike Edmunds, Bryan Salchak, Dave Skinner, Eric Conley, and Jerry Waltenberger.
Ruman’s Reflections
“I woke up thinking ‘you know anything can happen, it’s racing,’” said Ruman. “Mechanicals happen. Traffic can play a role. Paul could win; I could win. When it boiled down to one race, anything can happen. Even last year all I had to do was take the start, and I was still nervous about that. What it boiled down to is simply that, anything can happen. I mean look at the Cavaliers, down 3-1, I’m from Cleveland – you have to believe!”
“What a great way to finish out a 50th Anniversary season for the Series,” continued Ruman. “My hat is off to Paul Fix and the Ave team; they’ve worked hard all year, too, and we’ve both had up and down seasons. It’s unfortunate what happened to them but we persevered and won.”
“I’m happy to have been the first female champion, and backing it up again feels even better. It just shows you have to keep working hard, keep believing, never give up,” exclaimed Ruman. “I have an amazing crew and an incredible sponsor in McNichols Co. and I am proud to deliver another Championship with both of them!”
Sponsor: 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.
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/
