Munroe Falls, Ohio – It was an eventful, action packed weekend for the Ruman Racing team as they participated in a double race weekend at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) in Danville, VA. The Trans Am Series management elected to make the VIR event a double header, featuring two races for all classes to make up for the missed event at Watkins Glen.
Teams battled rain the first two days of the event, leading to a rain-soaked qualifier on Friday evening. Ruman was just starting to find her groove when a flat tire led to a bout into the tire wall. She was able to continue to pit lane, but the No. 23 McNichols/Cornertech Chevrolet Corvette sustained some cosmetic damage to the right side of the car, leaving her in eighth position for the first race. Ruman’s awesome crew put the slightly banged up No. 23 back together for the races. Drier conditions prevailed for the Saturday morning feature race, where Ruman had her work cut out for her. She moved her way through the pack and landed a fourth-place finish.
Qualifying for the second race was determined by the fastest times in race one, so Ruman started fourth on the grid. Wasting no time at all when the green flag waved, Ruman put the moves on the front runners going three-wide into turn one passing Drissi and Dyson to move into second place. Tight battles and position swaps would continue throughout the race with (Chris) Dyson, Ruman, (Tomy) Drissi, and (Paul) Menard. Ultimately, Ruman finished on the podium in third place.
Ruman’s post-race two comments – “We didn’t have the best start to the weekend, but it feels great to get that last step of the podium especially after a tough-fought race,” Ruman said. “Toward the end, our rear tires were giving out and I didn’t have enough to keep pace. We kind-of lucked into third at the end, but that’s just how racing goes. I had a great start and hoped to keep that position, but after I slid back a little, I continued to fight. We had a good third place car and I am happy with a podium today.” Ruman dedicated her third-place finish to her parents, who were in attendance celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary on September 28th.
The Series was scheduled to travel to Lime Rock Park Oct. 16-18, but Covid-19 restrictions in the state have now forced the event to be cancelled. Trans Am management has elected once again to now make the November 20-22 Road Atlanta event a double header, featuring two races for all classes. The December 4-6 Laguna Seca event will also become a double to make up for the Indianapolis race that was never rescheduled from June. First, the Series will travel to the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, TX for Round 7 November 6-8, 2020.
After Rounds 5 & 6 at VIR, Ernie Francis Jr. leads the TA class championship 186 points, followed by Tomy Drissi in second – 149, Chris Dyson in third – 138, Simon Gregg in fourth – 133, and Amy Ruman in fifth – 130 points.
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Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
