Munroe Falls, Ohio – Amy Ruman and the Ruman Racing team were looking forward to another shot at a win at Daytona, in only their second appearance at the iconic track, and their second chance paid off. Ruman drove the No. 23 McNichols Chevrolet Corvette to victory in the 50-car combined class field this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Round 11, the 2014 Trans Am season finale.
Ruman was fast all weekend, posting practice times in the top three. The series and fans saw another exciting round of qualifying between the top five, as they were all extremely close in times. Ruman (1:45.143), who qualified second, was on the pole for most of the session until Peterson (1:44.960) knocked her off in the final green lap of qualifying and edged out Fix (1:45.149) in third. Ruman had headed down pit lane to try and answer Peterson’s time, but was stopped before exiting as the session was cut short due to a red flag.
As the race’s green flag dropped on a sunny Florida Saturday morning, Ruman immediately sprang into the lead ahead of Peterson. Ruman opened a healthy gap over the field until a mid-race double yellow closed it up. Ruman was strong again on the restart and never looked back, dominating from start to finish, despite some late race efforts from Gregg. Ruman brought home her second flag-to-flag win of the 2014 season and her fifth career Trans Am victory.
“Winning at Daytona is everyone’s dream in the racing world,” said Ruman. “We’re pretty excited that the McNichols 23 ran so well today; we were strong all week here and I’m happy to finish the season on such a high note. We’ve been on the edge of scoring poles and wins all season long and in the end a few bad races kept us out of the Championship, but we’re happy for the victory today and we’ll come back stronger than ever next year. A huge thank you to McNichols Company and my crew for an awesome year.”
Ruman headed into Daytona in third place in the Trans Am Championship standings, just 8 points behind Simon Gregg. She made every effort this weekend to gain enough points to try and take back second place from Gregg, but in the end she remained one point shy and took home 3rd in the standings.
For the second year in a row at the Trans Am Championship banquet, the Series awarded Ruman with the Trans Am Excellence in Publicity Award for outstanding efforts in promoting racing and the Series throughout the country. The Trans Am staff honored Ruman with the award again, as she continues to be very active in her marketing efforts to promote the series, highlight the series through social media and interviews, and continues to keep the Trans Am brand in the public eye.
Ruman’s win at Daytona also marked a place in the history books once again as she became the first woman to claim the overall victory in a professional automobile race at Daytona. Two other women, Ashley Freiberg and Lyn St. James, have won as co-drivers of winning team races held at Daytona, but Ruman was the first in a professional solo effort. As many know, Ruman’s breakthrough victory in 2011 at Road Atlanta marked the first time for a female to win a Trans Am race in the 45-year history of the Series.
Local links—two stories about Ruman Racing from the Sunday edition Daytona Beach News-Journal:
Ruman makes history at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday
Ruman’s win at Daytona International Speedway has historical significance
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.
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Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
