Munroe Falls, Ohio – The Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli is heading south to Road Atlanta Braselton, GA this weekend for Round 3 of the 2022 schedule after a quick turnaround from last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Ruman encountered a few mechanical issues during qualifying on Saturday and rolled off the grid in seventh position in her No. 23 McNichols Chevrolet Corvette. She moved up a few positions at the start, then settled in and found a race pace to try and manage her tires. Tires were a factor on the high banks of the Charlotte Roval, with several competitors including the leader Paul Menard, suffering from flats. Ruman found herself running in first place for eight laps respectively after Menard (1st) and Drissi (2nd) were forced to pit lane for tire changes during the race. Unfortunately, after their tire changes, they were able to click off some fast laps allowing the pair to close in on Ruman’s lead. A few laps from the end, both passed her back and she crossed the finish line in third place.
“Tires, tires, tires,” said third-place finisher Amy Ruman. “I was trying to be conservative, so we took a more conservative pace while we were leading to maintain our tires. When we got the lead, I was hoping that we could hold onto it there at the end. I’m happy to be up on the podium, but I would have loved that win. I knew that there was going to be attrition today, but I’m glad I wasn’t a part of it. Unfortunately, this is the win that slipped away!”
Teams had only a few days to turn the cars around as they head directly to Road Atlanta for back-to-back race weekends. Ruman has enjoyed much success at the 12-turn, 2.54-mile iconic Road Atlanta track, driving the No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette to three career victories there; in 2011 she captured her historic first ever Trans Am win at Road Atlanta, also won in 2015 and 2016, captured a second-place finish in 2017, and a third in 2019.
“We gained some valuable points at Charlotte last weekend, and I’m looking to ride that momentum into Road Atlanta. I like this track a lot, and we have had a lot of success here. Can’t wait to get back out there and have some good battles and put on a great show for the fans!” exclaimed Ruman.
Sixty-four competitors are entered across all classes, with ten running in Ruman’s TA class. Trans Am is running in conjunction with the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) as part of the 2022 SpeedTour. Testing, practices, qualifying, and races will take place Thursday through Sunday. The Trans Am TA2® race will be Saturday, March 26th at 12:50pm followed by the TA/XGT/SGT/GT feature race on Sunday at 12:15pm ET, both races are 101.6-miles, 40-laps. Please visit gotransam.com, speedtour.net, svra.com for tickets, schedules, and all other weekend information.
The points race has tightened up heading into Round 3, Chris Dyson leads the TA National class championship with 55 points, followed by Paul Menard in second – 54, Tomy Drissi in third – 49, Amy Ruman in fourth – 47, and Ken Thwaits sits in fifth – with 45 points.
LIVE STREAMING AND CBS TV COVERAGE OF THE TRANS AM SEASON:
The entire lineup of 2022 SpeedTour will LIVE stream for FREE! Fans can watch from anywhere on a variety of social media platforms including the new SpeedTour.TV, the Trans Am Facebook page, and YouTube channels SpeedTourTV and the Trans Am Series.
Charlotte ROVAL races – TA/XGT/SGT/GT on Friday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET, TA2 on Saturday, March 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Road Atlanta races – TA/XGT/SGT/GT on Saturday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET, TA2 on Sunday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
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 | sales@mcnichols.com
For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow us on all social media! Twitter: @rumanracing, @mcnicholsco, and @gotransam. Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli.
Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
