2007 Results & Photos - 9/2/07 to 11/17/07

Ed McHugh's
West Boylston
Auto Parts

26th -Nov. 16th and 17th - Concord Motorsport Park

After a good heat run and after setting a strong pace to click off the laps, Derek is bounced into the wall and out of the race early. The rear axle was knocked out of position (notice how much of the rear tire is visible)  and the drive shaft was torn up just when things were going great.

Derek is 3rd in The Howler!

ALL-STAR RAINOUT
Showers came twice during the night on Oct. 6th at All-Star Speedway -- the second just one lap before the Super Late Models were to take the green after an hour and a half of track drying.  There was not enough time for another drying cycle before curfew time, so there was no chance for the feature to be run.  Attendance points (100 for licensed drivers) and heat points (0 for Derek) were awarded for the event.

3RD in the 300!

 

3RD in the PASS 300 Beech Ridge Motor Speedway - 9/23 The Superman Roller Coaster ride at Six Flags has nothing compared to the ride the #35 Ramstrom Racing Team took this past weekend at the Beech Ridge 400, the biggest race of the PASS Tour. The weekend began on Thursday evening with Rick driving the hauler to Maine to secure a decent pit spot, as hundreds of teams make their way to Beech Ridge for the 400. Friday Derek and the rest of the crew headed up for a day of practice. Derek thought the car was good, liked the handling and setup so they didn’t have to make too many changes. Friday evening brought a different race genre, lawnmower racing down the street from the track at Pathfinders Snowmobile club. Derek arrived a little late and was unable to secure a ride, leaving him on the opposite side of the fence for once. Saturday was heat races, consi’s and a last chance race. Unfortunately Derek got a lousy starting spot in the heat race. The heat races were exceptionally crucial at Beech Ridge because there was over 50 racers trying to make the feature on Sunday, including some PASS Outlaw regulars and some Beech Ridge regulars. Top 5 from each heat were to transfer to the feature. Derek got caught up in a wreck early that sent him into the dirt with front end damage and he was towed back to the pit are for repairs. Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff and the entire team worked feverishly to repair the car for the consi. Once again Derek got a lousy starting spot in the consi and got stuck behind some slower cars and was unable to get to the front in the very short 12 lap race. That brought his final chance to make the show on Sunday, the infamous “last chance race”. Only the winner of this race gets a transfer spot. Derek started on the outside pole, Ritchie Dearborn on the pole. Again, another very short race and Dearborn was able to get the lead and keep it. The team was very anxious, not wanting to pack up and miss the biggest event of the season. Fortunately Derek is 7th in points and had earned a provisional from PASS. That means he made the show but is starting 31st out of 33 cars. The team was thrilled to have the chance to race on Sunday, and Derek wasn’t too rattled about starting in the rear, he seems to enjoy the challenge a little. Sunday the teams had a very short scuff sessions, only 15 minutes. Derek went out and claimed the car was running very well so only minor adjustments were made. After an autograph session for the drivers the teams pushed their pit cars out to the infield and the drivers strapped in for 300 very long laps. The green flag dropped and they took off but Derek had a tire problem on lap 3 and spun the car in turns 1 and 2. The caution came out, Derek pitted for an adjustment and they sent him back out, a lap down. The leaders were very fast and there were quite a few cautions as Derek slowly and methodically began picking them off, one by one. His car was so fast that he eventually caught the leaders, and although he was one lap down he just kept digging and almost got his lap back the old fashioned way, by passing the leader. At that time he got the “lucky dog” and was back on the lead lap, at about lap 180. Derek brought the car down pit road and the crew had an outstanding pit stop, changing tires and filling the car with gas. Derek headed back out, end of the longest line and once again began to make his way to the front of the field. Derek showed the patience and perseverance of a seasoned veteran, certainly not that of a 15 year old driver. With 10 laps to go Derek was in the fourth spot, behind Cassius Clark. He made the move of the race and went around him, securing a stellar 3rd place finish. This was without a doubt the best race of Derek’s career, showing the racing community that he is the real deal. THANK YOU! Derek and Rick would like to thank the crew, especially crew chief Jeff Ratoff, crew members Chris Hallback and Jay Dugan. They would also like to extend a huge thank you to Chris and Matt, crew members of the #79 Prostock race car in Fredericton, Canada for all their help this weekend. Thanks to Shawn Newman from Speedway Welding Supply for helping in the pits. Thanks also to Jimmy the tire guy, on loan from Steve Perry.

SEPTEMBER 8TH

4TH PLACE!

14TH PLACE!

Sept 2nd - Fredericton, NB Canada: Seems like the Ramstrom Racing Team is spending more time out of the US than they are in as they loaded up the hauler and headed north for a 9 hour drive to New Brunswick. Having a couple of weeks off from the PASS Series doesn’t mean time off for the team. The Ramstrom team decided the trip for a huge prostock race would be worth the effort, as seat time and the prospect for a large purse loomed.

The team arrived in at New Brunswick International Speedway for the Peterbilt 250. This was the first time that Derek and the crew had been at the track and it was the first time that Derek has run on Hoosier tires. Derek liked the car’s handling and crew chief Jeff Ratoff made a few changes to the setup. The car was very fast in practice. After a good rest Saturday night, courtesy of the Fredericton Inn, the crew was off to the track for heat races on Sunday. The heat race didn’t go too well as Derek crashed pretty hard trying to avoid a wreck in front of him. The pit crew, including Rick, Jeff Ratoff and Chris Hallback worked feverishly to put the car together for the “last chance race”. Derek fought hard in the 30 lap race and came out on top, albeit without power steering. Derek was pleased when Terry Labonte took a moment to compliment him on the win. The feature race was good for Derek, he battled an ill handling racecar and avoided a few crashes, bringing the #35 home in a very respectable 14 th place. The trip to Canada turned out great for the team. 39 cars attempted to qualify for the event, 28 were in the feature so 14 th place, along with the opportunity to race against some of the finest drivers in the US and Canada was awesome. Special thanks to Chris Johnston of New Brunswick International Speedway and to Jerry O’Leary from O’Leary Pontiac for all their support and for making the trip to NB speedway possible.

The Ramstrom Racing team will be heading to Wiscasset Speedway this Saturday for another non PASS race. The next race for PASS and the #35 will be at beautiful White Mountain Speedway on Saturday the 15 th of September.

August 30th, 2007 Fredericton, NB - How's this for a "what did you do over the summer essay"? Derek Ramstrom of West Bolyston, MA will be attempting to become the youngest driver in history to compete in the Peterbilt 250. No seriously, Derek is 16 years old and he races pro stock cars. How many grade 10 kids do you know that can wheel a pro stock car at 100 mph inches from a pack of other cars?

Derek has been racing on the Pro All Stars Series full time this summer and has 6 top 10 finishes in 14 starts. Pretty impressive to say the least. Even more impressive is the fact that Derek won the Pro All Stars Series Outlaw Championship last season at the very mature age of 15yrs.
"I cant wait to get to Fredericton" said the excited 16yr old, "We've been talking about this race for over a year now and I'm really excited. I've been learning a lot this summer on the PASS tour and its really great for me to be able to come to events like the Peterbilt 250 and run against the top notch teams".

Derek will have some local support this weekend , O'Leary Pontiac owner Jerry OLeary is increasing his exposure once again for this weekend by sponsoring Derek for the Peterbilt 250. "I simply cant believe this kid is only 16 yrs old" said Oleary, " I've been in these cars and its not an easy task run one of these cars at the front. With everything we've seen from Derek this summer, he'll be a top running car come Sunday afternoon". Derek will also be flying the colors of the Fredericton Inn this weekend.