2009 AWARDS BANQUET - JAN. 22ND |
Derek and the
Ramstrom Racing Team were honored Friday
night January 22nd at Thompson Speedway.
Derek was honored for his stunning 2009
race season in the challenging Super
Late Model Division. Despite a shortened
race season, Derek never once crossed
the checkers outside the top ten. He
scored 13 top five finishes, including
four wins.
The championship came down to the very
last race. Derek had to beat Mike
O'Sullivan in order to secure the
championship. Derek managed to hold off
O'Sullivan in what was certainly the
most nerve racking race of the season.
Derek managed to finish ahead of
O'Sullivan to secure the coveted title
by a mere six points.
Derek thanked his crew for their
dedication with commemorative Ramstrom
Racing Jackets. He also thanked his
fellow competitors in the Super Late
Model Division, particularly Mike
O'Sullivan, for racing him clean all
season, the Hoenig Family and all the
staff at Thompson Speedway for providing
the best place to race in the Northeast.
Derek and Rick also want to thank all
their sponsors for the continued
assistance to their team, they would not
have been in the position they are in
without each and every one.
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RAMSTROM RACING
NEWS
December Notes |
The Ramstrom
Racing Team has not been at the track
but they are still getting together,
both to celebrate the season and to do a
little work on the cars.
Rick and Derek took the entire team to
Wrights Chicken Farm in Rhode Island
recently to thank them for their
constant and unwavering help. Without
all of the crew Derek would never have
won the Championship at Thompson last
season. This includes the crew that
works on the car at the shop and at the
track, the people who take care of
timing and scoring, the people who run
the finances, and the other behind the
scene people who just help things run
smoothly. Rick and Derek extend a
heartfelt thank you to each and everyone
of you.
We still have a few
T-shirts
left from this season. We have both
adult and children's sizes. If you are
interested in purchasing a shirt please
either email us at cdugan61@msn.com or
call Cherie at 774-696-1993.
The team will be going to Thompson
Speedway on Friday, January 22nd to be
honored for their championship season.
The
banquet
will be held at the Thompson Speedway
Clubhouse and promises to be an
entertaining evening for everyone.
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PASS Awards Banquet |
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At the
November 7th PASS Awards Banquet at
Verrillo's in Portland, ME, Derek
received the President's Award for most
improved driver awards in the Super Late
Model division (above).
Plus Derek picked up his trophy for 10th
place in the
PASS North SLM points standings |
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RAMSTROM RACING
NEWS
Thompson World
Series |
The 2009 racing season has ended
on a positive note for the Ramstrom
Racing Team following the World Series
of Racing at Thompson Speedway in Ct.
The three day event was cut short
because Mother Nature was once again
somewhat uncooperative. On Friday the
team headed to Thompson with the hauler
to secure a decent spot in the pit area
for this huge event. Derek arrived after
school and practiced the car for a
while. He had no complaints, in fact
thought the car was really fast.
Saturday proved to be a long day for the
hard working track crew at Thompson. A
lot of rain kept the fans and teams at
the clubhouse enjoying their breakfast.
The rain would stop for a bit, the crew
would work diligently to dry the track
and then it would just rain again. The
officials called the rain out at 3:00.
Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day
loaded with sunshine. All the heats were
cancelled due to the Saturday rainout.
The team wasn't too disappointed as
Derek drew the pole when he signed in.
This was supposed to be his start for
the heat but because they were rained
out this would be his start for the
feature race. Ben Dodge and all the
officials did an outstanding job getting
the features underway and the program
was run on time. The Super Late Models
were due to run before the Whelan
Modified Tour but a program change
brought them out following the Tour.
The Super Late Models were given five
hot laps and then they lined up for the
green flag. There was 23 Super Late
Models in the field, including several
invaders from Seekonk. The green flew
and a battle ensued right away between
Derek and Fuller. The first caution flag
at lap seven saw Derek relinquish the
lead to Fuller on the restart. By lap 15
Derek was once again battling Fuller for
the top spot. Fuller was in no way
having anything to do with the Champion
taking his lead away. Fuller pinched the
#35 down so hard it almost appeared
Derek was mowing the backstretch lawn.
Contact between Derek and Fuller going
into turn three caused Fuller to crash
and opened the door for Mike O'Sullivan
and Norm Wrenn to take the top two
spots. Derek was in third with the #48
Gelinas car knocking on his door.
Battling out of turn four the #48 got
too high and scraped the wall going down
the front stretch. Derek kept going and
ended the season finishing third. |
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WORLD SERIES -
10/25
Derek
Scores a 3rd |
Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield,
MA, used a bold three-wide move with
five laps remaining to score the Super
Late Model victory.
Newly crowned divisional champion Derek
Ramstrom jumped out to the early lead in
the main event that went 23-cars strong.
It was anything but smooth sailing as
the teenager had to contend with cagey
veteran Rick Fuller. Ramstrom led from
his pole position through a caution at
lap seven before relinquishing the top
spot to Fuller. Ramstrom immediately
fell into the clutches of O’Sullivan.
By halfway, Ramstrom was beginning to
look racy again, diving to the inside of
Fuller. The battle for third was heating
up as well with Wrenn pressuring
O’Sullivan. The top five ran
nose-to-tail looking for running room.
Ramstrom could get alongside Fuller
while Wrenn could get a fender below
O’Sullivan. Neither could make the pass.
Despite a trio of cautions, the running
order in the top four remained
unchanged. The battling allowed Larry
Gelinas to join the mix. Contact between
the lead duo of Fuller and Ramstrom
opened the door for O’Sullivan, who went
three wide in the outside groove to take
over the lead on lap 25. The contact
between Fuller and Ramstrom continued in
turn four. Ultimately, Fuller went
spinning. He did not continue in the
event. Ramstrom was able to keep going
in third.
O’Sullivan was in command with Norm
Wrenn in tow. The battle for the third
position was fierce between Ramstrom and
Gelinas. Coming off turn four, Gelinas'
#48 appeared to scrape the wall
resulting in a flat tire. Gelinas limped
around the speedway as O’Sullivan was
taking the victory. Wrenn came home
second. Ramstrom survived the fireworks
to finish third. Jim Banfield and Rob
Murphy completed the top five.
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| RAMSTROM RACING
NEWS |
Thursday Night
Thunder at Thompson had its season
finale last week and what a finale it
was. Derek went into the final race
leading the points chase over Mike
O'Sullivan by a mere 4 points. Derek had
to finish no more than one car behind
O'Sullivan in order to secure the
championship. The entire team seemed to
be suffering pre race jitters, with the
exception of one member, our driver.
Derek was calm as could be, enjoying the
evening like it was any Thursday night.
He went out and ran a great heat race,
mainly just trying to stay out of
trouble. Derek started the feature race
two cars ahead of O'Sullivan, He took
the green and as per usual was extremely
patient, methodically making his way to
the front of the field.
A terrifying moment came when Dennis
Maxfields motor blew in turn three.
Maxfield almost made it into the infield
but somehow his car came back onto the
track, narrowly missing Derek.
O'Sullivan got in the melee, literally
driving over the #15 George Bessett
machine. O'Sullivan was somehow
unscathed and got his spot back for the
restart.
The green flag brought Banfield in the
lead with Derek in second, O'Sullivan
third. Derek was chasing down Banfield,
trying to take the win, O'Sullivan was
chasing Derek, trying to take second.
After what seemed like forever the
checkered flag flew, Banfield with the
win, Derek second and O'Sullivan third.
Derek won the 2009 Super Late Model
Championship, as well as Most Popular
Driver. Derek is the youngest driver
ever to achieve the championship in any
division at Thompson International
Speedway. The Ramstrom team is thrilled
with this season which consisted of four
wins, two 2nds, four 3rds, three
fourths, one fifth and one tenth.
Derek's only finish outside of the top
five was a result of a flat tire. A
superb season.
The final race for the Ramstrom Racing
Team will be the World Series of Racing
at Thompson Speedway. Three exciting
days of racing begin on Friday October
16th with the features to be run Sunday,
October 18th. Thompson Speedway will be
honoring Derek's championship season at
the World Series. |
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Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 9/24 |
DEREK is the
2009 THOMPSON
SUPER LATE MODEL
CHAMPION!
.
and SLM
Most Popular Driver! |
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Scott and Trevor Nickel Photos,
Official Photographers for
Thompson Speedway |
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1 - 35 -
DEREK RAMSTROM - 686
2 - 08 -
MIKE O'SULLIVAN -
680
3 - 1m -
NORMAN WRENN - 630
4 - 62 - LESLIE ROSE, JR - 578
5 - 15 -
GEORGE BESSETTE - 546
6 - 13 - JAMES BANFIELD - 542
7 - 0 - DENNIS MAXFIELD - 478
8 - 16 - RICK FULLER - 462
9 - 48 - LARRY GELINAS - 448
10 - 14 - JAY MACEDONIO - 360
. |
TRACK RACE REPORT:
Over the final stages of the 2009
season, Jim Banfield of S. Glastonbury,
CT, had been able to turn his luck
around. Runner-up finishes had paved the
way to his first career Super Late Model
feature on Thursday night. Larry Gelinas
jumped out to an early lead over Jim
Banfield. Derek Ramstrom, who led Mike
O’Sullivan by eight points, ran in the
sixth position while O’Sullivan was
mired a bit deeper back in the pack in
eighth.
Ramstrom was all over the back bumper of
George Bessette while O’Sullivan was
struggling in his efforts to get around
Rick Fuller. On lap 11, Ramstrom was
able to get alongside Bessette. The two
went fender to fender lap after lap.
Up front, Gelinas continued to enjoy a
ten car length advantage over Banfield.
The battle for the third position was
heating up between Dennis Maxfield and
Norm Wrenn. On lap 14, Ramstrom was able
to get by Bessette. O’Sullivan had not
advanced his position.
With Maxfield and Wrenn battling,
Ramstrom was able to catch the duo. In a
flash of flame, the motor of Maxfield
expired. The oil laid down on the
speedway, sent cars sliding. During the
incident O’Sullivan climbed over the #15
of Bessette.
Gelinas suffered mechanical failure on
the ensuing restart; handing the lead
over to Banfield. Ramstrom lined up in
second while O’Sullivan was able to
climb into the third spot on the
restart. Ramstrom chased the back bumper
of Banfield.
Ramstrom was looking racy for the lead
with three laps to go. Sullivan had
caught the leaders. With two to go,
O’Sullivan was able to get to the rear
tire of Ramstrom. The battle for the
second spot allowed Banfield to head to
his first win of the season. Ramstrom
finished second ahead of O’Sullivan to
earn the local favorite his first
Thompson Speedway championship. Wrenn
and Fuller completed the top five.
Super Late Model
(Top Ten) Feature Finish 9/24:
1. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT;
2. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA;
3. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 4.
Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH;
5. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 6. Mike
Stefanik, Coventry, RI;
7. Marc Curtis, Worcester, MA; 8. Les
Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA;
9. Chris Magee, Edgartown, MA; 10. Bobby
Tripp, Westport, MA. |
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| RAMSTROM RACING
NEWS |
The racing season
is coming down to the wire for the
Ramstrom Racing Team. Last Thursday
night was the second to last point race
at
Thompson Speedway.
Derek had been at New Hampshire Speedway
qualifying the #53 Camping World East
Series car. Having never driven a car at
New Hampshire's "Magic Mile" proved to
be a non-issue for Derek as he was 12th
fastest in practice. Derek time trialed
21st out of 34 cars, then drove like
hell (within speed limits, of course) to
Thompson for the heats.
Derek ran the heat race basically to
scuff his tires. He started the feature
race in the middle of the field and
slowly began chasing down the leaders.
With only five laps to go Derek was in
the third spot trying to take down
second place driver Dennis Maxfield.
Maxfield would not give up second so
Derek ended up third at the line. Mike
O'Sullivan took the win which means only
four points seperate Derek from
O'Sullivan going into the final points
race Thursday night. The Ramstrom team
would like to thank Seekonk Late Model
racer Jerry D' Gasparre for his
assistance Thursday night!
The team went back to Loudon Friday for
the
Camping World East Series
race. The
race was scheduled for 5:00 but a brief
rain delay put it off for 40 minutes.
NASCAR officials decided to shorten the
race from 125 laps to 100 laps because
there are no lights at the track. Derek
did an outstanding job in his debut at
NHMS. He choose not to pit after the
first caution and took the green in the
third spot. Derek hung on to third for a
while before sliding back a bit. He
pitted on the next caution and started
towards the rear. He avoided a bunch of
wrecks and many restarts before
finishing in the 12th position.
Fantastic job by Derek and the entire
team.
All of us at Ramstrom Racing would like
to extend our congratulations to
Johnny Clark and
the entire #54 Team.
Johnny won the
PASS North Championship again this year.
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CAMPING WORLD EAST
SERIES - SEPT. 18TH
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEWAY |
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Derek Finishes
in 12th |
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Photos by
Chris Roy |
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Photos by
Jamie Williams |
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Derek Qualifies
in 21st |
Derek is
making his New Hampshire Motor Speedway
"Magic Mile" debut in the #53 Cam Neely
Foundation/Gilbane Chevrolet. In his
third Camping World East Series start,
Derek posted a 12th fastest time in
practice.
His 31.113 sec., 122.418 mph. qualifying
lap places him in the 10th row, in
the 21st spot. Follow the race action at
the Live: East at NH below. |
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LIVE: East at New Hampshire |
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STARTING LINEUP AT NHMS |
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Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 9/10
3rd Place |
TRACK RACE REPORT:
Right from the drop of the green flag
there was excitement in the Super Late
Models. Pole sitter Larry Gelinas
immediately had his hands full with
Dennis Maxfield. The two went
fender-to-fender for a number of laps.
As the lead duo battled O’Sullivan and
Norm Wrenn lurked behind.
On lap seven, Maxfield was finally able
to gain the advantage. Gelinas
immediately fell to the challenge of
O’Sullivan. A great run by O’Sullivan on
lap 11 gave him the advantage and the
lead over Maxfield. Derek Ramstrom was
making his way to the front taking spots
from Rick Fuller and Norm Wrenn. He got
by Gelinas on lap 17 to take over the
third position.
Up front, O’Sullivan had run out to a
six-car length advantage over Maxfield
while Ramstrom was quickly closing the
gap. Gelinas ran along in the fourth
spot followed by a battle for the fifth
position between Wrenn, Fuller, and
George Bessette.
With five laps to go Ramstrom had caught
Maxfield and the leader entered lapped
traffic. Maxfield and Ramstrom were able
to cut down the lead substantially when
O’Sullivan was forced high on the track
by a lapped car. The incident was hardly
a glitch as O’Sullivan quickly gained
his composure and once again stretched
his advantage.
O’Sullivan had nearly a half
straightaway lead as he streaked under
the checkers for his third win of the
season. Ramstrom could not muster up a
serious challenge on Maxfield for
second. Gelinas and Norm Wrenn completed
the top five. With this victory on
Thursday night in the Super Late Model
division, Mike O’Sullivan of
Springfield, MA, cut Derek Ramstrom’s
point lead to a mere four points heading
into the final point race. |
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Super Late Model
(Top Ten) Finish: 1. Mike
O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. Dennis
Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA;
3. Derek Ramstrom,
Worcester, MA; 4. Larry Gelinas,
Buxton, MA; 5. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH;
6. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 7. George
Bessette, Danbury, CT; 8. Les Rose, Jr.,
Southbridge, MA; 9. Steve Desmarias,
Westport, MA; 10. Jim Banfield, MA.
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SLM POINTS:
1 - 35 - DEREK
RAMSTROM - 638
2 - 08 - MIKE O'SULLIVAN - 634
3 - 1m - NORMAN WRENN - 586
4 - 62 - LESLIE ROSE, JR - 542
5 - 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE - 524 |
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Beech Ridge Motor Speedway - Sun. Sept. 13th |
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Early Wreck for a
31st Place Finish |
The big PASS show
at Beech Ridge proved a lesson in
futility for Derek and the Ramstrom
Crew. The team made it's way up to
Scarborough Maine on Friday for
practice. During one of Derek's
practices the trailing arm broke on the
car. The team was fortunate to have
someone willing to repair it for the
heats and feature race. Saturday wasn't
a whole lot better as rain fell and put
a damper on the day. Finally Mother
Nature cooperated and the weather
improved. Derek started last in the heat
race and spun out in some water, keeping
him in the last position for the
checkers. Derek finished 2nd in the
consi, putting him in the 21st position
for the 300 lap feature Sunday.
Sunday brought out the sun as well as
positive attitudes from Derek and the
team. The PASS drivers lined up on the
front stretch for a brief autograph
session. Derek strapped in and prepared
for the long 300 lap race. Turns out
Derek didn't quite make it 300 laps.
On lap 27 Derek was involved in a three
wide situation and caught the short end
of the stick with a rough ride over the
speed bumps in turn one. The #35 had the
steering rack knocked out of the car and
was towed back to the pit stall. The
team assessed the damage and felt it was
too significant to attempt to repair.
Derek ended up finishing 31st. Adam
Bates in the #98 went into the front
straight wall in the same incident and
also had to be towed.
Next Events:
Derek will be at New Hampshire Speedway
on Thursday attempting to qualify the
#53 Camping World East Series car. He
will leave New Hampshire after
qualifying and head to Thompson
International Speedway.
The #35 Ramstrom Racing Team will have a
special paint scheme on the hood. Derek
will be driving in the memory of Richard
Gorski. Janice McJunkins asked Derek to
drive his car in memory of her father,
who was an avid NASCAR fan as well as a
decorated veteran. Janice, along with
her husband John, own and operate
Matthews Truck Service and Towing who
have been a major sponsor and supporter
for Ramstrom Racing this season.
Following the race at Thompson Derek and
the team will once again return to
Loudon to race in the Camping World
Series race scheduled for Friday,
September 18th at 5:10 pm.
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Derek had a last place draw and a
quick spin in
Heat #2 and missed the transfer cut.
But in Consi #1 Derek moved up into 2nd
place finish and will start the PASS 300
SLM Feature from 21st.
An early wreck left Derek with
a 31st place finish.
Follow the
PASS 400 Weekend at
Speed51's
Trackside Now HERE
2009 PASS 400 WEEKEND HERE |
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Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 9/10
4th Place & a Better
Points Lead |
TRACK RACE REPORT:
Local favorite Rick Fuller
of Auburn, MA, returned to his racing roots
earlier this season making the Thompson Super
Late Models his home for the 2009 season. After
being close on several occasions, Fuller made
his triumphant return to victory lane; his first
as a driver since 2001.
Jim Banfield was having the run of his season
leading the opening laps of the Super Late Model
main event. He was able to gain an advantage
over a heated battle for the second position
between Dennis Maxfield and Rick Fuller. After
several laps, Fuller was able to free himself
from Maxfield. By the halfway marker, Fuller had
all but caught Banfield. Larry Gelinas and Derek
Ramstrom ran fender-to-fender for the fourth
spot. Norm Wrenn lurked outside of the top five
with Mike O’Sullivan.
Banfield maintained a two car-length advantage
over Fuller. Ramstrom had gotten past Gelinas
and O’Sullivan grabbed a spot away from Wrenn.
With less than 10 laps to go, Fuller began to
apply pressure. On lap 22, Fuller got up
alongside Banfield. As they started lap 23,
Fuller was the new leader. The field got strung
out with Fuller in command over Banfield,
Maxfield, Ramstrom and O’Sullivan. Over the
final five laps, all Banfield could do was watch
as Fuller motored away. On the last lap,
Ramstrom caught Maxfield and applied heavy
pressure.
Fuller handily headed to victory lane. Banfield
had a season-high runner-up finish. Maxfield
held off Ramstrom for third. Mike O’Sullivan
completed the top five.
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Super Late Model Feature
Finish (Top Ten): 1. Rick Fuller, Auburn,
MA;
2. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 3. Dennis
Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA;
4. Derek Ramstrom,
Worcester, MA; 5. Mike O’Sullivan,
Springfield, MA;
6. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 7. Norm Wrenn,
Nashua, NH;
8. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 9. Mike
Stefanik, Coventry, RI;
10. Daryl Stampfl, Norwood, MA. |
SLM POINTS:
1 - 35 - DEREK
RAMSTROM - 592
2 - 08 - MIKE O'SULLIVAN - 584
3 - 1m - NORMAN WRENN - 544
4 - 62 - LESLIE ROSE, JR - 506
5 - 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE - 486 |
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| RAMSTROM RACING
NEWS |
9/8/2009 -
We hope you have all been
enjoying your summer. Here at Ramstrom
Racing, we have been quite busy....
.
The last two
weeks at Thompson were a lot of fun...
we enjoyed a special night sponsored by
CHARTER
COMMUNICATIONS and then followed
up with a win the following week. (sorry
we could not provide a win for Charter!)
We are in a tight points battle at
Thompson, but we have a slight lead for
the #1 spot! We are currently in the #4
spot for PASS points.
.
Even
though our race season is soon to come
to an end, the next two or three weeks
will be some of the busiest of the
season! The line up for this week:
Thompson International Speedway (9-10)
and then on to Beechridge for Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday
(poster and link below).
.
Next week is Thompson (9-17), New
Hampshire International Speedway (Louden)
on Thursday and Friday where we will be
racing the Camping World East #53 car,
and then to White Mountains to race the
#35 PASS car on Friday and Saturday.
(Have they perfected the
clone thing yet???)
The week after that we race
again at Thompson (9-24) and then,
depending on what happens at NHIS, we
may be bringing the Camping World East
car to Dover DE!!!
.
So as you can see, the momentum is still
building for us here and we really
appreciate all the support we receive
from our sponsors and fans. As always,
we look forward to seeing you at the
races!
.
Derek, Rick & the
#35 Race Team
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Photos by Scott and Trevor Nickel |
Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 9/3
4th WIN
of 2009 for Derek |
TRACK RACE REPORT:
Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, CT, turned in a
dominating performance to score his fourth Super
Late Model victory of the season. The first half
of the 30-lap event was laden with cautions
decimating the field. All but the top few cars
had been involved in incidents in some way or
another. A couple of grinding crashes eliminated
the cars of Norm Wrenn, Henry Stampfl and Daryl
Stampfl. Top guns Mike Stefanik and Rick Fuller
also sustained damage.
Things settled down after halfway with Ramstrom
solidly in control. Ramstrom had a 10-car length
advantage with the crossed flags in the air. The
leader gained additional distance as Larry
Gelinas had to fight off Mike O’Sullivan. As the
two did battle Bessette was able to join the
fray.
O’Sullivan was able to make the pass for the
runner-up spot on lap 22. O’Sullivan had eight
laps to catch Ramstrom, who had nearly a
half-straightaway advantage. Meanwhile, Bessette
had caught Gelinas.
Gelinas spun with only two laps to go
relinquishing the third position. The veteran
was able to keep his momentum allowing the
leaders to go green to the checkers. Ramstrom
handily took down the win followed by
O’Sullivan. Bessette recovered from his early
race incident to score a podium finish in third.
Mike Stefanik and Dennis Maxfield rounded out
the top-five. |
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Super Late Model Feature
Finish (Top Ten):
1. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 2. Mike
O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 3. George Bessette,
Danbury, CT; 4. Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI; 5.
Dennis Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA; 6. Les Rose,
Jr., Southbridge, MA; 7. Jim Banfield, S.
Glastonbury, CT; 8. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME;
9. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 10. Henry Stampfl,
Norwood, MA. |
SLM POINTS:
1) 35 - DEREK RAMSTROM -
548
2) 08 - MIKE O'SULLIVAN - 542
3) 1m - NORMAN WRENN - 506
4) 62 - LESLIE ROSE, JR - 476
5) 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE - 450
6) 13 - JAMES BANFIELD - 412
7) 0 - DENNIS MAXFIELD - 360
8) 14 - JAY MACEDONIO - 360
9) 48 - LARRY GELINAS - 338
10) 16 - RICK FULLER - 330 |
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Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 8/27
Derek Posts a 10th |
TEAM REPORT:
The weather was fantastic but the feature race
not at all fantastic for the #35 Ramstrom Racing
Team. The very busy evening at Thompson
prohibited the Super Late Models from running
heat races and Derek started 5th in the feature.
The first few laps saw Derek moving forward,
battling with the #48, really entertaining the
crowd. Around lap 10 Derek's car began moving at
a steady pace, unfortunately backwards. After
stating the car was "really fast" in the
beginning Derek was clearly hanging on, waiting
for the checkered flag. When the race was over
the crew made quick work of figuring out that
the right rear tire had been compromised after
Derek had run over some debris.
Derek finished 10th but still maintains the
points lead over Mike O' Sullivan by 4 points.
Derek took some time during the evening to sign
autographs on the midway, the team was very
pleased with the kind words given to Derek by
his many fans. Derek and the Ramstrom Racing
Team would like to thank Charter Communications
for their continued support and for sponsoring
Charter Communications Night at Thompson
Speedway.
Next Thursday Derek is back at Thompson for
another 30 lap feature, along with the Modified
Tour. |
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TRACK RACE REPORT:
Mike O’Sullivan of
Springfield, MA, proved to be the man to beat on
Thursday night with his second Super Late Model
victory of the season. Les Rose led the field to
green and was able to gain a favorable advantage
as the battle for second heated up between Norm
Wrenn, O’Sullivan, Derek Ramstrom, and Larry
Gelinas. O’Sullivan took over the second spot
from Wrenn and immediately began to cut into
Rose’s advantage.
At the halfway marker, the man on the move was
George Bessette. He broke into the top five and
began to hunt down Gelinas. There were problems
for Ramstrom who fell to the tenth position.
With 10 laps to go, O’Sullivan had caught the
back bumper of Rose. Wrenn was right in step
with the lead duo as well.
On lap 22, O’Sullivan easily made his way into
the lead. Wrenn followed through relegating Rose
to third. He fell in jeopardy of losing another
spot to Gelinas. Over the final laps, O’Sullivan
was able to edge away from Wrenn for a two-car
length advantage. The #48 of Gelinas dropped off
the pace with only three laps to go.
O’Sullivan headed to the checkers uncontested
for his second victory of the season. Wrenn was
second at the line followed by Rose, Bessette
and Mike Stefanik in the top five.
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SLM POINTS:
1 - 35 - DEREK RAMSTROM - 498
2 - 08 - MIKE O'SULLIVAN - 494
3 - 1m - NORMAN WRENN - 478
4 - 62 - LESLIE ROSE, JR - 436
5 - 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE - 404
6 - 13 - JAMES BANFIELD - 374
7 - 14- JAY MACEDONIO - 360
8 - 51 - JEFF CONNORS - 326
9 - 0 - DENNIS MAXFIELD - 318
10 - 48 - LARRY GELINAS - 302 |
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Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 8/20
Derek Scores the Win |
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Photos by Scott and Trevor Nickel |
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TRACK RACE REPORT:
Derek
Ramstrom of
Worcester,
MA,
scored the victory in a wild Super Model main event. Jay
Macedonio enjoyed a sizeable lead in the early going of
the 30-lap main event. Heavy hitters Norm Wrenn,
Ramstrom, and Rick Fuller were making tracks to the
front. By lap 10, Mike O’Sullivan had reeled in leader
Macedonio. Fuller found running room on the low side
taking positions from Wrenn and Ramstrom. Alone in
third, Fuller quickly caught the lead duo.
Up
front, O’Sullivan was able to grab the lead from
Macedonio on lap
11. A
pair of laps later, Fuller propelled himself into the
runner-up spot. Macedonio fell into the clutches of
Ramstrom at halfway. A lap later, Macedonio spun on the
backstretch to bring out the caution.
The lead duo made grazing
contact on the restart. O’Sullivan was able to maintain
his lead. Ramstrom rocketed into the third spot followed
by Larry Gelinas. O’Sullivan gained the advantage but
not any breathing room. Fuller dogged O’Sullivan lap
after lap.
A stream of sparks followed
Bessette as mechanical failure resulted in hard contact
with the outside wall exiting turn two. Macedonio was
collected in the incident. Steve DesMarias made severe
contact with a still-spinning Macedonio. All drivers
walked away.
A
different kind of sparks flew after a lap 23 restart.
Contact between the lead duo found Fuller in the outside
wall in turn one. O’Sullivan was put to the tail of a
decimated field for his involvement. He restarted from
the sixth position.
Gelinas sat on the point for
the restart. He stayed with Ramstrom only briefly before
Ramstrom took over the top spot. Ramstrom was able to
distance himself from the Gelinas. O’Sullivan moved into
the third spot. That is the way they would cross the
stripe. Wrenn and Jim Banfield completed the top five.
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Super Late Model 30-lap
Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Derek
Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 2. Larry Gelinas,
Buxton, ME; 3. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA;
4. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 5. Jim Banfield, S.
Glastonbury, CT; 6. Matt Zenisky, W.
Springfield, MA; 7. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 8.
Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA; 9. George
Bessette, Danbury, CT; 10. Jay Macedonio,
Somerset, MA. |
SLM POINTS:
1 - 35 - DEREK RAMSTROM - 466
2 - 08 - MIKE O'SULLIVAN - 444
3 - 1m - NORMAN WRENN - 430
4 - 62 - LESLIE ROSE, JR - 390
5 - 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE - 360
6 - 14- JAY MACEDONIO - 360
7 - 13 - JAMES BANFIELD - 334
8 - 51 - JEFF CONNORS - 326
9 - 16 - RICK FULLER - 296
10 - 0 - DENNIS MAXFIELD - 280 |
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PASS 150
Presented by Cirelli Foods - Sat. Aug. 15th |
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Hard run at a tough little race track to
finish fourth behind local competitor Tom Scully
Jr. (#2 above), Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark. Held
off local Seekonk Pro Stock Champs Dave Darling
and Fred Astle, giving more than he got in the
battles. Top driving rewarded with a good, solid
points night. |
51 Leftovers: PASS North at Seekonk By
MIkeTwist
Scully is a Surprise
Winner, Ramstrom Has a Busy Day |
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Camping World East
Series
NASCAR Mohegan Sun 200
at Lime Rock Park
| 12th Place Finish
on the Road Course |
A clean run without
a departure from the asphalt and no
wheel hopping or missed shifts for
Derek's first ever road course and
second CWES race. Derek apparently was a
fast learner at the Skip Barber School
course he took at the 1.53 mile Lime
Rock Park track in late July.
Race Results at the NASCAR CWES site
HERE |
Follow the action lap by lap at
localracing.nascar.com |
14 Aug 2009
DiBenedetto on
pole, Koby(no)luck 21st
The luck of three-time Lime Rock winner Matt
Kobyluck ran out during qualifying as a
fuel-contamination problem ended his run
before it started. Just as Kobyluck took the
green to start his first hot lap as part of
the final group qualifying for the NASCAR
Camping World East Mohegan Sun 200, we heard
a pop from his #40 Mohegan Sun Chevy on the
front straight. By the time he exited Big
Bend, the car was stopped – and so were his
chances of qualifying toward the front.
But that isn’t to say that Matt DiBenedetto
wasn’t going to take pole anyway. The
part-time yet two-time winner (Tri-County
and NHIS) turned a :53.727 lap in his Joe
Gibbs Driven Toyota – after he saw
Kobyluck’s down Chevy – to nip points leader
Ryan Truex by 2/10s of a second. It was
DiBenedetto’s second pole of the year; his
first was also on a road course, Watkins
Glen in June.
Third was Jason Holehouse, test driver and
chief instructor for the Skip Barber Racing
School. Starting alongside Holehouse is
Brett Moffitt, sixth in points and winner of
the South Boston race in May.
“I was on the start of a good lap when I had
to slow for Matt’s stopped car!” DiBenedetto
said, “But I put another one together, then
parked it. I would have headed back out if I
had to.”
Lime Rock is the ninth of 11 races in this
year’s NASCAR CWES championship, and the top
six drivers in points – Truex, Jody
Lavender, Eddie MacDonald, Kobyluck, Steve
Park and Moffitt – are within 100 points of
each other with three races to go. It is the
closest points battle in the series’ 23-year
history. The Mohegan Sun 200 will play a
large part in determining the 2009 champion.
Lavender qualified 14th, MacDonald ninth and
Park 10th for tomorrow’s 1:00 p.m. start.
Starting grid, Mohegan Sun 200 (km) NASCAR
Camping World Series East
1. Matt DiBenedetto, :53.727
2. Ryan Truex, :53.900
3. Jason Holehouse, :54.464
4. Brett Moffitt, :54.541
5. Ryan Duff, :54.595
6. Mike Olsen, :54.694
7. Jesus hernandez, :54.766
8. Alex Kennedy, :54.787
9. Eddie MacDonald, :54.873
10. Steve Park, :54.947
11. Jeff Anton,:55.038
12. Jonathan Smith, :55.103
13. Dustin Delaney, :55.797
14. Jody Lavender, :56.038
15.
Derek Ramstrom, :56.896
16. Matt Kurzejewski, :57.059
17. Scott Bouleym :57.349
18. John Salemi, :57.523
19. Alan Tardiff, :60.865
20. Tiffany Daniels, :63.624
21. Matt Kobyluck, no time
22. Tim Cowen, no time
#7 Duff and #35 Park will have to drop to
the back for transmission
and engine change respectively.
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Thursday Thunder - Thompson - 8/6
Derek with a 4th |
TRACK RACE REPORT:
George Bessette made quick work of the early SLM
leader Jay Macedonio to take over the top spot.
Bessette immediately began to stretch his lead.
Rick Fuller had maneuvered his way into the
second position but could not bite into
Bessette’s lead.
Mike O’Sullivan picked his way through traffic
and into the third position. It was not an easy
ride to the front as the right read fender was
flapping in the breeze. Officials deemed the car
safe for competition. Jeff Connors ran alone in
third. Mired deeper in the pack the likes of
Norm Wrenn, Derek Ramstrom worked tirelessly to
make tracks to the front. The duo of Wrenn and
Ramstrom caught Connors making it a three-car
battle for the fourth spot.
The first caution of the event flew with only
five laps remaining when Dave Silvia lost the
handle making hard contact with the inside
retaining wall. The caution erased the large
lead that Bessette had amassed. Bessette was up
for the challenge and immediately put some
distance between himself and Fuller. The run was
for naught as contact between Connors and Wrenn
for the fourth caused Connors to spin and the
caution to wave. Wrenn was penalized for the
contact. Unphased by the caution, Bessette
cruised out to the lead once again and
ultimately to the checkers. Fuller settled for
second over O’Sullivan, Ramstrom, and Macedonio.
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RACE TOP TEN:
1. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 2. Rick Fuller,
Auburn, MA; 3. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA;
4. Derek Ramstrom,
Worcester, MA; 5. Jay Macedonio, Somerset, MA;
6. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 7. Mike Stefanik,
Coventry, RI; 8. Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA;
9. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 10. Norm
Wrenn, Nashua, NH.
TOP TEN in POINTS:
1 - RAMSTROM - 416,
2 -O'SULLIVAN - 398,
3 - WRENN - 386, 4 -ROSE - 354, 5 -
MACEDONIO - 328,
6 - BESSETTE - 326, 7 - CONNORS - 326,
8 - BANFIELD - 292,
9 - FULLER - 258, 10 - SILVIA - 254 |
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| The
NAPA 150 |
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Unity Raceway - Unity, ME - Sunday August 2nd |
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| 19th at
Unity after Tangles |
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