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Ed
McHugh's
West Boylston
Auto Parts
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THE MASON-DIXON MELTDOWN
with Kyle Busch in the #35
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THE MASON-DIXON MELTDOWN
with Kyle Busch in the #35
(November 11,
2006 - West Boylston, MA) Derek Ramstrom of W. Boylston, MA, the
newly crowned PASS Outlaw Late Model Series 2006 Champion, was
looking forward to driving the newly acquired #35 Super Late Model
car in the Mason Dixon Meltdown at South Boston Speedway in South
Boston, VA on November 24 – 25th.
However, there was one problem that needed to be overcome before
this trip south could be finalized. Derek is still recovering from
the broken arm he received during Championship Weekend at Unity
Raceway, and the team needed a driver.
Fortunately, through the efforts of Steve Perry and team owner Rick
Ramstrom, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Kyle Busch will be in the
seat at South Boston. The entire #35 team will be supporting Kyle’s
run in the Thanksgiving weekend 250-lap event.
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PASS BANQUET - NOV. 3RD.
Verillo's - Portland, ME
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Sat. Oct. 21st - The PASS Outlaw Combo 100
- 13th
Sun. Oct 22nd - The PASS Super Late Model 150
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PASS Outlaw Late Model 2006 Combo Overall Champion! |
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It’s a good thing Championship
Weekend at Unity Raceway ended the 2006 racing season,
because Derek Ramstrom will not be driving for a while. On
Sunday, Derek broke his arm in what appeared at first glance
to be just a minor first lap mishap. It was fortunate the
steering wheel only got his forearm and not his wrist. The
doctor’s prognosis is that Derek’s arm should heal up fine.
Unfortunately, the lap one injury cut short his debut in
Ramstrom Racing's white #35 big motor Super Late Model,
which was formerly owned by Steve Perry of SP2 Motorsports.
Saturday started with a great run in the heat race, as Derek
took the the Ramstrom Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35
from 5th to 2nd. The up-front heat finish led to starting
the feature from the 5th spot.
As Derek took the green
flag for the 100-lap feature, he held second place in PASS
Outlaw driver points in both the Central and North
divisions, and was within striking distance of both leads.
First place in the Central division was held by #55 Jimmy
Renfrew, and #00 Matt Lee had first in the North. Therefore,
it was no surprise that the show contained some hard racing
between the Ramstrom Racing #35 and the #55 and #00. At the
point in the race when Derek’s car came up upon Lee’s #00,
Matt did all he reasonably could to keep the faster car
behind him, but Derek drove the #35 hard into a corner, and
came out the turn in front. The later confrontation between
the #35 and #55 left neither in front. On lap 61, following
several laps of close racing with Renfrew, contact initiated
by the #55 sent Derek off the track and into the muddy berm.
The damaged car was towed to the pits, patched, and returned
to the race (the #55 did not return). Derek finished 13th.
Derek came into weekend having clinched the PASS Outlaw
Combined Driver Points Championship, and on November 3 this
accomplishment will be recognized at the PASS Banquet.
PASS NORTH LEFTOVERS: UNITY
by Mike Twist
Super Late Models Go Over the Moats and into the Dirt at
Unity & Much, Much More
NEW CAR DEBUT DOESN’T GO GREAT
FOR RAMSTROM |
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WEBMASTER / PHOTOGRAPHER on 10/21:
Well it was eventful Outlaw race. A couple of thumps from other
cars, a spin, a good hit sending the #35 into the dirt
banking of turn one, pulled out by the wrecker, and a return
to the track to get in a couple of more laps.
Derek finished 13th in the Outlaw 100 at Unity to capture
the Combo Overall Outlaw Late Model Championship for 2006.
Barring revisions to the scoring - the transponder scoring
failed, after a car earlier in the day rolled over the
wiring - of the feature and the heats,
it looks like Derek has also placed second in the Central
and third in the North
Outlaw Late Model divisions.
PASS
RACE REPORT
Teenage sensation Derek Ramstrom locked up the overall
Outlaw Late Model championship with his 13th place finish
Saturday. The 15 year-old hotshoe from West Boylston,
Massachusetts, looked impressive in the early going, running
inside the top five until just after halfway. He got caught
up in an altercation on lap 61 and suffered damage to his
No. 35 machine. After pitting for repairs, he returned to
the speedway and was running at the finish.
"What a great season it has been for us," said a humble
Ramstrom. "My Dad, this whole team, the sponsors Charter
Communications and W. Boylston Auto Parts, everybody has
just kept a great car under me all season and that's what it
takes. We got into a little trouble here today, but overall
we've been lucky. I'm happy with this much success in my
first season of driving full-bodied race cars. It's been a
blast."
Ramstrom Overcomes Troubles To Take Overall Title
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October
15th - The New Riverside - 250 laps -
13th
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(Antigonish, Nova Scotia - October 15, 2006) During the long
ride to Canada the Ramstrom Racing team trailer was halted
by three separate flat tires. An optimist would hope that
all the weekend’s bad luck would have been used up by the
time the trailer was parked in Riverside’s pit area. And
that proved to be the case, as Derek Ramstrom drove the
black West Boylston Auto Parts #35 Monte Carlo to a 13th
place finish the PASS Fall Foliage 250 at Riverside
Speedway.
The Ramstrom Racing team had the only crate-engine powered
car vying for a starting position against teams using much
more powerful (and expensive) engines. On a low banked
track, the lower horsepower of a crate is not as big a
handicap as it might seem. The higher powered cars can’t use
all their power all the time. However, on the steep banks of
Riverside Speedway, the Ramstrom Racing #35 would be at a
significant disadvantage. But despite the horsepower deficit
, Derek gave it his best shot.
Although a carburetor problem kept Derek at the tail of his
heat race, he still made the field, starting in the 26th
spot. Throughout the race, with one exception, Derek stayed
out of trouble, driving around or through mishaps as he
moved up through the field. Unfortunately, Derek got trapped
as he slowed for one wreck, and the car went a lap down. The
car got faster late in the race, and was the 5th car to take
the checkered, in a well driven 13th place run. After 250
green flag laps the car was tied down in the hauler with
only some rubbing-is-racing damage to the body.
Ramstrom Racing has added a second car. The new car will
debut at Unity Racway this Sunday October 23 in the Super
Late Model 150. The familiar #35 Outlaw Late Model will race
on Saturday at the same track, with Derek hoping for a top
place finish and possibly winning the Outlaw driver points
championship.
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October 7th -
Star Speedway
PASS Outlaws - Central Division - 100 laps -
5th
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(Epping,
NH - October 7) As any racer knows - late in the season it’s
all about points, and Derek Ramstrom’s 5th place finish this
past weekend at Star Speedway placed him in contention for
three PASS points championships.
Derek is in the following driver points positions:
PASS Outlaw Late Model Overall -
1st
- with a margin of almost 150 points - which is almost
insurmountable with only Unity on the 21st remaining.
PASS Outlaw Late Model North -
2nd
- 14 points behind
PASS Outlaw Late Model Central -
2nd
- about 10 points behind (results not official from Oct. 7
since one car may face a penalty)
Derek also stands 16th in the PASS Super Late Models.
For the last three qualifying races, including the qualifier
at Star, the Ramstrom Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35
has had the dubious privilege of drawing the last starting
position. With the low lap count of qualifying heat races
(even if you’re lucky enough to have a fast car) it is
difficult to move past enough cars to make the cut and get
into the feature race. Nonetheless, despite the handicap of
starting last, Derek was able to move up to 6th gaining a
spot in the feature’s starting grid.
If there was an trophy for passing the most cars for
position, then Derek assuredly would have claimed it
following the 100-lap feature race. The black #35 Monte
Carlo took the green from the middle of the field of 25
cars, and he had moved up to 10th place before a mid-race
mishap broke his momentum. A spin brought out the yellow
flag, which caused Derek to back off the throttle.
Unfortunately, the car behind the #35 stayed on the gas a
little longer, getting into the rear of Derek’s car, sending
him around. Derek made the restart from the tail, but not
before trying to reclaim his spot and then being sent to the
back. In the remaining laps, Derek passed a whole lot of
cars on his way to a respectable 5th place finish.
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PASS Outlaw Late
Models
&
PASS North events
PASS 400
Weekend - Beech
Ridge Motor Speedway
Consi &
Features on Saturday, September 30th
2nd in Outlaws
and 14th in Super Late Models
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PASS
Outlaws 100 - Top Three
L to R: Derek, second place; Winner Dennis Spencer #8;
& Charlie Colby #2, third place.
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IIt
was an ironman Saturday at Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway for Derek Ramstrom and the Ramstrom Racing team.
Derek was behind the wheel of the Ramstrom Racing West
Boylston Auto Parts #35 Monte Carlo for
445 green
flags laps.
He competed in
three
qualifying events and two features in two different car
classes
in the same car, and without hurting
the car!
With a lot of hard work by the team, and some much
appreciated help from members of other PASS teams, Derek
finished 2nd in the 100-lap PASS Outlaw Late Model and 14th
in the PASS North Series Super Late Model (Big PASS) 300.
As the Ramstrom Racing #35 did not make the field for either
the Outlaw Late Model 100 or the Big PASS 300 in the
previous week’s qualifiers, the team had the added
responsibility of sealing a position in each of the race’s
starting grids.
With a 1st
place finish in a consi for the 100 and by placing 2nd in
the last chance for the 300, Derek earned his place in the
two features.
For the
Outlaw 100
the Ramstrom Racing #35 took the green flag 21st in the
field of 29 cars. With 1/3 of the laps gone, and after
having moved the #35 up several spots, the car in front of
Derek turned sideways in the middle of turns 1 and 2. This
slowing car causing Derek tap the brakes and a nudge from
behind sent him down into the rumble strips. The field went
by and Derek started at the tail. However, by the time the
flagman was showing the crossed flags, Derek had moved up
into 8th place. A couple of laps later two-car’s spun in the
front of the field, and Derek quickly picked up two more
spots. When the restart came with 47 laps to go, the #35 was
in 6th spot. In the laps that followed, Derek patiently
picked off cars until he was in 2nd on lap 95. The chase for
the lead spot ended only when Derek ran out of laps.
In the PASS North Series
Super Late
Model 300,
Derek would be racing with a group of 31 other competitive,
experienced, and older drivers. Not surprisingly, just
staying out of trouble and hoping to be there at the end
would be the team’s race strategy, and there was much
opportunity to get in trouble. Several good teams were taken
out in a lap 11 mix-up. Just after the following restart, a
multi-car spin blocked the track, and Derek took the car out
into the dirt to get past. In the end, it was a good day
Derek, as he ran 300 smart, clean laps of racing, finishing
14th.
SPENCER OUTGUNS THE OUTLAWS AT BEECH RIDGE
by Mike Twist
Oxford LM Regular Wins Against Some Wild Competition
(Derek)
Full Story Here
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Outlaw Late Models 100 |
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Photos
by
Norm
Marx |
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Super Late Models
300 |
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PASS Outlaw Late
Models
&
PASS North events
PASS 400
Weekend - Beech
Ridge Motor Speedway
Qualifying on
Sunday, September 24th
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September 16th -
White Mountain
PASS North - 150 laps -
14th
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(September 16,
2006 - North Woodstock, NH) This past weekend’s beautiful
weather brought a full house of race fans to the high banks
of White Mountain Motorsports Park. Where they saw the
Ramstrom Racing Charter Communications #35 run with the best
of PASS North. Unbelievably, for over 100 laps Derek
Ramstrom followed PASS North points leader #54 Johnny Clark
as he made his way through the field!
As the team had raced at White Mountain before, the day’s
practice session went smooth. There were more teams in the
pits than there were starting positions, so qualifying was
not guaranteed. Derek started 9th in a field of 10 for his
heat race. By the time the checkered was out, he had moved
his car up into a qualifying spot with a position to spare.
The Ramstrom Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35 started the
150-lap feature in the 14th spot. In front of the #35 in the
12th starting position was Johnny Clark’s #54. Spotter Rick
Ramstrom told Derek to follow Johnny, and he did. The first
118 laps went off without a caution, and during this time
Derek moved up to 8th with Johnny Clark in front at 7th. The
Ramstrom Racing Monte Carlo’s driver made a strong bid to
pass the #54, resulting in several laps of side-by-side
racing, but experience won out over youth, and Derek fell in
behind Clark.
Following a restart, while in tight traffic, the #35 and
another car touched. The long slide sideways that followed
was almost saved from going around by Derek. However, the
car just went around, was hit by a trailing car, flattening
a rear tire. The spin left the #35 a lap down. The race
results showed Derek Ramstrom in 14th place.
This weekend the team will be competing in two races at
Beech Ridge, both the Outlaw Late Models 100 and the full
PASS North 300.
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September 10th -
Beech Ridge
PASS North - 150 laps -
15th
(Scarborough,
ME - September 10) Twice this season the Ramstrom Racing
Charter Communications #35 team has raced with the PASS
Super Late Model North cars. The first race was in July at
White Mountain Motorsports Park, and the second was this
past Sunday in the 150-lap race at Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway. These two races had much in common, including that
the race results did not tell the story. At White Mountain
and at Beech Ridge, Derek Ramstrom was able to move his car
up through the field, and run with the lead pack of cars,
but in both races late spins (for differing reasons)
resulted in a middling finish.
The team needed all three of Saturday afternoon’s practices
to get the car race ready. Following the first two practice
sessions, Derek Ramstrom came into the pits saying “the
car’s not right, it can’t run with the other cars on the
track.” For the final practice, Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff made
major changes to the #35 Monte Carlo’s set-up. The changes
proved to be right, and Derek bought the car in several laps
early stating it was getting around the track great. The
remainder of the afternoon leading up to the heat race was
used to confirm ride heights and weight distribution.
Forty-five teams showed up to qualify for the thirty-two
starting positions. The evening’s heat races had a ten car
field, with the top five finishers qualifying. The Ramstrom
Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35 started 6th in its heat,
insuring there would be no coasting into a qualifying spot.
By quickly passing two cars early in the heat, Derek earned
the #35 a 4th place finish. Thankfully, by qualifying in his
heat race, Derek was able to avoid the always unpredictable
consolation race.
The Ramstrom Racing #35 took the green flag from 15th. The
first half of the race featured long sessions of green flag
racing. This resulted in a lot of lap traffic. During this
time, methodically and patiently, Derek moved his race car
up into the 6th position. By the showing of the
crossed-flags, the #35 was purring along looking at and
hoping for a strong finish. But it was not to be.
As Derek went into a turn, he and another driver tried for
the same piece of real estate, and both cars spun. The spin
should have just put the car at the tail of the lead lap,
however, the motor would not refire. While waiting for a
push-start, the leaders went by twice. Running two laps
down, the remainder of the race was uneventful, and the car
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Chris Roy Photo |
September 2nd - Canaan Fair Motorsports
Complex
PASS Outlaws - North Division - 100 laps -
16th
Anyone who follows
racing knows -- luck is what moves a race car through the field
fastest. Last Saturday night at Canaan it was the bad kind that took
the Ramstom Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35 Monte Carlo from
knocking on third place to several laps down.
With cool track temperatures, and as the weather gods held back the
rain, the team took part in the afternoon practice sessions. By the
end of practice, Derek Ramstrom was satisfied with the car's
handling. In fact, the transponder data from practice showed the #35
to have the quickest Outlaw lap time. Derek's 12-lap heat race was
uneventful, with the car starting and finishing in the middle of the
field.
The #35 took the green flag for the 100-lap PASS Outlaw Late Model
feature from 11th, and in the early stages of the race Derek moved
the car up to 6th. However, the next move up in position came only
with a lot more work. A couple of back-to-back restarts had Derek on
the outside in 6th, making it difficult to pass the 5th place car,
and then to find enough space to drop down into the inside groove.
After many laps, and several attempts to make the pass, the move
into 5th was completed. Then a lead car fell off the pace, placing
Derek in fourth.
Midway through the race misfortune in the form of cut right side
tires, which only became apparent during a restart, sent the
Ramstrom Racing #35 to the pits. Following the drop of the green
flag, just as the car was heading into turn four, the right front
tire came off the rim. Derek did a great job of at once getting his
ride out of the way of the rest of the oncoming cars, and keeping
the car off of the front wall. With his spotter Rick Ramstrom's
help, Derek kept the car moving, and did not needlessly bring out
the gold. However, a caution would have permitted the crew to change
rubber without the loss of any laps. Perhaps, self-interest
should have been in order here? The car returned to the race
finishing in 16th.
This coming weekend the Ramstrom Racing Charter Communications #35
is planning a double-header. On Saturday, the team will participate
in the 100-lap PASS Outlaw race at Unity, and on Sunday, Derek will
face a run with the top drivers in the 150-lap Big PASS race at
Beechridge. |
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RAINOUTS
Once again
two weekend's rain cancellations of the PASS North event at Beech
Ridge have kept the Ramstrom Racing #35 in its hauler. |
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August
12th - Canaan Fair Motorsports Complex -
4th
(Canaan, NH - August 12) Through much hard work by the
Ramstrom Racing Team, the #35 was ready for the 40-lap
Canaan weekly race. Sporting new suspension parts and new
body panels, the Ramstrom Racing Charter Communications
Monte Carlo was brought back from Maine late Friday night.
The crew worked on the car until time ran out on Saturday
afternoon, when the car had to be loaded up and hauled to
New Hampshire.
The car handled well in practice, and few adjustments were
needed. In the heat race Derek Ramstrom moved the car from
fifth to second.
Derek took the green flag for the feature from the fifth
position, and he quickly move the car up to second. However,
a pass for the lead, if it could be made, would not be easy.
The driver of the lead car, #26 Chris Curtis, did everything
he could to keep the lead. Following a restart with the #35
on the outside, Derek and Chris Curtis gave the crowd in the
stands a show with many laps of side-by-side racing. Late in
the race, in a all or nothing attempt to make a pass on the
less grippy outside groove, Derek drove his car hard into a
turn. The car got loose, turned sideways, but Derek
recovered finishing in fourth place. The car missed getting
third by a nose.
This coming weekend the Ramstrom Racing West Boylston Auto
Parts team plans on competing at the Beech Ridge track in
the 150-lap Big PASS race. There will be a lot of good teams
vying for a spot in the feature, and just making the
starting field will be challenging. |
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The
car under the #66 is the #35. Not a good night.
Chris Roy Photo |
August 5th -
Riverside Speedway
PASS Outlaws - Central Division - 100 laps -
12th
(August 5 –
Groveton, NH) The condensed version of Saturday’s Outlaw Late Model
Central race at Riverside Speedway is as follows:
1) The #35’s driver Derek Ramstrom is OK.
2) The #35 Ramstrom Racing Monte Carlo is not OK.
While Derek had raced at Riverside in his Allison Legacy car, this
would be his, and the team’s, first time there with a Late Model. So
the Ramstrom Racing team headed north early on Friday to take full
advantage of the day’s practice sessions. In search of the right
set-up, wholesale changes were made to the car. Gear, stagger, sway
bar, and spring were toyed with in the search for the best
combination. Luckily, during practice a transmission problem came to
light, and a replacement transmission was quickly installed with the
oversight of Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff. The team ended the day with
steak dinners, the Riverside Monster Truck show, and a good feeling
for their chances on Saturday.
The nice weather from Friday continued into Saturday, and so just a
little tweaking was needed on the #35 Ramstrom Racing Charter
Communications car. In the heat race, Derek started fifth. With the
help of his spotter, Rick Ramstrom, Derek was able to move the car
up for a second place finish.
In the 100-lap Outlaw Late Model feature, within a respectable field
of 24 cars, the #35 started from the 5th position. Although the race
was to be 100 green flag laps, you wouldn’t have thought it from the
very visible lack of give-and-take right from the start. Not
surprisingly, this resulted in a lot of cautions, and a lot of
damaged race cars. Fortunately, Derek was able to keep his car near
the front, and therefore, stayed out of trouble for the first half
of the race. A mid-race dump of the #35, for which the dumper was
sent to the end of the field, put the car in the pits with
superficial damage requiring body panel adjustments and a taped up
nose.
Following the visit to the pits,
Derek took the car from the rear of the field up into second place.
He was challenging the leader with 10 laps left, when a car that was
many laps down made an ill-advised attempt to pass the Ramstrom
Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35. The lap car went to the inside,
put two tires down in the dirt, and washed up into #35’s rear
quarter, turning Derek sideway in the path of the oncoming field.
What followed was not pretty, and it included Mike Fowler’s 66X
going over the #35, but Derek quickly radioed his Dad that he was
not hurt. Derek finished 12th. Following the race, the driver of the
lap car involved in the mishap with Derek made the assuredly
difficult walk over to the team to apologize for the outcome.
Apology accepted.
The #35 Ramstrom Racing Monte Carlo was left in Maine, where it will
receive a new rear clip and all new body panels. It is not known
whether or not the car will be ready in time for this week’s race at
Canaan.
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RAINOUTS
The previous
two weekend's rain cancellations at Canaan have kept the Ramstrom
Racing #35 in its hauler. Last weekend the team watched the radar,
and waited until the last possible minute before leaving the garage
for the track. However, the weather turned to rain, and most of the
Canaan weekly show was cancelled.
On Saturday August 5th, the team will be competing in the 100-lap
PASS Outlaw Central event at Riverside. |
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Previous 2006 Results
and Photos HERE |
