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2011 Results & Photos - 4/2/11 to 10/16/11


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THOMPSON WORLD SERIES WINNER!
10-16-11
 
OCTOBER 7, 8, & 9
2nd in the DAV
3rd in SATURDAY'S QUALIFIER
Photos by Norm Marx
Final Points Race - Thursday, October 6th
Derek Takes the Win, 3rd in the Points
After three straight rainouts (and five out of six weeks!), Thompson ran the final points race of the season on October 6th.

TRACK RACE REPORT: Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, turned in a flawless performance to score a commanding victory in Super Late Models. Ramstrom cruised out to the lead in the opening laps of the Super Late Model event. He stretched his advantage as Larry Gelinas, George Bessette and Mike O’Sullivan waged a heated battle for the second position. Gelinas, who entered the final point race of the season by a mere four points over Mike O’Sullivan, was the first to get by Bessette. His rival O’Sullivan was not far behind; taking the position away from Bessette a lap later.

Back up front, Ramstrom continued to enjoy a huge advantage over second-running Gelinas. Gelinas held a 10-car length advantage over O’Sullivan. Meanwhile, Bessette and Jim Banfield duked it out for fourth. The duo went fender-to-fender for many laps before Banfield settled back in line behind Bessette.

At halfway, Ramstrom ran alone up front clicking off fast laps at the head of the field. O’Sullivan, who needed to advance two positions over Gelinas for his shot at the championship, could not cut into the distance to Gelinas in second. It was smooth sailing for Ramstrom as he cruised to his fifth victory of the 2011 season. Gelinas finished second to secure the 2011 Super Late Model championship for car owner Rollie Lindblad. Mike O’Sullivan had to settle for third. Banfield was able to steal the fourth position away in the closing laps. Bessette rounded out the top five

10/6/11 SUPER LATE MODEL RACE RESULTS
1) 35 - DEREK RAMSTROM

2) 48 - LARRY GELINAS
3) 08 - MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN
4) 13 - JIM BANFIELD
5) 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE
6) 41 - SCOTT ROTHERFORTH
7) 91 - JEFF HARTWELL
 
2011 SUPER LATE MODEL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (TOP 7)
1) 48 - LARRY GELINAS - 596

2) 08 - MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN - 590
3) 35 - DEREK RAMSTROM - 584
4) 13 - JIM BANFIELD - 566
5) 41 - SCOTT ROTHERFORTH - 478
6) 91 - JEFF HARTWELL - 448
7) 15 - GEORGE BESSETTE - 398

FRIDAY, SEPT. 3O - 5:15 PM
 
Derek 18th in The Dover 150 at
Dover Intn'l Speedway, Dover, DE.
- K&N Pro Series East Event
- Racing the #53 TITECH Chevrolet
 
After qualifying 15th out of 33 starters with a 24.060 at 149.626 mph average Derek and the team felt they had a good car that could race up into the top five.

However, on lap 8 of the 150, Derek was black flagged to the pits because the window net had fallen down. A speeding penalty for running pit lane over the limit made the costly error a loss of two laps.

As the first car a lap down Derek received free passes on the yellows on lap 17 and lap 23.  But starting at the back of the longest line each time, Derek was running with the slower cars that were quickly caught by the leaders, and Derek fell laps behind with no chance for a free pass.

With a green/white/checker ending the race, Derek finshed 18th having
scored 150 laps to the winner's 152 circuits.
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NASCAR Hometracks NEWS & NOTES HERE


LIVE: K&N East At DOVER  - HERE
For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices,
Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results
 
 14th at the PASS 300
 
Heat
Crash >
The race for Thursday, September the 15th was
rained out. The officials at Thompson have decided
to give it one more try, scheduling the final points race for  Thursday, September 22nd.
Sunday Show - September 11th
11th after a Crash
The two day show at Thompson International Speedway on 9/10&11 brought a huge crowd of spectators to enjoy all the racing and beautiful weather. The Super Late Models qualified on Saturday and had their feature race on Sunday.

Derek wasn't thrilled with the setup during qualifying on Saturday so the team hauled the car back to the race shop the make some adjustments for the feature race.

Sunday's feature race brought Derek 5th on the starting grid. Derek made quick work of catching the lead cars of George Bessette and Mike Stefanik. The cars were running tight for the lead on lap seven when Bessette tagged the outside wall sending Derek into the infield. The #35 was unscathed and Derek restarted at the tail of the field.

Derek wasn't wasting time getting back to the front, he was chasing down Jim Banfield for the forth position when the two leaders, who were battling hard came together down the front stretch. O' Sullivan and Stefanik both spun, Stefanik was up against the wall between turns 1 and 2. Derek was heading low when Stefanik's car came down the hill and hit him. That was the end of the evening for the Ramstrom Team, the car was too torn up to finish the race.

The unfortunate end to the race moved Derek from the 1st position in points to the 3rd.
The Thursday Night Thunders for both August 25th
and September 1st were cancelled due to rain and
the after-effects of Hurricane Irene.
Thursday Night Thunder - August 18th
Derek with a 2nd
TRACK RACE REPORT:  A bold move early in the Super Late Model feature proved to be the winning one for Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA. It was three-wide at the start of the race between George Bessette, Derek Ramstrom, and O’Sullivan. When things sorted out, it was O’Sullivan with the lead. After a heated battle, Ramstrom took over the second position from George Bessette. Almost immediately, Bessette fell into the clutches of Larry Gelinas. The action was slowed by an incident involving Scott Rotherforth.

On the ensuing restart at lap eight, O’Sullivan once again cruised out to the lead. Gelinas was able to get by Bessette for third. The running order at halfway found O’Sullivan leading Ramstrom, Gelinas, Bessette, and Jim Banfield inside the top five. O’Sullivan stretched his advantage to several car lengths while Gelinas lost the lead duo.

Over the closing laps, O’Sullivan was able to further extend his advantage over Ramstrom. In an uneventful run to the checkers, O’Sullivan cruised to his fourth Super Late Model victory of the season. Ramstrom finished second to extend his point lead. Gelinas, Bessette and Banfield rounded out the top five.

Derek leads the points at 504 markers with Larry Gelinas and Michael O'Sullivan tied for 2nd at 498.
Thursday Night Thunder - August 11th
The Win for Derek
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, had to work for his Super Late Model victory. Larry Gelinas capitalized on his front row starting position to take command of the division’s feature event. Gelinas had company in Ramstrom. Jim Banfield, Mike O’Sullivan and George Bessette made up the top-five in the opening laps. Ramstrom became restless in second; looking low on Gelinas in a bid for the lead. Gelinas was able to hold back Ramstrom lap-after-lap.

Ramstrom finally made the pass for the lead on lap fourteen. While Ramstrom was taking the lead away from Gelinas, O’Sullivan was making a bid on Banfield for third. The two made contact; sending Banfield spinning to bring out the caution. Both cars sustained damage and headed to pit road under the caution. George Bessette also took his car down pit road. All were able to rejoin the field.

On the lap 15 restart, Ramstrom and Gelinas went fender-to-fender for the top spot. After a lap, Ramstrom was able to gain the advantage once again. With Ramstrom in control and Gelinas settled into second, the best battle was for third between Bessette and O’Sullivan. After several laps of side-by-side racing, O’Sullivan was able to muscle the position away. Ramstrom cruised through the remaining laps to score his fourth win of the season. Gelinas, O’Sullivan, Bessette, and Banfield rounded out the top five.

Derek once again leads the points with 456 with Larry Gelinas in 2nd at 452
and Michael O'Sullivan in 3rd at 448.

The PASS 150
Saturday, August 6th
Second at Seekonk PASS 150
Last lap pass of Joey Pole #97
Thursday Night Thunder - August 4th
2nd Again for Derek
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, commandeered the Super Late Model feature for a dominating victory. O’Sullivan passed pole sitter Jim Banfield to take the lead early. Point leader Jeff Connors was running strong inside the top-three when his #51 went up in smoke to bring out the caution. O’Sullivan was pitted against Derek Ramstrom on the restart on lap four. O’Sullivan easily motored back into the lead. Ramstrom fell into the clutches of Larry Gelinas. The Buxton, ME native was able to drive around to move into the second spot.

Mike Stefanik took a position from Banfield to ride in fourth with George Bessette in tow. Ramstrom found new life getting along side Gelinas to battle for second. O’Sullivan gained some distance over the battle for second. Ramstrom hounded Gelinas for a pair of laps before moving back into the second spot. Stefanik now chased Gelinas.

Ramstrom continued to stretch his advantage over third but could do little to cut into the lead O’Sullivan had amassed. With five laps remaining, O’Sullivan enjoyed a comfortable lead over Ramstrom. Gelinas was being pursued by Stefanik while Bessette and Banfield ran nose-to-tail. The running order would go unchanged to the checkers as O’Sullivan cruised to the victory. Ramstrom had to settle for the second spot. Gelinas held off Stefanik. Bessette edged Banfield for a top-five finish.
Thursday Night Thunder - July 28th
A 2nd for Derek
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Larry Gelinas of Buxton, ME, had the crowd on their feet as he took the win over Derek Ramstrom in what proved to be one of the closest finishes of the season. Gelinas bested Jim Banfield to take the top spot in the opening laps of the Super Late Model event. Derek Ramstrom got around Jeff Connors and Mike O’Sullivan to run third. Ramstrom went to work running down Banfield. He caught the #13 and immediately charged by into the second position. Gelinas had worked out to a comfortable margin.

The lead began to erode as Ramstrom began to catch the leader Gelinas. Ramstrom was not making huge advances but was chipping away at the gap. The lead duo had run away from an emerging battle for third between Banfield, O’Sullivan, and Connors. On lap 10, Ramstrom had caught Gelinas.

On lap 23, Ramstrom dove low on Gelinas in turn two; to no avail. He repeated the move in turn four. Again, he could not make the pass stick. On the backstretch on lap 25, Ramstrom got under Gelinas once again. On lap 27, smoke billowed from between the two cars as they leaned on each of other exiting turn four. They went fender-to-fender the entire distance of the final lap. Ramstrom came off turn four with a slight advantage. Gelinas motored down the straightaway to run even with Ramstrom. He carried the momentum to the stripe to take the victory by mere inches over Ramstrom. Banfield held on for third. O’Sullivan and Connors completed the top five.
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18th at Thompson PASS 100
After a nice run to a first place finish in Heat 1, Derek made it only to lap 24 before being taken out of the feature. The action started early. In turn one of lap one contact between the 1st and 3rd gridded cars sent a cluster of nine up into the turn one wall. Derek made it through that one, jumping from 11th starting spot (as a 2011 race winner that must start outside the top ten) to
fourth on the restart. Derek was soon in second battling with Mike Rowe in the 2x. With Lonnie Sommerville in the #48 right on his bumper, Derek made a move down low entering turn three but the #2x came down and sent both cars spinning. Sommerville was swept up into the wall  by Deek as he tried to go high. All three cars were heavily damaged. Sommerville's crew attempted pit road repairs  and sent the #48 for two more laps late in the race, but Derek parked the #35.
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Thursday Night Thunder - July 14th
Win to Derek
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Derek Ramstrom took the checkers in a caution-free Super Late Model 30-lap feature after taking the lead at lap 13 from Mike O’Sullivan.

Jim Banfield went deep into turn one to claim the lead, but a fast approaching Mike O’Sullivan quickly took it away when he drove by for the lead off of turn two. Jeff Connors moved into second and the duo pulled away from the rest of the field by a full second. Third place driver Derek Ramstrom closed the distance to a mere three carlengths before the race hit lap five. O’Sullivan, Connors and Ramstrom were bumper to bumper as Ramstrom made his move at lap 10 on Connors. Ramstrom looked low, but Connors shut the door on his challenge. Ramstrom was persistent and continued to go low in the corners.

At lap 13, Ramstrom got his machine side-by-side with Connors and took over second coming out of turn two. Ramstrom set his sights on O’Sullivan and drove to the low side on lap 15 to take over the lead at the line. Larry Gelinas moved in to make it a four-car battle up front with Gelinas using a power move on the bottom of Connors for a bid for third. Connors was too strong, however, and held on to third. Meanwhile, Ramstrom was easing through lapped traffic with ease.

Without a single caution period, Ramstrom took the checkers followed by O’Sullivan, Connors, and Gelinas.

Derek moves up to second in the points, 16 behind leader Connors.
A Big Main Straight Tangle and a 21st
The hits kept on coming at Beech Ridge on Saturday night, July 9th. In the
heat, Derek had contact with the #0 of Billy Penfold that wound up sending Mike Rowe in the #24 into the front straight wall.

Starting from 12th in the 150 lap feature, Derek  began falling back with a deflating front tire. Then on the lap 37 restart, a late green triggered a pile up on the main straight with half the field involved. The #35 wound up in
a mess of eight cars up against the wall just after the flag stand.

A wrecker had to lift the #35 up at the back to get it free. After some pit work, Derek continued on till lap 46, but the #35 was too damaged to keep up and Derek took it back to the hauler for a finish of 21st.
Thursday Night Thunder - July 7th
A Turn One Tangle and a 10th
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Jeff Connors accelerated from his front row starting position to set the pace in the early going of the Super Late Model feature event. Mike O’Sullivan made quick work of pole sitter Jim Banfield to run in the second spot. George Bessette and Derek Ramstrom followed through relegating Banfield to fifth. The best battle on the track was for the third spot. Bessette held the position with Ramstrom applying heavy pressure to Bessette.

At halfway, O’Sullivan had caught the rear bumper of Connors while Bessette was able to get a bit of breathing room over Ramstrom. On lap 16, O’Sullivan got alongside Connors. The lead duo ran side by side as they approached a pack of lapped traffic. Ramstrom once again began to pressure Bessette. On lap 19, Ramstrom took the position. He immediately ran down the leaders Connors and O’Sullivan.

On lap 20, O’Sullivan was the new leader. Ramstrom got alongside Connors. Just as Ramstrom was gaining the advantage, the caution flew for an incident that involved Jim Banfield and Scott Rotherforth. Connors got a great restart staying alongside O’Sullivan. He was able to retake the lead with a pass on O’Sullivan from the outside groove. O’Sullivan settled back in line behind Connors. Ramstrom ran on the bumper of O’Sullivan, who in turn had company in Bessette.

With only two laps to go, O’Sullivan lost the handle in a last ditch effort on leader Connors. Ramstrom and Bessette both got into the wall trying to avoid the spinning O’Sullivan. The restart pitted Connors against the cagey veteran Mike Stefanik. Connors was up to the challenge, keeping Stefanik at bay on the white flag lap. Exiting turn four to take the checkers, Stefanik dove low. He got alongside Connors. The margin of victory was a matter of a few feet for Connors. Stefanik came home a strong second followed by Gelinas, Banfield and O’Sullivan.

Derek falls to tied for fourth in the points, 20 behind leader Connors.
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Thursday Night Thunder - June 30th
A 3rd for Derek
 
TRACK RACE REPORT:  A bold move on the start of the Super Late Model main event gave Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, his second win of the season. After a three-wide start, Jim Banfield was the leader; however, he would not lead the opening lap as Mike O’Sullivan rocketed into the lead after starting at the end of the top-five. Jeff Connors worked his way into the second position. Derek Ramstrom was on the move and into third by lap three. Up front, O’Sullivan had stretched out his advantage by several car lengths. Ramstrom was all over the back bumper of Connors. Banfield ran a distance behind in third followed by Larry Gelinas.

Despite a battle of their own, it appeared as if Connors and Ramstrom were running down O’Sullivan. At lap 10, the top-three cars ran nose-to-tail. On lap 11, Ramstrom stepped out of line to look low on Connors. Ramstrom could not make the pass. He ducked back in line to follow Connors.

At halfway, the wounded car of Tom Metcalf slowed dramatically in front of the leader nearly making contact. O’Sullivan was quick to recover and even gained some breathing room on the second- and third-place runners. Over the closing stages of the event it was much of the same as O’Sullivan continued to lead Connors and Ramstrom. O’Sullivan joined his brother by scoring the victory in the Super Late Models.
Derek is now two points behind #51 Jeff Connors in the SLM standings.
Thursday Night Thunder - June 16th
Derek Scores His 2nd Win of 2011
 
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, turned in a dominating performance to score his second win of the 2011 season in the Super Late Models. It did not take long for Ramstrom to take over the top spot. While Ramstrom was the new leader on lap three, Jeff Connors had his hands full with George Bessette. Mike O’Sullivan trailed in fourth. Larry Gelinas had moved into the top-five. Things had settled down at the half-way marker with Ramstrom handily at the head of the pack. It was a five-car freight-train from second position on back to sixth.

O’Sullivan was the first to step out of line; looking low on Bessette exiting turn two on lap 16. The battle settled down when the caution flew for a spin by Keith Caruso, the grandson of the NEAR Hall-of-Famer, the late Mario “Fats” Caruso.

The complexity of the race changed dramatically on lap 17. Things stacked up on the ensuing restart. Bessette got into the back of Connors; apparently cutting down a tire. Bessette could not steer his machine making contact with Gelinas. The #48 of Gelinas careened into the wall; resulting in extensive damage. After work to his ride, Bessette rejoined the field.

On the restart, Ramstrom bolted back out to the lead. Connors was stalked again by O’Sullivan followed by Banfield. A spin by Tom Metcalf necessitated the caution on lap 20. On the restart, Banfield began to pour it on. Banfield took the third spot from O’Sullivan on lap 22. On lap 23, he grabbed the second spot from Connors. With only three laps remaining, O’Sullivan gave up the fourth position to bring his car down pit road. Banfield was not able to reel in Ramstrom, who had built up a sizeable advantage. At the checkers it was all Ramstrom. Banfield ran across the stripe alone in second. Connors finished third over a smoking Bessette and Scott Rotherforth.

Derek is tied for the lead in the point standings with #51 Jeff Connors.

Sat. June 11th
The Slack Auto Parts 150

Gresham Motorsports Park
Jefferson, GA
Derek 25th at Gresham
Qualified 24th. Track drying took up most of the evening so that the race started at 11:09. On lap 23 Haley, MacDonald and Ramstrom get together out of Turn 4. Derek pitted on lap 25.
Moved up to 25th place and ran there for the rest of the race.
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News & Notes: East Schedule Speeds Up - HERE
Fast Track Will Be Second Of Three-Consecutive Race Weeks

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East is headed to Georgia for the second year in a row with the Slack Auto Parts 150 on Saturday, June 11 at Gresham Motorsports Park.

The recently-renovated facility in Jefferson, Ga., welcomed the K&N Pro Series East for the first time in August 2010. After a wild race that saw Ty Dillon escape with the victory, the track announced soon after that they would bring NASCAR’s top developmental series for a return engagement at the fast half mile.

Dillon, pole winner Kevin Swindell and late-race leader Ryan Truex will not be at Gresham this week, leaving the door open for a whole new group to contend for the checkered flag, and there will be plenty of candidates. The season’s first five events have produced four different race winners from three different teams.

Like when Brett Moffitt competed at Iowa Speedway in May, Max Gresham will have the pressure this week to capture the checkers at his home track. Gresham’s father, Tony, is a track administrator while his grandfather, Jim, owns the facility. And like Moffitt, he’ll look to celebrate in Victory Lane in front of the hometown crowd. Gresham finished 12th in last year’s event.

Gresham will have plenty of competition for the win as the 2011 season has proved to be very competitive with just 100 points separating the top six in the standings. Three of those positions belong to X Team Racing, which earned its first win last week at Bowman Gray Stadium with Matt DiBenedetto. Moffitt will also look to bounce back from an incident at Bowman Gray that dropped him from the championship lead to 34 points out.  Full Story HERE

LIVE: K&N East At Gresham - HERE
For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices, Qualifying,
Lap by Lap, and Results
Derek and the #32
at
Greeville-Pikens
 
Photos by
Ken Spring

Sat. June 4th - 8 PM
The Army Strong 150

Bowman Gray Stadium
Winston-Salem, NC
Dale Quarterly is driving the #32 at Bowman Gray.
Dale has qualified 15th out of 27.
NASCAR HOME TRACKS - DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR stock car touring racing will return to historic Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time in 15 years with the Army Strong 150 as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East makes its debut at the venerable quarter mile on Saturday, June 4.

With a NASCAR sanction that dates to 1949 – the longest association running – Bowman Gray overflows with history. The flat track played host to 29 races from 1958-71 for what is now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The winners list from those events includes NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Richard Petty.

While the track’s relationship goes back to the beginning, the Army Strong 150 will mark the first time in a decade and a half that a NASCAR stock car touring series has visited ‘The Madhouse.’ The last was a NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series event on July 27, 1996 that saw Darryl Murray take the checkered flag.

The main stronghold of open wheel Modified racing in the south for decades, Bowman Gray has welcomed the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour since 2005.
 
News & Notes: First East Trip To The Stadium  HERE
 
Statistical Advance: Army Strong 150  HERE
Analyzing The K&N Pro Series East At Bowman Gray Stadium

Thursday Night Thunder - May 26th
Derek Scores a 2nd
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Larry Gelinas of Buxton, ME held off a determined Derek Ramstrom to claim the 30-lap Super Late Model checkers. The caution-free feature appeared to be all Gelinas in the early stages of the event as he rocketed off turn 2 on the first lap to take the lead from Jeff Connors. Derek Ramstrom advanced past Connors on the third lap to take second. Beginning on lap 10, Ramstrom steadily erased Gelinas’ sizeable advantage. With five laps to go, Ramstrom looked low to try and get a run past Gelinas but was not able to make it work. Gelinas was able to secure the victory over Ramstrom, Connors, Mike O’Sullivan and Jim Banfield.
PASS 150 - Saturday, May 14th
Derek Wins the PASS 150 at Star
Photos by
Norm Marx
Derek's return to Star Speedway in Epping, NH - the site of his first PASS win back in July of 2008 in The All-Stars 200 - saw the #35 grab the lead on lap 148 and streak to the win on the final restart in a wild and just amazing race.

Derek started 10th and settled in to racing at mid-pack with some the other likely winners: Johnny Clark #54, Ben Rowe #4, and Scott Chubbuck #77. Up front Richie Dearborn #33 had grabbed the lead at the green and held on during restarts, one of which followed Derek spinning in turn three off the bumper of the #24. Back in about 14th, Derek raced by slower cars up to about eighth.

By lap 144 Chubbuck and Clark had gone by Dearborn, now down on power with a cracked header. Then the #17 of Travis Benjamin knocked Dearborn into a spin and rammed the #33 to bring out a yellow. Derek advanced.

One lap after the restart led by Chubbuck and Clark, Chubbuck had a flat in turn two and took Clark along into the outside dirt. Derek advanced to 3rd.

At the following restart Dearborn suffered a flat in turn four and spins. Derek zips by on the inside to take the lead with the #73 of Joey Doiron moving up into second.

On the final green-white-checker restart at lap 148, Derek pulls ahead while Ben Rowe tags Doiron in the back on lap 149 and Lonnie Sommerille
#48 taps Doiron in turn four on the last lap, sending the #73 first into Rowe's #4 and then head on into the main straight wall.

Derek takes the checkers .974 seconds ahead of Rowe now with a flat
right rear from the impact of the #73. Joey Pole in the #97 sneaks through the main straight wreck into 3rd while Lonnie Sommerville claims 4th.

So in the final six laps and three restarts, Derek stays clean and makes the right moves to head to a second Star Speedway Victory Lane.

Thursday Night Thunder - May 12th
Derek Wins the Thursday Opener
TRACK RACE REPORT:  Pole sitter Derek Ramstrom spun his tires on the initial start of the Super Late Model feature event dropping back to the fifth spot and leaving Jeff Connors to lead. Larry Gelinas ran in Connors’ tire tracks. George Bessette ran comfortably in third. Ramstrom on the road to recovery had passed Jim Banfield for fourth.

As Gelinas continued to trail Connors, Ramstrom was quickly making tracks back to the front. He made quick work of Bessette and immediately ran down Gelinas in second. A pair of laps later Ramstrom was second. At halfway, he was mere car lengths from leader Connors. When the duo crossed the stripe to complete lap 18, they were bumper-to-bumper. Gelinas had the best seat in the house for the inevitable battle for the lead in third. Bessette and Banfield had a battle of their own for fourth.

Lapped traffic played into the hands of Connors for several laps. With five laps remaining, Ramstrom got alongside Connors. The teenager made the pass look easy as he cruised back into the lead. Once out front it was smooth sailing for Ramstrom. Connors came home second followed by Gelinas, Bessette and Banfield.
PASS North Season Opener
The PASS 150 at Beech Ridge
.

Saturday - April 30th
.

After Leading, a 26th
from a Broken Shock 
With chart topping speed in the practice sessions, Derek was ready to be a contender in the PASS North opener at Beech Ridge on April 30th.

In his heat, Derek grabbed a second after a long battle with Kelly Moore #47 and Scott Chubbuck #77. The #35 was fast but a little too tight to maneuver in traffic so a couple of tweaks were applied before the main.

Starting from sixth, Derek moved up into the top four quickly and into second by lap 28. Down to 4th by lap 41 and then back into second on lap 103, Derek was part of a terrific race for the top positions. During a series of restarts following yellows on laps 110, 112, and 113 took the lead from Johnny Clark #54 and then lost it to a charging Trevor Sanborn in the #29.

Suddenly on lap 117 the #35 was high and slowing, with the left front corner down. The shock had broken and the suspension was down with the bump rubber gone. A stop in the pits for a try at a repair and a couple of laps to see if it could be raced showed it was the end of the night for the #35. Derek completed 120 laps for a 26th place finishing spot.

Derek's next PASS event will be at Star Speedway on May 14th, the scene of his win in the All-Stars 200 in July of 2008.
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Heat >
Feature >

2011 NASCAR K&N EAST SERIES SCHEDULE ON SPEED
 
Event Date-----------Broadcast Date---------------Track
Saturday, April 2 -- Thursday, April 28 -- Greenville Pickens Speedway

Saturday, April 16 -- Thursday, May 12 -- South Boston Speedway
Thursday, April 28 -- Thursday, May 19 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway
Saturday, May 21 -- Thursday, June 2 -- Iowa Speedway - Combo
Saturday, June 4 -- Thursday, June 9 -- Bowman Gray Stadium
Saturday, June 11 -- Thursday, June 16 -- Gresham Motorsports Park
Saturday, June 18 -- Thursday, June 30 -- Langley Speedway
Friday, July 15 -- Thursday, July 28 -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 23 -- Thursday, Aug. 4 -- Columbus Motor Speedway
Monday, Sept. 5 -- Thursday, Sept. 15 -- Greenville Pickens Speedway
Friday, Sept. 23 -- Thursday, Sept. 29 -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Friday, Sept. 30 -- Thursday, Oct. 6 -- Dover International Speedway

“Double Header” with the NASCAR
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
The South Boston 150

South Boston Speedway
South Boston, VA
Sat. April 16th
10th for Derek at SoBo
Derek started 17th in a field of 30 and had a clean run up to
10th. After two events, Derek stands 14th in points.
The Ramstrom Racing team packed their bags for the long drive to South Boston for the K&N Series race, only to find out it had been postponed a day due to tornados in the area.

The racing program was really shortened, which unfortunately made for a very short practice time for Derek. The 45 minutes of track time allowed Derek to let the team know that he was fighting a tight race car. Crew Chief Dale Quarterley made some adjustments just in time for Derek for time trials. Although Derek was not unhappy with his time trial, he feels he could have done better if he didn't have to back out in the 4th turn.

Derek started 17th on the grid and held his own for the first 120 or so laps. Derek said the car was tight all day and he just tried to keep out of trouble. Derek finished in the 10th spot in his second K&N race of the season. Derek said that he is working with a new team and the chemistry is great and he is really pleased with a top ten finish.

The next race for the Ramstrom Racing team will be the PASS race at Beech Ridge this Saturday the 30th of April. Derek said he is really looking forward to racing the PASS car because it has been overhauled during the winter and it is basically a "new" car.
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NASCAR HOME TRACKS - Race Page & Results:  HERE

NASCAR HOME TRACKS - Statistical Advance:
 HERE

SOBO 150 News and Notes:  HERE


NASCAR K&N Pro Series East History:  HERE
 
 
Derek 9th at the Icebreaker
TRACK REPORT: From the drop of the green flag in the ICEBREAKER Super Late Model main event there was a three-car battle for the top spot between Larry Gelinas, Mike O’Sullivan and Derek Ramstrom. Ramstrom moved from the third position to the lead by lap five; leaving O’Sullivan and Gelinas to battle it out for second. O’Sullivan was able to get the advantage. Behind Gelinas, Norm Wrenn and Jim Banfield vied for the fourth spot.

Hard contact for Michael Rivard necessitated a caution on lap 16. Ramstrom took the outside groove on the restart; easily retaining his lead. Norm Wrenn got out of shape opening the door for Banfield. O’Sullivan looked like he was going to make a bid on Ramstrom when mechanical failure sent Ramstrom to the infield.

Super Late Model (Top-Ten) Feature Finish: Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 3. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 4. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 5. Jeff Connors, Ellington, CT; 6. Mike Brightman, Acushnet, MA; 7. Dave Silvia, Warwick, RI; 8. Scott Rutherford, Glastonbury, CT;
9. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 10. Mike Rivard, N. Scituate, RI.
The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150

Greenville-Pickens Speedway
Greenville, SC
Sat. April 2nd
 
Derek Qualifies 7th and Finishes 16th
at the K&N Pro Series East Opener
 
The Ramstrom Racing team headed south on April 2nd for a second time to race the K&N Pro Series East race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. The team went the weekend before and enjoyed a little R&R during three days of rain.

Derek took a few rounds of practice in the #32 Van Dyk Baler Corp. - Matthews Truck Service Chervrolet under the watchful eye of crew chief Dale Quarterly. Derek struggled in practice but felt the car was ready for qualifying. Qualifying for the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 was excellent for Derek, as he ran a 20.831 sec. lap to start in the 7th position.

At the green Derek got a good start and held positon. He raced hard but patiently and never fell out of the top 10 for most of the race. But on lap 138 the #32 was turned around by a rookie who overdrove his car into turn 1. Derek had to start at the rear of the lead pack, remaining on the lead lap.

Derek wound up finishing 16th. The team was really pleased with this performance in the season opener.
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Trackside Now coverage at Speed51    Results Here

K&N PRO SERIES EAST SEASON OPENER
NASCAR HOME TRACKS - Stat Advance:
Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 PAGE HERE
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 25th season of competition for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will commence with the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway on Saturday, March 26.

Up to Speed:
• The 2011 season will be the 25th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The inaugural event was a combination race with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Darlington Raceway on March 28, 1987. The first stand-alone race was held at Oxford Plains Speedway on April 26.
• There will not be a title defense in 2011 as Ryan Truex – the 2009 and 2010 champion – has moved up to the NNS with Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. Last year’s championship runner-up, Brett Moffitt, has moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to take over for Truex at Michael Waltrip Racing.
• Six of the top 10 finishers in the 2010 season standings will return full-time in 2011. Two of the four not returning, Truex and Cole Whitt, moved up to national series rides.
• New to the 2011 NKNPS East schedule is the inaugural stand-alone race for the series at Richmond International Raceway and the first trips to historical NASCAR weekly tracks Bowman Gray Stadium, Columbus Motor Speedway and Langley Speedway.
• NASCAR lowered the minimum competition age for drivers to 15 across all touring divisions. Chase Elliott will attempt to be the first driver to compete at the age of 15 this weekend at Greenville Pickens Speedway.
BUSY 2011 SEASON COMING TOGETHER
The Ramstrom Racing Team is patiently waiting for the snow to melt in New England. OK not patiently waiting. They are gearing up to head south for their first race in the 2011 campaign.

Derek and the Ramstrom Racing Team have partnered up with veteran racer Dale Quarterly to run a limited schedule in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series East. Derek and Quarterly will share the driver's seat for the season, having the multi-talented Quarterly crew chief Derek when he’s behind the wheel. The first race for the Ramstrom team is the K&N Pro Series East race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina. This race is being run on Saturday, March 26th.

Derek’s schedule is extremely busy in 2011, his plans are to run 35 races this season. In addition to the K&N races Derek’s plans include running all the Super Late Model races at Thompson Speedway, in an effort to win a third title in the Super Late Model Division.

The teams plans also include a number of races in the PASS Series. Derek has always run well in Pass and looks forward to racing against what he considers “the best drivers in New England”.

For more information check out the following websites. www.thompsonspeedway.com, www.proallstarsseries.com, and www.nascarhometracks.com.
NASCAR To Feature Live Race Audio
Webcasts allow fans to follow the action of their favorite series
By Jason Christley, NASCAR
February 23, 2011 - 5:03pm

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced today that NASCARHomeTracks.com will feature live internet radio broadcasts of 32 touring series events.

NASCARHomeTracks.com is NASCAR.com’s official home for touring and weekly series news and results. The live radio broadcasts will be provided by the team from Speed 51 Radio, headed by SPEED announcer Bob Dillner.
The broadcasts will feature flag-to-flag coverage of many of the top events in NASCAR’s touring series.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to bring the racing action at our short tracks to fans across North America,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “There is no substitute for being at the race track, but this is yet another avenue for fans to follow their favorite drivers and series wherever they may be.”

"This is a unique opportunity NASCAR is providing its fans, teams and marketing partners and we are excited to be part of it,” Dillner said. “I was there for the inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season back in 1985 and we (Speed 51 Radio) all have a lot of experience with each of the touring series. We all have a passion for this and we hope that is portrayed this year on the NASCAR Hometracks Radio broadcasts."

2011 NASCARHomeTracks.com Radio Schedule HERE
Previous Race Results, Stories & Photos HERE