Amy Ruman Set for 100th Career Start at COTA
November 1, 2018
Munroe Falls, Ohio –Amy Ruman will set another milestone in her Trans Am Series career this weekend, as she is set to make her 100thTrans Am start at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Texas.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Trans Am veteran driver Bob Ruman, Trans Am has been home to the family-run Ruman Racing team for over twenty years during their combined racing careers. Ruman first drove the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvettethirteen years ago, making her 2005 Trans Am debut at the Cleveland Grand Prix in her home state of Ohio. Since then, Ruman has been making history throughout her iconic road racing career.
With her breakthrough run to victory at Road Atlanta in 2011, Amy Ruman became the first woman to win a Trans Am race in the 45-year history of the Series. She then went on to become the first woman to win a professional automobile race as a solo driver at Daytona International Speedway, in 2014. Building on those victories, Ruman captured more wins along with her first Trans Am Championship title in 2015, becoming the first woman to win a North American professional road racing Championship. In 2016, she won back-to-back Championship titles when she secured the Championship in the Trans Am Series’ 50thAnniversary season. Throughout her storied Trans Am career, Ruman has captured 16 victories, 41 podium finishes and five poles.
“I can’t believe this milestone is here for me – what an amazing accomplishment not only for me but also for my team. My Dad and I have 195 starts combined – which means the Ruman Racing/McNichols Co. team does too! I couldn’t have done this without them, I am truly blessed. Trans Am has been our home for over 20 years – the fans, the competitors, the teams, the staff, the corner workers – they are all family to us, and I celebrate this achievement with all of them,” remarked Ruman.
“I am honored to be a part of such a fantastic legacy Trans Am has built throughout the years, and to be in company with many great drivers in history. I have to thank McNichols Company for supporting us and standing by us all of these years and I also want to thank my family and crew for working tirelessly for me day after day,” commented Ruman.
Ruman started racing at age eighteen and since then has competed in SCCA National Grand Touring-1 (GT-1), SCCA Spec Racer and Spec Racer Pro Series, Women’s Global GT Series, and solo autocross. She is an American driver and a two-time Trans Am Series Champion and currently runs full time in the Trans Am Series TA class.
About the Trans Am Series:
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli is America’s Road Racing Series and dates back to 1966. Throughout the years, some of the greatest names in motorsports have participated in the Trans Am Series. Names like Tommy Kendall, Mark Donohue, Peter Gregg, Bob Tullius and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. have all won multiple championships under the Trans Am name.
While Trans Am will always be dedicated to honoring its history and legacy, it is far from simply living in the past. Since the addition of the Trans Am Race Company, LLC in late 2011, Trans Am has experienced unprecedented growth as a new class-based model has been implemented. Now, four distinct classes take center stage; TA, TA2, TA3 and TA4 while Trans Am is positioned to power into the future, not live in the past.
Just a few short years later, a very different Trans Am has emerged. A Trans Am that features 70-plus grids populated by Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers and Corvettes— a massive dose of pure Americana, with just a touch of nostalgia. While it may be tempting to label this the ‘new Trans Am,’ it is more of a return to the true Trans Am. The way it should always be.
The iconic Trans Am Series – America’s Road Racing Series – is operated by the Trans Am Race Company, LLC.
Amy Ruman’s Trans Am Career Highlights include:
- 2016 Trans Am TA Champion – Captured back-to-back championships in the series’ 50thAnniversary Season
- 2015 Trans Am TA Champion – First woman to capture a championship in the 49-year history of the series
- 16 Trans Am career wins
- Invited by Bobby Rahal (Pres.), Ruman was inducted into the 2016 Membership Class-Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC.org)
- Ruman Racing Crew received the Trans Am Crew of the Year award - 2016
- First woman to win a Trans Am Series race in the history of the series - Road Atlanta, October 2011
- First woman to win a professional automobile race at Daytona, as a solo driver – TA Race November 2014
- Two-time recipient of the Trans Am Excellence in Publicity Award (2013-2014)
- 2012 recipient of the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association Rising Star award (AARWBA)
- Trans Am Series Championship Points standings: 3rd overall in 2017, 1st overall in 2016, 1st overall in 2015, 3rd overall in 2014, 4th overall in 2013, 2nd overall in 2012, 3rd overall in 2011
Sponsors: McNICHOLS CO. is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.
For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.
