Ruhlman Ready to Redeem Himself at Trans-Am NASCAR Weekend at Infineon Raceway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

 

Ruhlman Ready to Redeem Himself at Trans-Am/NASCAR Weekend at Infineon
Raceway

 

Greensboro, NC (June 24, 2003) ­- As the roar of the engines prepares to
exhilarating fans at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, top Trans-Am
driver Randy Ruhlman is ready to redeem himself on track in his #49 blue and
white Preformed Line Products/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette.  The
weekend will feature a double-header race with the Motorock Tires Trans-Am
Series and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup both running races on Sunday afternoon.

 

Ruhlman, who was extremely fast last weekend at Portland International
Raceway, but forced to retire early with a motor failure, is returning back
to his home track at Infineon Raceway and ready to prove at point.  ³We are
here to be on the podium and to win races.  I am determined to make that
happen.  Last week was hard, but we did serve notice that we are back in
form. This weekend we are ready. A lot of us, Greg [Pickett], Boris [Said],
Tommy [Kendall], and me,  know this Infineon track well.  I think with our
new setup, we will have a great car again and be right there,² comments
Ruhlman. 

 

"Setup in a TA car is always tricky, but this Infineon course can really
bite you,  and it did last year," said Ruhlman. "This course has always been
one of the most challenging to get a good setup. The amount of rubber on the
track is a factor, but even hour to hour, the sun and track change things so
much, that what felt awful in one session, could be fine in another. We will
try to be smart about making needed changes, rather than chasing the setup.
And we have a much better baseline for the car, that I am confident we will
have a top car.² 

 

Ruhlman started his racing career at this track, [formerly Sears Point
Raceway], not only going to SCCA Driver's School here, but scoring track
records in his first years in amateur Showroom Stock Corvette racing. Randy
Ruhlman finished sixth overall in the Driver's Championship in 2003 in a
Derhaag Motorsports Corvette and was seventh overall in 2002 driving for Tom
Gloy Racing with a second (and a 3rd in 2003) at Trois Rivieres and third at
Miami.  Ruhlman was awarded the 2002 BBS Wheels "Most Improved Driver of the
Year".  Randy Ruhlman is sixth overall in Top Ten finishes in Trans-Am
history. 

 

The Trans-Am Series takes the grid at approximately 4:15 PM PDT Sunday, June
27th for their 100-mile race on the 10 turn, 1.968-mile short course,
nestled in the scenic hilly terrain of the Sonoma Valley wine country.
Qualifying and practice begin Saturday morning.  Randy Ruhlman, , will be
making his 139th career start in the Trans-Am series at Infineon Raceway.
Television will be again on HD Net and delayed coverage on Spike TV¹s show
³Dangerous Curves².

 

 

 

Ruhlman's Chevrolet Corvette is fielded this year by the Minneapolis-based,
Derhaag Motorsports team, led by former Trans-Am driver Jim Derhaag. Jim
Derhaag himself made 150 starts as a driver in the Trans-Am Series before
his successful move to full time ownership in 1998. The team has fielded
many successful drivers, including top Trans-Am drivers Justin Bell, Kenny
Wilden, Tony Ave, Dorsey Schroeder, Chris Neville and Darin Brassfield.

 

Preformed Line Products (PLP) is an international manufacturer and supplier
of hardware and support systems for the communications and energy
industries. Products include the COYOTE Closure and GUY-GRIP Dead-End used
in the telecommunications, cable and energy industries. Manufacturing
facilities are located worldwide in the USA, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico,
England, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Japan.

 

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