ON SITE: Derek Ramstrom hits a home run in World Series opener at Thompson

THOMPSON, Conn. – The confidence never wavered, even if the performances did.

Derek Ramstrom capped a breakout season on Sunday afternoon, kicking off the final day of the World Series of Speedway Racing by winning the 30-lap Super Late Model feature at Thompson International Speedway. Ramstrom took the lead for the second and final time on lap 13 and drove off unchallenged to his fourth win of the season at the track.

"This was definitely a really big win for us," said Ramstrom, 17, of West Boylston, Mass. "Hopefully next year, we can get more, maybe a Thompson championship or even a PASS championship."

The win was the first for Ramstrom at Thompson since July 3, and his first since nearly winning a PASS North Series 75-lap event at the track nine days later – a race in which he went from the rear of the field to the point in only a handful of laps.

Jeff Connors of Ellington, Conn., finished second, with Dave Berghman of Seekonk, Mass. in third. The race was slowed just two times by the caution flag.

Ramstrom took the lead from the outside pole on the first lap, but he conceded that position to Connors on lap 9. He would then capitalize on a lap 11 restart, squeezing under Connors two laps later off of the track’s fourth turn before stretching his lead right through the checkered flag.

"That was the best the car has ever been," Ramstrom said. "With this setup in it, the cart stays consistent and it’s just always fast."

After winning the inaugural PASS Outlaw Late Model championship in 2005, Ramstrom struggled in his first two seasons in the PASS North Series to find consistency. He emerged this year with better finishes and his first win at the end of July at All-Star Speedway in Epping, N.H.

That victory capped a torrid month for Ramstrom, who won three straight Super Late Model features at Thompson and then finished second in each of the next two events. He also had a meeting with Mike Greci about a possible development opportunity with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

But as the summer grew long, Ramstrom no longer got the results he was looking for, particularly in weekly Thursday night competition at Thompson.

"We tried running what we’d run in (the July PASS race), because we started dead last and it was the fastest it’s run ever," Ramstrom said. "We wanted to try that in the Thompson car. We changed it, and we’ve kind of been chasing ourselves from there on out. We were trying to get it better and better.

"Eventually, we were like, ‘Why don’t we just go back to basics?’ So we returned to basics, and you can see how it worked for us."

And the confidence of a return to victory lane validated the confidence the team had during it’s amazing run in the beginning of the summer.

"You’ve always got to keep your head up. That’s the name of the game," Ramstrom said. "We came into Thompson (this season) thinking maybe we could get a few top-5s and do really well for ourselves. But four wins? We didn’t expect that, we really didn’t.

"In the PASS series, we ran really well, but hopefully we can run even better."

Comments

[Norm]

Derrek had a fine season...

You have to remember he's still a teenager racing with the toughest (fendered) competition in New England...

He's taken his lumps at times this year but he's certainly also had some sterling moments...but either way, he is as even tempered as he could be...

That's the kind of young tallent that NASCAR looks for....

Hope Derrek gets his shot!

Great way to end the year kid!