During the race season, Craig "Big Daddy" Ramich will chronicle the year's events and other important news.  Check back often, as we'll update this all year long.  For last year's (2004) top stories, click here!  

Event 10 - October 1, 2005 - LLS "Light the Night Walk"

As a Hodgkin's lymphoma (cancer) survivor, I'm grateful for every day of life.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) was extremely helpful during my diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, and our family has participated in the "Light the Night" charity walk for the past 4 years.  LLS is a wonderful organization the raises millions of dollars for lymphoma, leukemia, and blood-related cancer research.

This year we donated space on the race car and exhibited the car at the walk in support of LLS.  The walk had a great turnout, and it was great seeing the kids eyes light up when seeing the car.  This may become an annual event for us...

Event 9 - September 30, 2005 - "Reston Race on the Town"

Without our sponsors racing would be a difficult endeavor.  To show our appreciation, we have a car show at the Reston Town Center in Reston, Virginia every fall.  This year, we have a great location in front of Mercury Fountain, and numerous people stop by to see the car and talk racing.  We hand out several business cars for our sponsors.

Race 8 - September 24, 2005 - VMS "The Best Yet"

Hot Lap Time Trials - We are curious to see how much different the car will react with the quick change versus the 9-inch rear.  We now have the exact gear we think we need to be fast (in between the two available 9-inch sets).  It's been over 2 months since I've been on the track, so I will have to do my best getting up to speed.  I put in the loose set-up but the car is still tight, and I qualify 11th, the worst of the season.  We find out later that one of the brake line connections breaks off and I had no rear brakes during qualifying or the feature...explains the tightness.

Feature - This is VMS' "Fall Classic" year-ending non-points race, and its extended to 30 laps.  Starting 11th I'm sure I'll need the extra laps.  The track was tacky for qualifying but has slickened up a bit following the late model feature.  The only changes I made since qualifying is to lower tire pressures all around.

I start out cautious as I'm in the area where alot of wrecks happen.  By Lap 2 I'm up to 8th and then 7th by 6 or so.  There has been only one caution so far to bunch us up, so the field is getting strung out.  I can see the 3 and 15 battling for 5th ahead of me, and I keep trying to reel them in.  The car keeps getting better as the race wears on, and the car is turning well in the middle.

By around Lap 15 I catch the 3 and 15 in a fierce battle for position.  Marks (15) is very loose and Hudgins (3) is trying different lines to find away around.  I sneak in behind both of then entering Turn 1, and Marks nearly loses it exiting Turn 2 while Hudgins checks up.  As Marks slides straight across my nose, I split the two of them and take over 5th.  Marks saved it so no caution and we all continue.  At this point, I can't even see the next car in 4th, so I try working on a safe consistent line.  As the laps wind down, I try not to make any mistakes and hope a caution will come out so I have a shot at the cars ahead.  The race goes green the rest of the way, and I finish in 5th, my best career finish ever.  I also garner the VMS "Rookie of the Race" award.

Intermission - August 2005 - "Not-So Quick Change"

As we approach our first longer family vacation in a couple of years (2 weeks in Maine), we decide to finally switch the car over to a quick change rear from a 9-inch.  VMS has always allowed steel tube quick change rears, and now the majority of tracks in OH, PA, and NY we may run also allow them.  This 2-week break seems like a perfect time to change things over and get a few runs with it before 2006...

As always seems to be the case, the parts dealer sent us a quick change that is not even close to what we ordered.  They take it back with no problems, but now we've lost all this time and the 9-inch is in pieces.  We finally go directly to the manufacturer and get the right piece, but now that we place it in the chassis it doesn't fit.  After some creative welding and cutting, it finally fits...but we've lost two more races in the process (August through September).

Race 7 - July 2005 - VMS "Rains Come Again"

As rains fall throughout the area, VMS calls it a night...

Race 6 - June 23, 2005 - VMS "Midweek Mayhem"

Hot Lap Time Trials - We keep dropping back spot after spot in qualifying, as I can't get a handle on the sloppy, wet track.  Some of the slowest qualifying times ever are being posting, and the starting order is a real mixed bag.  We qualify 9th.

Feature - For this special show with the sprint cars, we are the lowest division present.  So, we would typically be the last feature to run for the evening.  Thinking there would be multiple sprint car and late model heats and features run, the track should be slick-black by the time we get to it.  VMS throws us another curve ball, and they run our feature first.

Knowing we have the car tight, I'm not too optimistic that we will be able to make our way forward.  We fall into about 7-8th place early, then with a pass and some attrition we are up to 6th battling with Mark Claar.  We have a similar setup, as I followed him for several laps and we are both pushing badly from the center off.

Nearly 20 laps in, I push up the track and the 32 ducks under for position.  I keep the position, but then the caution comes out.  The 32 thinks he has 6th, but I kept the position and won't move from behind Claar.  Well, the 32 keeps nosing over and actually rams the side of the car under caution, which now has a bent rub rail and a big donut on the side.  The contact pushes me into Claar, who is visibly upset.  The 32 and I start side by side, as I won't give up my position.

On the restart, there is an opening in front of me and when the green flag goes I take off.  Well, it appears that I got too good of a jump, and I get black flagged and go to the rear of the field with 2 laps to go.  I pass two cars on restart, then on the last lap try to duck under two more in turn 1.  On the last corner, I make a high-side pass and beat both of them to the line to finish 10th.  I'm not sure if I had anything for the top 5 guys, but it would have been nice to pass Claar to see what I could do.  Claar ran me very clean all night (Thanks Mark!).  With family vacations hitting the next several weeks, we won't be able to make it to the track until August.  See you then!

Race 5 - June 11, 2005 - VMS "Hero to Zero"

Hot Lap Time Trials - Again, the track is a pleasure if you are a pig looking for a mud bog, but the track is a mess.  Way too much water late in the week has left surface mud all over the track.  We time 8th fastest, and get a break with the invert and start from the pole (Thanks for the pull, Eric!).

Feature - We change the car over to the dry-slick feature set-up and hope for the best.  As the preceding features are run, we hope that the track will dry out and come into our setup.  Some black spots are starting to show, a good sign.

Its always a nice thing to see open track ahead of you, and on the start I pull away from the field.  I lead the first laps of my career!  Finally, running up front where I think we should be.  Unfortunately, I run out of talent early, and push up coming out of turn 4 on lap 3 and get passed by Brent Bordeaux (40).  There is a narrow band of track that the car is comfortable in, and I have a tough time keeping the car in the black.  On lap 4, I again push up the track and almost lose it and lose several positions.  On lap 5, the 32 spins and I just barely make contact with the left rear on the 32's bumper.  The rim is trashed, I have a flat, and my race is over - so I went from first to last in a mere 2 laps...winning one of these races will be some work.  Again, the car isn't hurt bad, and we think of what could have been.

Race 4 - May 28, 2005 - VMS "The Track, She is a Changing"

Hot Lap Time Trials - You have to give VMS credit, they are trying their best to make the track surface act like a real dirt track.  Unfortunately, the track is sloppy mud for time trials, and cars are all over the place.  We time 7th fastest and stay there as the invert is six positions. 

Feature - With the early abundance of water, the track surface keeps some grip even after all of the racing on it.  About half way through the feature, the track starts to slick up.  I have some good clean racing with Donnie Medlin (84) and essentially hold my position.  While battling for 5th, I cut down too hard and the car does a spin and I'm pointed toward traffic.  Fortunately I don't make contact with anyone and continue on.  Battling to regain 6th place on the last lap, I try a cross over move to pass two cars exiting turn 4.  I gave the car too much gas and plow straight into the inside wall.  Ouch!  Car is not hurt too bad, but my neck and shoulders are sore.  After all of the struggle, we end up with a dismal 16th place finish after a frustrating race stuck in 5-7th place.  We'll need to make some chassis changes to adapt to the new track surface - time to throw out all of those off-season testing notes. 

Races 2 and 3 - April 23 and 30, 2005 - VMS "April Showers Bring..."

Yet another two consecutive rainouts.  After changing the lower A-arm on the right front and pulling all of the other maintenance work, we are ready to go racing...if the rain would just go away.

Race 1 - April 9, 2005 - VMS "Top 5 to 12th in One Lap"

With a rainout of the first official race, this WoO Late Model show becomes VMS' season opener.  With the Speed TV cameras running, we make our first attempt of the 2005 season.

Hot Lap Time Trials - After all the testing and changes, its time to see how we do in competition.  The track looks like it may be tacky, but we're not sure because of all of the late model hot laps and qualifying.  There is definitely some grip left, and you need to stay below the fairly large cushion made by the late models.  We time 5th quickest, and stay in that position as the inversion was for the first four cars. 

Feature - The 10 car, which was to start 3rd, DQ'ed from the feature, so our entire row moves up.  As a result, I actually start in 3rd.  At the start, I try to keep the car low and not hit any other cars, but the track is really slick and even with all of the changes we made to tighten the car up, we are still pretty loose.

We get passed by a few cars and finally end up in 6th place.  For the next 12 laps or so we have a great battle with Chuck Marks (15).  This racing was probably the most fun I've ever had at the race track.  I tried a high line, then a low line...I could get up next to Chuck but never finish off the pass (ran out of room).  I could see Chuck getting looser and looser, and by lap 18 or so I needed to try something different.

Entering into turn 3, I committed to a high line to try a pass on the outside.  This time, Chuck drove the car hard on the bottom, and all I saw was the entire left side of the 15.  I tried to get around the top side, but I think I tapped him and the 15 went spinning.  I felt bad about the contact, but it was truly a racing deal (sorry Chuck!). [Follow-up note: It looks on the videotape that Chuck's spin was unassisted...I still feel bad about it anyway!] 

The caution for Chuck's spin happened with about 5 laps or so remaining, and I was in 5th place.  On the restart I ducked under Brent Bordeaux (40) who was trying to run the high side.  That put me in 4th with 3 or 4 laps to go.  Entering into turns 1 and 2, I committed to a low side pass on the 3 of Chris Hudgkins.  Unfortunately, Chris lost it exiting turn 2 and I ran into the front of him.  The contact bent the right front rim (resulting in a flat) and a bent ball joint, otherwise limited damage.  I couldn't continue and ending up finishing 12th overall.  All in all, a great start to the season.  Without the contact, we're running 3rd with 2 or 3 laps to go.  Our goal this season is to consistently finish in the top 5 and lead some laps...and we are getting close to this every week.

Practice - March 26, 2005 - VMS "Signs of Things to Come"

After a successful test last fall at Williams Grove, we are excited to see how this information translates to VMS.  On the third and fourth sessions, we set fast time, with the fastest time of the practice at 21.6 seconds.  This is my fastest lap ever at the track, and the car still has more in it.  The track stayed unusually tacky for all four sessions, so we are still not sure how our feature setup will work on a slick track.

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