Column By: BROOKE JOHNPIER / RPW – RANSOMVILLE, NY – It was Friday which meant, for many in the Ransomville area, it’s raceday at the Big R, and for me, it was no different.
The night started off with me getting out of school. I got in my mom’s Ford Escape and headed home. After playing a few video games on my Chromebook (of which this article is being written), my father came home, and we went over to the track.
I got over to the track around four-thirty, and my dad and I got out of the truck and tailgated. We both had a drink in our hand, and we watched the cars come in until our friend came rolling up. Our friend brought us some plain Lay’s chips and some Bison dip. We snacked in the parking lot as we talked about everything from backing in big, long trailers to who we thought should be President next. At about this point in time, my father and I’s other friend showed up, and we talked with them as the first friend talked with his buddy.
If you know anything about the racing community, you know that you meet friends in the strangest situations. That’s how my dad and I got to know our two friends that come almost weekly. One week, they pulled up next to us in the parking lot, and my dad looked at me with a questioning look on his face. Long story short, my dad talked to them, and we’re now great friends. I have their phone number in my phone, and my mom has even taken some professional photos of them in front of their Model A Ford.
After talking to our other friends for about twenty minutes, they went to get in line and my dad and I talked for a little while longer with our other friend. Then we got in line, got our tickets, and headed up to our normal spot on turn four. I told my dad what I wanted from the concession stands, and he went to go get me a cheeseburger.
Once my dad got back, we ate our food and waited for the races to start. Unfortunately, the racing action didn’t start until about seven-thirty due to the threat of rain coming in. But, it only sprinkled a little bit, and the races went on.
It started off with Hot Laps, and then the National Anthem’s for both countries (The United States and Canada) were played. Then the Heats started.
The Heats were filled with action. The Streetstock class came out first, and Brandon Sherwood took the win. The Novice Sportsman came out next, and had two Heats. The first Heat was won by Cameron Rowlands, and the second Heat was won by Don Rusinski. After that, the Sportsman class came out, and they also had two Heats. Those were won by Cameron Tuttle and Justin McKay. Then the Modifieds came out, and, of course, there was two Heats. Greg Martin and Jesse Cotriss won those. And finally, the Mini Stocks came out. Ian Paul and Matt Hornquist were the winners of those. I thought for sure that Brad Whiteside was going to win the first Mini Stock Heat, but as I watched I realized that Ian was going to win. I bet my dad a dollar that he was going to win the Heat, and I ended up being right.
After the Heats were done, the feature races started. The races follow the program of how the Heats are done, so the Streetstocks came out first. Although there was only five cars for the feature, it was still an exciting race. It started off with Brandon Sherwood on the pole, and he ended up walking away. The action with the other drivers was great, but Brandon ended up winning the feature.
Next the Novice Sportsman came out. It started off with myself thinking that Mike Kramarz was going to win. He’s the most experienced driver in the field, and he had a good starting position. But I was proven wrong as Wayne Swinson took the lead early, and ended up winning the race. Both drivers had a Victory Lane ceremony, and then the racing action took place once again.
Following the order of the Heats, the Sportsman came out next. It was very action filled, and for most of the race Miss Jessica Kriegisch led the field. I was routing for her (as a fellow female) but around the end of the race, Nelson Mason came up and took her on the bottom. For a few laps he led, and he ended up winning the race. During the Sportsman race though, Derek Wagner had something happen to his car. He went into the pits, but before he could get back out, the race had started once again and Wagner had to start at the tail-end of the pack. All in all though, it was a great race for the Sportsman.
After the Sportsman came the Modfieds. This race was the most action-packed of the night in my opinion. It started off with the winner of the race (Chad Brachmann) further back than I expected. The race started and a bunch of cars moved around, and Brachmann would end up moving to the lead. Right behind him though was none other than Erick Rudolph. It was Erick’s first night of the year at his home track of Ransomville Speedway, and he was killing it. But at the end of the race, Chad took home the win. A Victory Lane ceremony was held for both Mason and Brachmann. After that the final feature for the night (Mini Stocks) came on out.
The Mini Stock feature held some exciting action. It was fifteen laps of pure awesome-ness. Brad Whiteside took an early lead, and held that lead until the end of the race, taking home the win for a special race (the Dick Wilkinson Memorial). During the Mini Stock race, drivers like Ian Paul and Cole Susice battled it out, and a lot of spots were traded. But in the end, Whiteside took home the win. Brad got his own Victory Lane, but at this point in time I headed over to the pits.
The first stop I made was at Chad Brachmann’s pit. My dad and I congratulated him on his win, and then we talked about farming a little bit with him. After that we went over and talked to his father Mike for a little while about work, and other stuff. After the Brachmann’s we stopped and congratulated Nelson Mason on his win, and then we headed out of the pits.
It was an absolutely amazing night of racing, and if you haven’t been to Ransomville Speedway yet, I suggest you go. I’ve talked enough about one single night, but the one thing I will end this with is that if you do come to the races on Friday night and you don’t know where to sit, look for the girl in the cowboy hat in turn four. I’m always up to meeting new friends. Hope to see ya there!