RPW Exclusive: The Turn Four Perspective: Summer Nationals; Ransomville’s Regulars Vs. The Series

Column By: BROOKE JOHNPIER / RPW – RANSOMVILLE, NY – The night started off with yours truly arriving at the track at around 2:30 pm. The gates didn’t open until five o’clock, but it was the Summer Nationals.

That meant getting to see the Super DIRTcar Series driver’s haulers come in, and just getting to tailgate for longer than usual; which I did for the entire three and a half hours I was sitting in the parking lot.

While sitting in the parking lot, my friend and classmate from Auto Tech stopped by. We talked about basic stuff and then he headed back to the pits to go to his job on John Smith’s team. After I had finished my conversation with my friend, time went by, and it was finally time to go into the grandstand area and get our seats.

Dad and I got our seats, and then we headed back down to the main drag where we stopped at the merchandise trailers so I could pick up some clothing, and a PopSocket. Once I was done shopping, we took my goods out to the truck, grabbed our hoodies, and headed back into the stands. At this point in time my dad and I got in line for food, and then went back up to claim our spots.

The original starting time for Hot Laps (for the Super DIRTcar Series) was 6:15 pm. Due to the Canadian drivers not being able to make it across the border in time, that time was pushed back until 6:45 pm. But, once that time hit, the Big Block Modifieds hit the track, and the dirt began to fly.

After the Modifieds came out for their Hot Laps, the Sportsman came out for their Hot Laps, and then the opening ceremonies began. There was an invocation, followed by the Canadian National Anthem, and finally, the American National Anthem. Both were sung by a man that did them perfectly. After this was all finished, the Heat races began.

The first division our for their Heats was none other than the Sportsman. The Sportsman class was racing under the DIRTcar Racing specifications, and so, there was a lot more racers there than any other race that year. There were four Heat races for these men and women, and each one was action-packed. But at the end, there could only be four winners. The winners were as follows: Andrew Buff, Cameron Tuttle, Brett Senek, and Dave DiPietro II. All four of your winners had started in the front positions (either first or second row).

After the Sportsman came the Modifieds. I would say Big Block Modifieds, but there were a lot of small blocks in there as well, including Mr. John Smith. For their class, there was only three Heats that they had to do. Throughout each one, there was a lot of action, just like the Sportsman Heats. But at the end, only three men could win: Jack Lehner, Mat Williamson, and Adam Pierson. All three of them would end up going to the redraw on the front straight.

The redraw occurred during intermission on the front straightaway. After each driver pulled his redraw spot (1-9), they took a t-shirt cannon and launched a free shirt into the crowd. Jack Lehner, Mat Williamson, and Adam Pierson all did this same thing. Lehner pulled 8th, Williamson pulled 6th, and Pierson pulled 4th. Once they did that, they took the cannon, sent the shirt into the audience, and walked back to the pits.

Once everyone got situated in their seats after the redraw ceremony, the Sportsman had a Last Chance Showdown. I can’t tell you who got in the race and who didn’t, but I can tell you that the top three of each race (there were two) got to race in the feature. Once that was over, the main event began to happen.

The Super DIRTcar Series drivers lined up on the front straightaway in a NASCAR formation. As the Martin family and friends said to fire up their engines, they did. The whole front straight kicked up dust as the Big Block, and Small Block, engines came to life. Each of the cars pulled straight and followed behind the pace truck, and eventually got into the signature four-wide salute. Once their parade lap was over, they got into two-by-two formation, and stayed that way until the start of the race.

The race was seventy-five laps long, and the entire race was action-packed. There was so many good battles going on throughout the pack: Adam Pierson and Mat Williamson, Erick Rudolph and Matt Sheppard, and Chad Brachmann and Jimmy Phelps. But, just as the race was going really well for Brachmann, he all of a sudden slowed down on the front straight, and came to a complete stop. It appeared that he had a left rear flat tire, but we would find out later on that he had actually broken a wheel. That was the explanation as to why he didn’t come back out right away after the towing team got him into the pits; he did only have one to come back out, though. The green flag was waved once again, and the race started.

I can’t tell you exactly who wrecked, and who caused what caution. But what I can tell you is that somewhere around lap fifty of seventy-five, Erick Rudolph took the lead away from Matt Sheppard. Rudolph would hold position until the end of the race, and would take home the check for $7,500 for the 1st Annual Ron Martin Memorial Summer Nationals.

After this, Erick Rudolph, Matt Sheppard, and Mat Williamson got their time in Victory Lane. Erick was 1st, Matt was 2nd, and Mat was 3rd, so that was the order that they got interviewed in. After this, the Sportsman came out for their race.

The Sportsman were racing in memory of Mike Bonesky, and their feature race was only thirty laps long. But their race was just as exciting as their SDS race, if not moreso. Throughout the race, you had some serious battles going on. You had battles going on in the front part of the race with the leader and the second place driver, as well as the middle with a local driver that’s there weekly with a driver that crossed the border just for this race alone, and a battle between two cars that are always in the back of the field. At the end of this race, though, Brett Senek was your winner. All in all, the town of Ransomville got represented as both class winners were from Ransomville.

After this, my father and I went over to the pits where we hung out at Chad Brachmann’t pit until we decided we had had enough, and wanted to go home. On the walk back to the truck though, I realized that this was my last night at Ransomville Speedway for the year. This was the last race that I would attend for the 2023 season, and it was bittersweet. It was amazing, because I couldn’t have asked for a better racing night, but it was also sad because I’m not going to be able to see cars go in circles until the 2nd week of May of next year. On the way home, these thoughts went through my head, but I can’t say that I’m entirely sad. I’m excited to start a new chapter of my life, and I’m excited to go to St. Bonaventure University on Friday. Everybody says how much I’ll love it, and I can’t wait to learn how to do this professionally, and for a living.

Although I won’t be there from now on (until next year, anyway), think of going and checking out Ransomville Speedway if you haven’t already. I guarantee that you’ll love it, and if you don’t, I’ll be very shocked. I know I love it, and I knew I had to have it as part of my future career ever since I went there for the first time at eight years old.

Anyway, peace out (for now) and see y’all next year!