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Modified racing veteran Sam Rameau will return to competition behind the wheel in the SMART Modified Tour Kenny Minter Classic Friday at Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, Va. on Friday
It will mark Rameau’s first competitive action since he was involved in an ugly physical confrontation on the infield at Thompson Speedway during a Modified race there on Oct. 8, 2023.
After the Franklin County event, Rameau plans to make his 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut on June 1 at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway. He also plans to compete in the Whelen Modified Tour event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 22.
Rameau had his indefinite suspension from NASCAR lifted on May 15. He will be on probation with NASCAR for the duration of the 2024 season.
Rameau will compete in 2024 as the owner of his own team. His team was previously owned by his father Randy Rameau, who will no longer be involved with the team.
The new team will be led by crew chief JR Boccanfuso.
“Our approach to everything is to get Sammy back racing, to put a good product on the track and represent the team in a different light than what has been portrayed by a lot of people,” Boccanfuso told RaceDayCT. “Randy is taking a step back. He’s not going to be at the track with the team. We want to get Sammy back to the track and show that Sammy is really a good kid. Our ultimate goal is to get back full-time Whelen Modified Tour racing next year.
Sam Rameau won a SMART Modified Tour event on Oct. 1, 2023 at Pulaski County Motorsports Park (formerly Motor Mile Speedway) in Radford, Va.
Sam Rameau has made 36 Whelen Modified Tour starts over the last six seasons and was the 2019 Whelen Modified Tour Rookie of the Year. He has three top-five’s and nine top-10’s with the division.
“This year we’re going to do a little bit of everything,” Boccanfuso said. “We’re going to do some [Milton Cat Modified Racing Series] races, some Open shows, some [Whelen Modified] Tour shows and a couple of SMART shows. The main thing is testing and getting him and I fully on page together. I think we work really well together. The main goal is to test and be a competitive Modified team that can run top-10, top-five everywhere we go.”
Two of the nine tracks left on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule in 2024 – Thompson Speedway and Monadnock Speedway – will not allow Rameau to compete in Whelen Modified Tour events they will host this year. Because of those track operator decisions, Rameau is restricted from competing in four of the 11 events remaining on the Whelen Modified Tour.
Sam Rameau also remains indefinitely suspended from action with the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series.
The incident that led to Sam Rameau’s suspensions took place during a 100-lap Thompson Outlaw Modified division event on Oct. 8 at Thompson Speedway. On lap 85 of an Open Modified event second place running George Bessette Jr. made a move under Sam Rameau going into turn three in a battle for the lead. The pair made contact, with Bessette’s car driving over the front end of Sam Rameau’s car and Sam Rameau’s car spinning and wrecking hard into the wall.
Bessette was able to drive his car back to the infield where he parked behind the pit wall area. Sam Rameau’s car was towed off the track. Moments after the race was restarted Sam Rameau and members of his race team physically confronted Bessette, who was still sitting in his car behind the pit wall.
In the days following the incident, NASCAR was one of numerous sanctioning bodies and tracks that suspended Sam Rameau indefinitely from competition.
“The thing with Sammy is to learn a completely different new way of racing and have the goal of finishing races with the goal of becoming a top quality Modified team,” Boccanfuso said.
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Indefinite suspension = 7 months
Kevin,
In this case, and in relation to NASCAR’s specific penalty, yes it equals seven months or five Whelen Modified Tour events. I don’t think I’m understanding the point you’re trying to make here with your comment.
Indefinitely
without any limit of time or number.
Dictionary says…
NASCARs call. Others followed their lead appearantly. Seems easy to understand.
@Crazy in NY: “One day you’ll get the call to return. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week. It could be in a thousand millennia. The point of indefinite is it’s a mystery, and you’ll never know until it’s your time. … Or whenever’s good for you is fine really.” 😉