Two individuals were arrested by Connecticut State Police on August 16 stemming from an assault that took place on track during a racing event on October 8, 2023 at Thompson Speedway.
Driver Sam Rameau and former Modified team owner Randy Rameau were both arrested on various assault charges.
Sam Rameau was charged with second degree breach of peace, third degree assault and third degree assault involving strangulation/suffocation. All charges are misdemeanors. Sam Rameau was released after posting seven percent of a $10,000 bond. Sam Rameau is scheduled to be arraigned in Danielson Superior Court on Thursday.
Randy Rameau was charged with second degree breach of peace and third degree assault. Both charges are misdemeanors. Randy Rameau was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Danielson Superior Court. Randy Rameau is Sam Rameau’s father.
Neither Sam Rameau or Randy Rameau were available for comment on Wednesday.
The arrests stem from an incident that took place behind pit road during a a 100-lap Open Modified event at Thompson.
On lap 85 of the event second place running George Bessette Jr. made a move under race leader Sam Rameau going into turn three. The pair made contact, with Bessette’s car driving over the front end of Rameau’s car and Rameau’s car spinning and wrecking hard into the wall.
Bessette was able to drive his car back to the infield and behind the pit wall area. Rameau’s car was towed off the track. The race was restarted and moments after the restart of the race, the incident erupted behind the pit wall at the turns one and two end of pit road at Thompson Speedway.
Videos posted online following the incident showed Bessette being confronted by Sam Rameau and crew members from the Rameau Family Motorports team while Bessette was still sitting in his car behind the pit wall. Witnesses alleged Bessette was forcefully pulled from his car.
Bessette left the track in an ambulance but sustained no reported significant injuries.
Following the incident Sam Rameau was suspended indefinitely by Thompson Speedway, NASCAR, the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series and Monadnock Speedway. He remains suspended by the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, Thompson Speedway and Monadnock Speedway.
NASCAR lifted its suspension of Sam Rameau in early May. Sam Rameau has run two Whelen Modified Tour events this season, finishing 11th at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway on June 1 and fifth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 22.
According to a NASCAR spokesperson, Sam Rameau reported the arrest to the sanctioning body and he remains eligble to compete in NASCAR sanctioned events.
In his most recent appearance, Sam Rameau finished third in a Milton Cat Modified Racing Series event on Aug. 11 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H.
What took so long? One would think if they were gonna be charged it would have happened within days of the incident, not after months had passed…..
Assault shmassault. As long as he reported the charges to Nascar, he is good to go. I have total confidence that it will never happen again.
Ironically this all goes down the same week that Chris Jones is penalized by Stafford for the umpteenth time…
Why dose it take almost 1 full year for this to happen.?? Those perpetrators should have been arrested that night!!