Teamwork is key on and off the track

Chip Ramsey, owner of Washington & Lee Service, stands with his team's ChumpCar.

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Growing up in Cleveland Heights, Chip Ramsey knew he wanted to own an auto repair shop. As he roamed the hallways of Heights High, he envisioned working on cars. What he did not know, is that his career path would lead him on a 25-hour, 25-minute, and 25-second race and quite possibly the most fun he's ever had with a car.

Ramsey owns Washington and Lee Service; a gas station turned auto repair shop that has been a part of Cleveland Heights since 1954. Recently, Ramsey and his employees heard about ChumpCar, an endurance race lasting more than 24 hours with cars worth $500 or less. When ChumpCar came to Nelson Ledges, Ramsey knew he had to participate.

He asked local merchants, including Parnell's Pub, Quintana's Barber & Dream Spa, the Grog Shop, the Tavern Company, Montgomery Landscaping, and Cleveland Power Sports, to sponsor the Washington and Lee team.

Ramsey selected a Nissan Sentra; built a roll cage for safety, added a decal for all his sponsors, picked a team of seven drivers, and headed down to Nelson Ledges for the race, which began on Oct. 8.

Ramsey was the first driver and made it through his shift relatively unscathed. The next driver was Declan Synnott, owner of Parnell's Pub. During his shift, the car lost third and fourth gears. Kathy Simkoff, owner of the Grog Shop, found a transmission and the car was back on the track within four hours.

Ramsay’s car crashed twice, but still finished 35 out of 87. "There were a total of six rollovers when previously the track had not encountered a single roll over," said Ramsey, who claimed that the ChumpCar race was one of the best experiences of his life and one more reason he is passionate about cars. He was delighted with the teamwork his employees and sponsors showed.

"Teamwork is what it's all about. None of this would have been possible without my employees and Cleveland Heights merchants who support one another," said Ramsey.