Richard Golinello Millville event notes

Golinello Earns Two Top-Ten Finishes at New Jersey

MILLVILLE, N.J.--For Richard Golinello, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge double-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park was about learning and moving forward. At the same time, Golinello drove to two top-ten finishes in his No. 50 R&C Motorsports Ford Mustang.

The seventh and eighth rounds of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series were held on Saturday and Sunday at the 2.25-mile New Jersey circuit. Golinello tested there recently, marking his first visit to the track, but the real results came during the races.

"I learned a lot more by being out there with my competitors," says Golinello. "I got some great pointers from Tom Long with Long Road Racing, and my lap times were almost a second faster in the second race." Golinello adds that watching series standout Jason von Kluge also helped him make adjustments to drop lap times.

Golinello both qualified and finished tenth in Saturday's race. He followed that up with ninth in the race on Sunday. "I had a great battle with Brad Adams in the second race," says Golinello. "We raced really hard and had a lot of fun."

Since this year is Golinello's rookie season in racing, he is still learning every weekend. The high heat and slippery track conditions were a new challenge during round six at Mid-Ohio, but Golinello was prepared for it at New Jersey.

In fact, Golinello praises the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series for his steep learning curve this year. "I've improved so much as a driver that I can't even put it into words," says Golinello. "This is a great series, and I've loved competing here this year. I've become friends with a lot of these guys, and I've seen dramatic improvement in my performance."

With such a positive start to his racing career, Golinello is already considering plans for the 2011 season. He's certain about one thing: "I want to continue racing my Mustang," he enthuses.

In the meantime, Golinello still has three rounds to look forward to before the 2010 season wraps up. He heads to Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, for round nine of the series from July 31-August 1. Expect Golinello to end the season on a high note as his year of learning culminates in the final rounds of 2010.

-source: rc PR/bd