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Richard Golinello VIR event summary

Golinello Ninth in VIR Debut with Mustang Challenge ALTON, Va.--Richard Golinello had a lot going against him last weekend at Virginia International Raceway, but the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge rookie overcame every obstacle to finish ninth ...

Golinello Ninth in VIR Debut with Mustang Challenge

ALTON, Va.--Richard Golinello had a lot going against him last weekend at Virginia International Raceway, but the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge rookie overcame every obstacle to finish ninth in Sunday's race. After three rounds, Golinello and the No. 50 R&C Motorsports Mustang sit at ninth in points.

When the R&C Motorsports team pulled into Virginia International Raceway (VIR) last week, the No. 50 Ford Mustang was still in the process of being repaired from a violent crash in round one at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Crew members Gabe Watson and Nigel Tuckey got to work along with Glenn Long, whose Long Road Racing shop prepares the R&C Motorsports Mustang. They soon found themselves with extra help: competitors Rehagen Racing, Flying Horse Motorsports and Winkler Racing all loaned needed parts and extra hands.

Once the car was ready, Golinello went out for his first-ever laps around VIR's fast 3.27-mile course. A black flag ended the session early, so Golinello had to qualify with only five laps under his belt.

Golinello qualified 12th, and as his knowledge of the track grew and the R&C Motorsports Mustang's setup continued to improve, lap times began to fall rapidly.

Golinello was ready when the green flag flew on Sunday, and he crossed the finish line in ninth. "Ninth doesn't show everything that went into getting here," he said. "I really have to thank both our guys and the other teams for their help pulling it all together. We had a safe race and great competition. I can tell I've picked up the pace, and we identified some things to work on that will make us faster in the next round. We're learning at every race."

That next race will be at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, where the circumstances will be much different than they were heading into VIR. The R&C Motorsports Mustang is in great shape and Golinello is already familiar with the track. In fact, he'll be testing there later this week.

"I think we would have gotten a better result at VIR if we'd had more laps and a better qualifying spot," said Golinello. "Qualifying well is key, so we're really going to concentrate on that at Lime Rock."

The No. 50 R&C Motorsports Mustang will drive in the fourth race of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge on Saturday, May 29 at Lime Rock Park.

-source: Richard Golinello PR

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