http://www.capaldiracing.com/index.htmlHot News!en2013-03-20T09:35:06-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:29:24 -0500News22013-03-20T09:35:06-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/st-pete-opener.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/st-pete-opener.html#unique-entry-id-23

Capaldi Racing is heading to St. Petersburg, FL, for the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge season opener with Mustang veteran, Brad Adams, and Mustang newcomer, Ardee Toppe – both piloting brand new Mustang Boss 302Ss. Brad, who has raced with Capaldi Racing in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will be driving an updated version of his familiar bright green “Who Dat!?” Mustang while Ardee will be making his Mustang debut in the Toppe Motorsport, Texas-livered Mustang. 

“We’re really excited to have Brad and Ardee on the team this year,” said Leo Capaldi. “Brad has been great to have on the team over the years and Ardee is a great addition. We have a lot of history with the Pirelli World Challenge, going back to 1999, and I’m really happy to be back for another year. Campaigning Brad’s and Ardee’s Mustangs and supporting Alec Udell in the Motorsport Development Group Mustang Boss 302R is fantastic. Having my son, Chris, running the Wolverine Bronze Co. Fiesta in the TCB class makes things even better!”

Coverage of rounds one and two from St. Petersburg will be live streamed on www.world-challengetv.com on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. EST and on Sunday at 10:25 a.m. EST. Like Capaldi Racing on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest team updates.]]>News22013-03-06T09:40:56-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/stong-showing-at-cota.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/stong-showing-at-cota.html#unique-entry-id-22

Capaldi Racing traveled to Austin Texas this past weekend with the #68 Wolverine Bronze Mustang Boss 302R to attack the Circuit of the Americas Formula One circuit. The team prepped for weeks in advance with high hopes of being the next "BIG" thing in Texas.

For the Austin event, Capaldi Racing welcomed back Mustang veteran Rick Edwards to pilot the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R alongside team regular Craig Capaldi. With the 20-turn, 3.4-mile track's recent construction and debut in 2012, very few had turned a wheel in anger until the first practice session for the weekend. Edwards and Capaldi took advantage of the test sessions working together to minimize the learning curve for the new facility. "The circuit here is extremely challenging. Despite being such a large track, there are a surprisingly lot of technical areas where we need to be on top of our game to get a good balance on the chassis to be fast," stated Craig.
 
Rick received the nod from team principal, Leo Capaldi, to lay down a time in qualifying to set the team's starting position for Saturday's 2.5-hour race. After some setup changes by the team, Rick headed out to qualify the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R on the outside of row 10 in the 20th starting position. With the very limited track time, and with both drivers and car continuously gaining speed every session, the team had their goals set high for another strong finish.
Edwards started the race after his qualifying effort and battled his way through the field of competitors while maintaining a clean car throughout his stint. "My goal is to have a clean car with good brakes still to hand over to Craig," Rick commented prior to the green flag. The game plan worked as he handed the reigns over to Capaldi just past the half way point of the race. Capaldi jumped in the saddle and after getting into a rhythm managed to put down the team's best laps of the weekend. When the dust settled, the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R crossed the finish line in the 17th position.

"Rick and Craig both had a huge learning curve this weekend and both the guys did a great job jumping in and being competitive. As usual, the team was flawless all weekend giving Craig and Rick the best equipment possible. You have to finish these events one by one to be there in the points at the end of the year and it's great to walk out of Austin with another strong finish," said Leo Capaldi.
 
Craig and the Wolverine Bronze/Capaldi Racing Mustang Boss 302R currently sit 15th in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season points and will be working hard to continue their strong performances. Tune in March 9th at 4:00 p.m. EST to SPEED Channel for race coverage from Austin.

Photo: Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography
]]>News22013-02-05T16:02:01-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-wc-tcb-class-2013.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-wc-tcb-class-2013.html#unique-entry-id-21

After a successful debut season within the Pirelli World Challenge TCB Class, Capaldi Racing is pleased to announce that it is returning to the series with the intent to campaign the entire 2013 season. However, instead of trusting the Ford Racing B-Spec Ford Fiesta to 2012 season runner-up, Craig Capaldi, Craig’s brother, Chris, has been chosen to pilot the car. A road racing veteran, Chris has extensive experience racing front wheel drive cars, driving a Ford Focus to multiple track records in NASA’s Spec Focus class, and taking a regional championship in that same car. Recently, Chris made the move to rear wheel drive and raced a two seasons in a 2005 Ford Mustang GT in NASA’s Camaro Mustang Challenge.

Chris will be running the full 14-race season with Wolverine Bronze Company on board as his primary sponsor. In addition to Wolverine Bronze, Chris will continue promoting 
Capaldi Racing’s efforts to raise awareness for the Band of Angels Foundation, a Michigan based charity that helps individuals and families with members with Down syndrome, autism, and other disabilities. 

“I couldn’t believe it when they asked me to run the Fiesta,” said Chris. “Ever since the B-Spec class was announced, I thought it sounded like a ton of fun. I’m excited to be working with Wolverine Bronze again this year. They are a great group of people and I can’t thank them enough for all their support. It’s also great to be able to put the Band of Angels in the national spotlight. We have a blast working with them at their various events. I’m looking forward to building on my brother’s (Craig) success last year.”

In addition to the Fiesta in TCB, Capaldi Racing will also be running two Mustangs in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class. Rounds 1-3 of the 2013 Pirelli Word Challenge TCB Season is May 17 at the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. Go to 
www.world-challengetv.com to watch live streaming of all the races and go to www.capaldiracing.com and like us on Facebook for team updates.]]>News22013-01-29T11:03:26-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/daytona-2013.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/daytona-2013.html#unique-entry-id-20

Fresh off a successful winter test at Daytona International Speedway, Capaldi Racing traveled back to the famed track for the 2013 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season opener.  Along with team driver, Craig Capaldi, the team welcomed back John Yarosz for the 2.5-hour race. John, who has never driven the #68 Wolverine Bronze Mustang Boss 302R at Daytona jumped into the driver’s seat for the weekend’s first practice session. During the session, John improved his lap times lap after lap as he learned Daytona’s 3.56-road course. Half way through the session, Craig got in and used experience and data collected during the winter test to help get the car set up for qualifying. Unfortunately, during the closing laps of practice, Craig made a mistake, which resulted with a run-in with a tire wall. Due to the tight timing between practice sessions, the team decided not to rush the repairs in order to make the second session; instead, they focused on taking their time to make sure the car was 100% for the following day’s qualifying session. Craig used the next day’s practice session to shake the car down and ended up setting the team’s fast lap of the weekend in that session.

Confident the car was ready, John hopped in for qualifying. Unfortunately, a lengthy caution period kept John from getting a clean lap, which resulted in the team’s 35th starting position. 

John started the race and ran a clean stint while staying out of trouble. At the 30-minute mark, the team took advantage of a full-course caution and pitted for fresh tires and fuel. During the stop, Craig jumped in and ran the remaining two hours of the race running as high as 12th. The team caught an unlucky break when a caution came out after the team made a green flag pit stop. Craig did his best to climb back up through the field and unfortunately, ran out of time finishing 22nd.

“It was great having John back on the team for Daytona,” said Leo Capaldi, team principal. “Even though we didn’t get the results we were looking for, I’m extremely proud of how hard the team worked to make sure the car was ready for every session and how the guys keep delivering fantastic pit stops regardless of the circumstances. It was a lot fun having Richard Smith from Wolverine Bronze in the pits with us for the race and it’s great having them back on board for 2013; you couldn’t ask for a better group to work with and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Coverage from Daytona will air on SPEED Channel Saturday, February 2 at 4:00 p.m. EST. Follow Capaldi Racing on Facebook and go to www.capaldiracing.com to stay up-to-date on the latest team news.

Photo: GRAND-AM]]>News22013-01-11T10:40:55-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/daytona-test-2013.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/daytona-test-2013.html#unique-entry-id-19

After a brief off-season break, Capaldi Racing traveled to the legendary Daytona International Speedway for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) official preseason test to kick off the 2013 racing season. For 2013, the team welcomed Wolverine Bronze back as its primary sponsor and Craig Capaldi is returning as the team driver. 
 
The weekend started off wet, with rain for both of Friday's sessions. Craig used the wet sessions to get used to the wet setup on the #68 Wolverine Bronze Mustang Boss 302R and to reacquaint himself with Daytona's 3.8-mile road course. 
 
The weather cleared for Saturday and Craig hit the dry track looking for more seat time at the track and steadily picked up his pace. Using data gathered from the weekend's first dry session on Saturday morning, the team made a few adjustments. Craig went out for the day's second session and immediately showed improvement by dropping two full seconds from his morning lap times.
 
"It's great to be back at Daytona in the Wolverine Bronze Boss 302R," said Craig. "I don't have much experience here, so our main goal for the weekend was to get seat time. We made continuous improvements over the weekend and while there are still a few things we need to work on, we're in a great position for the GRAND-AM season opener at Daytona at the end of the month. I can't thank Wolverine Bronze enough for their support over the years."
 
Capaldi Racing will be back on track with the GRAND-AM CTSCC January 24th for the GRAND-AM 200 at Daytona. John Yarosz will be back with the team after running at Watkins Glen with Tony Buffomante last year and will be joining Craig for the 2.5-hour race. Go to capaldiracing.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/officalcapaldiracing for team updates.]]>News22012-10-01T16:46:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/grand-am-season-finale-2012.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/grand-am-season-finale-2012.html#unique-entry-id-18

Lakeville, CT – Capaldi Racing returned to competition for the GRAND-AM season finale at the historic 1.53-mile, 7-turn Lime Rock Park in Lakeville Connecticut. The team welcomed two new drivers to the lineup to pilot the #68 Wolverine Bronze/COPI Ford Mustang Boss 302R. GRAND-AM regular Nick Galante joined efforts with teen sensation Alec Udell and Capaldi Racing hoping to end the 2012 season on a high note for all.

Track time was limited due to the time constraints from the series and the forecasted rain for the event so the team and drivers had their work cut out for them during the 2-day event. Friday brought the only two practice sessions followed by qualifying; it also brought an all-day rain to the circuit. Both drivers spent the practice sessions getting acquainted with the track and the car in its wet setup trim and gradually got faster throughout the day. As qualifying approach, so did more threatening weather, GRAND-AM made the decision to cancel qualifying and start the 2.5-hour race based off of team points putting the #68 entry in the 22nd starting position.

Race day arrived and the team was hopeful the inclement weather would hold off, and it did. The team spent the morning before the race making critical chassis adjustments for the now dry track conditions. “Neither Nick or Alec were able to get in any laps on a dry track because of the rain yesterday, so we are working hard off of previous experience to put a car out there that both these guys can drive to the front,” stated team principal Leo Capaldi. 

Galante was the first at bat as he took the wheel for the green flag. Nick stayed out of trouble and drove a great stint breaking into the top 10 by lap 28. After a mid-race restart the right rear of the car received a little contact from an overzealous competitor. As the laps and time wound down, it was time for the team to make a scheduled pit stop to get Udell into the hot seat. With four fresh tires, a tank of fuel, and young Alec now in the seat, the battle to the end was about to begin. Udell, much like teammate Galante, managed to stay out of trouble while consistently reeling in competitors one by one. As the race approached the last 20 minutes of the 2.5-hour race, Udell entered the front straight with a cloud of smoke in tail. The team radioed to Alec to shut the car down and coast to safety, the race would be over for the team. 

The team diagnosed the cause of the mechanical issue once back to the pits and after an inspection, the team realized that the contact Galante received in the right rear had broken the exhaust hangers. In turn the exhaust was able to make contact with the transmission cooler lines causing the line to rupture. “This is a real downer for our drivers and the team, everyone worked hard and we showed we had the speed to run up front. This is just one of those racing incidents that you never have control over.” stated Leo Capaldi post-race.

Capaldi Racing will be spending the off-season preparing for the 2013 Racing Season. Until then, Like Capaldi Racing on Facebook to stay up to date on team news. ]]>News22012-09-12T09:57:46-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/nasa-national-championships.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/nasa-national-championships.html#unique-entry-id-17

Capaldi Racing headed to the famed Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the annual 2012 NASA National Championships this past weekend seeking another National title. The #68 Wolverine Bronze BOSS 302R Mustang competed two different Super Touring categories with Craig Capaldi attempting to capture the top spot from series regulars in both classes. Also competing would be the #2 Wolverine Bronze Mustang GT in the ultra competitive Camaro Mustang Challenge Series. Team driver Chris Capaldi who normally campaigns the #2 Mustang GT was unable to attend with the recent birth of his first child, Craig Capaldi jumped into the seat for the weekend to keep the momentum going from the great season his brother has had in the car. Craig stated “Our original plan was to compete in Super Touring Two only, but now we are competing in three separate classes with two different cars and going for gold in all of them. We are looking to get both of our Wolverine Bronze Mustangs to the top of the charts!”

Super Touring 2

The weeklong event started with two qualifying races to determine the final starting position for the National Championship race. Capaldi and the team spent the sessions tuning the chassis and driver to get the most they could out of the combination. After a 5th and 7th place finish in the qualifiers, the #68 Wolverine Bronze BOSS 302R would start in the 7th spot for the big event. As the Championship race approached, so did the rain. The team had to make a last minute decision on what chassis setup would be best for the weather, with the rain soaking the track, the team was ready with a rain setup as the race started. From the green flag, Capaldi battled to make his charge to the front. Capaldi kept the car safe through numerous competitor spins and crashes and with a late race charge as the track dried the #68 Wolverine Bronze BOSS 302R came home in the 4th position. “It was very hectic trying to avoid other’s mistakes while trying to stay focused enough to prevent myself from making a mistake. The track was very slick and I was struggling to find enough grip to catch the leaders, I’m very happy to bring the car home safe as we still have one more Championship race to focus on with our Wolverine Bronze 302R” stated Capaldi post-race.

Camaro Mustang Challenge (CMC)

The team prepped for the same two race qualifying structure for the Championship race in the #2 Wolverine Bronze Mustang GT. The team chased a mechanical gremlin for both the qualifying races which would result in a disappointing 9th starting position for the Championship. The race began with a F1 style standing start. As the field raced into turn 1, Capaldi had already gained two positions. For next 45 minutes Capaldi battled with multiple competitors swapping positions multiple times and once again avoiding the multiple incidents around the Mid-Ohio track. As the race progressed, the mechanical gremlin showed its ugly face once again. “I was having to short shift the car about 2000 rpm under the rev limiter, and actually had to turn the main power off on a couple laps to reset the computer” stated Capaldi. Battling through to the end, Capaldi muscled his #2 Wolverine Bronze Mustang GT to a 7th place finish in the main event. Post-race Capaldi had this to say, “I am still happy to get the car to the end, but we really felt we had a chance to get this car up front for both Wolverine Bronze and my brother Chris who was unable to make the race”.

Super Touring R2

The team made a last minute decision to enter into the Super Touring R2 class to take one last shot at a Championship which in turn resulted in missing the two qualifying sessions. This would put the #68 Wolverine Bronze BOSS 302R at the back of the field for the Championship race. With only one direction to go, the team was ready to battle to the front.  The green flag flew and Capaldi passed multiple cars heading into the first turn, as Capaldi turned into the first corner he was hit by another competitor but managed to keep the car on track but lost all the positions gained at the start. As the race continued, the Wolverine Bronze BOSS 302R diced it out as Capaldi worked back towards the front of the field. After two last lap passes, Capaldi would end up in the 4th finishing position, Capaldi commented “I was pushing really hard the last couple laps trying to find the right place to get by the next two cars, the only place I was better was in the braking zones, I have to thank ALCON for the package they have put together, I was able to pass both cars deep in the braking zones, the brakes were amazing.”  The post-race technical inspection put a couple competitors in question for rule compliance. At the current time the official results are on hold but the #68 Wolverine Bronze BOSS 302R may end up with a podium spot after the dust settles, stay tuned for updates. 

Catch all the action form all three races at www.speedcasttv.com .

Capaldi Racing would like to thank all who have helped us get to this year’s National Championship. Wolverine Bronze Company, Ford Racing, ALCON Brakes, Centerforce Clutch.]]>News22012-08-03T12:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/history-at-indy.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/history-at-indy.html#unique-entry-id-16

The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) traveled to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indy) for round 8 of the 2012 season and the first-ever GRAND-AM race at the legendary track. Capaldi Racing arrived with a new member to the team, Byron Payne. Byron and veteran team driver, Tony Buffomante, shared the Wolverine Bronze/Garvin Brown/SikkU Mustang Boss 302R for Friday’s 2.5-hour Brickyard Sports Car Challenge. Byron brought lots of experience driving everything from sports cars to a Formula 1 car to the team. He is currently an instructor at the Boss Track Attack program at Miller Motorsports Park.

The team recently completed a weekend of testing at Indy to prepare for the race, so they used the event’s Friday morning practice session to finalize the car’s setup for qualifying. Right after the practice session, Byron qualified the car for the team, and earned the 23rd spot in the 70-car field. Byron started the first stint of the race and was hit on the first lap, knocking the car out of alignment. Despite this, he ran clean laps and with an hour to go in the race, he pitted for tires, fuel, and a driver change. The team had a fantastic stop, helping Tony gain 9 positions. He reentered the race in 12th place.

Soon after the pit stop and driver change, it started raining hard. The car started having an electrical problem and Tony had to be towed into the pits. While he team worked to correct the electrical issue, the race was red flagged due to standing water on the track from the torrential downpour. The race resumed with 38-minutes remaining and Tony reentered making up for lost time, crossing the line 21st.
 
“Racing at Indy has been a dream of mine since I started racing karts over 25 years ago,” said Tony. “It was an incredible experience and sharing it with Byron and the Capaldi Racing crew made it even better. Byron did a great job dealing with the car being out of alignment and it’s too bad we had the problem toward the end of the race. As usual, the team was fantastic all weekend, always having the car ready to go and giving us that incredible pit stop.”

Coverage from Indy will air on SPEED Channel on Sunday, August 8th at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Photo: GRAND-AM]]>News22012-07-05T13:26:11-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-returns-to-grand-am-racing.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-returns-to-grand-am-racing.html#unique-entry-id-15

After a brief absence while focusing on their World Challenge program, Capaldi Racing returned to the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) for round 7 at the famed Watkins Glen International Raceway in upstate New York. Team driver, Tony Buffomante, also returned to behind the wheel of the Capaldi Racing/Wolverine Bronze Mustang Boss 302R and welcomed John Yarosz to the team. John brought years of experience racing Corvettes with the SCCA and at Watkins Glen, but the weekend marked his first time driving the Boss 302R. 

The team spent Thursday’s Promoter Test Day familiarizing John with the Mustang and getting Tony back into the swing of things. John went on to qualify 27th for Saturday’s 2.5-hour race. John started the race kept it clean for the first 30-minutes, following which Tony jumped into the car during a stop for fuel and tires. Tony ran a clean stint and worked his way up to 14th until the engine started overheating and went into “limp home mode”. The team retired from the race with an hour remaining.

“It was great being back behind the wheel of the Boss 302R at my home track,” said Tony. “I won the Mustang Challenge race here with Capaldi Racing in 2010 and last year we were involved in a crash in the GRAND-AM race so we were hoping our luck would turn around for this race. John was a great addition to the team; it’s too bad we ran into the engine problems since John and I both ran strong stints. As usual, the team did a fantastic job all weekend and delivered another great pit stop. I can’t wait to be back with the team at Indy at the end of the month.”

Capaldi Racing will be back on track with the GRAND-AM CTSCC July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coverage from Watkins Glen will be aired on SPEED Channel on Saturday, July 14 at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Photo: Will Patterson Photography]]>News22012-06-06T12:00:30-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-finishes-on-the-podium-in-detroit.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-finishes-on-the-podium-in-detroit.html#unique-entry-id-14

Fresh off a podium finish at round 5 of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge GTS championship, Capaldi Racing was looking for a repeat performance at their hometown race, the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. Team drivers Aaron Povoledo (Total Lubricants/Dell’s Cherries/GSP Racing Mustang Boss 302S) and Craig Capaldi (Wolverine Bronze/Capaldi Racing/Animal Aid Mustang Boss 302R) entered the weekend’s two races with confidence. This confidence only grew after Aaron posted the second fastest time overall in Friday’s very wet practice session – faster than all but one GT car and a full five seconds faster than all GTS entries. Since this was Craig’s first World Challenge race and first race on a street circuit, he used the practice sessions to become familiar with the other drivers and with running a course surrounded by concrete walls. 

The weather improved for qualifying, and Aaron carried over his speed from practice, grabbing the number two starting position, just 0.05 seconds off of pole. Craig ran a consistent session coming back with the 14th quickest time. The first race was plagued by caution periods, which meant only seven green flag laps were raced. Peter Cunningham was able to get by Aaron, dropping him to third. Unfortunately, because the caution periods caused the race to finish under yellow, Aaron did not have an opportunity to challenge Cunningham for position and was forced to finish the race in third. Craig started the race 14th and ran a clean, consistent race, crossing the line in 15th.

The weekend featured two World Challenge races. With starting positions in the second race determined by the lap times achieved he previous day, Aaron started Sunday’s race in fourth, directly behind Cunningham. In the second lap, Aaron got into the marbles under braking, lost grip and made contact with another car. Aaron pitted and the team repaired the damage and Aaron rejoined the race five laps down, ultimately finishing 18th. Craig ran another clean race, moving up six places to finish the race in 12th. 

“Overall, we had a great weekend,” said Aaron. “We owned the wet practice session, and were really strong in qualifying. It’s unfortunate the first race had such a long caution period. It felt more like parade laps than a race. It was a shame that a racing incident hurt us in race two, but overall as a team we have made a tremendous step forward and I am excited about going to Mosport. I can’t thank Capaldi and GSP Racing enough for supplying a great Boss 302S all weekend. I’d also like to thank Total Lubricants, Dell’s Cherries, and SafeRacer for all their support.”

“This was my first time racing on a street circuit and it was definitely a great experience,” said Craig. “It took a while to get used to running on the narrow circuit, but overall, it was a lot of fun. The team never missed a beat all weekend, always delivering a great car. It was great running in our hometown with our hometown sponsors, Wolverine Bronze and the Animal Aid Foundation; I can’t thank them enough for their support”.

Capaldi Racing will be back on track with the Pirelli World Challenge June 22 for rounds 7 and 8 at Mosport. The two Detroit races will be aired on NBC Sports Network Saturday, July 7 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Like Capaldi Racing on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest in team news.]]>News22012-05-29T09:08:38-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-gears-up-for-hometown-race.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-gears-up-for-hometown-race.html#unique-entry-id-13

Chesterfield, Michigan-based and family operated Capaldi Racing is gearing up for the return of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix this weekend. The Detroit area team will be campaigning not just one, but three, 2013 Mustang Boss 302s in this weekend’s two Pirelli World Challenge races. Adding to the local color, among the three Capaldi Racing drivers will be Richmond, Michigan’s own Craig Capaldi. Craig, who has extensive experience in NASA American Iron and the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will be making his World Challenge debut in his Wolverine Bronze/Capaldi Racing/Animal Aid Foundation Mustang Boss 302R. Capaldi Racing’s primary sponsor, Roseville, Michigan-based Wolverine Bronze, will be supporting Craig in his first ever street race.

Craig is a second generation driver following in his father Leo’s footsteps. Leo Capaldi started racing karts when he was 12 years old and founded Capaldi Racing in 1979. Throughout the 1980’s, Capaldi Racing earned three national sprint titles, and five national enduro titles in karting. In 1990, Capaldi Racing moved to Pro Spec Racer Fords. From there, the team moved on to the Speed World Challenge where they campaigned a Mercury Cougar and a Ford Focus in the Touring Car category. Most recently, Capaldi Racing was a series regular in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge and has been racing Mustangs in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Pirelli World Challenge GTS Class. 

“We’re very proud to be a Detroit team, and as a Detroit team this race is very special to us. Both Craig and I were born within miles of Belle Isle and have grown up in the Detroit area” said Leo Capaldi, team principal. “Belle Isle is a very cool place for a race with the Detroit and Windsor skylines as the back drop. I remember watching the first Detroit Grand Prix in 1982, and thinking how great it would be to race on our hometown streets. It’s an amazing feeling not only to be campaigning one, but three Mustangs in the race. I can’t thank Wolverine Bronze and Ford Racing enough for their support to help make this happen.” 

In addition to Wolverine Bronze, Capaldi Racing will be working the Animal Aid Foundation, a Detroit area non-profit organization that works to place animals in loving homes and promotes educational programs about responsible pet ownership and the importance of spaying and neutering animals. Capaldi Racing’s goal is to raise awareness of Animal Aid to help them “speak for those who cannot speak for themselves”.

The two races will be streamed live at www.worldchallengetv.com. Like Capaldi Racing on Facebook and head over to www.capaldiracing.com for race updates throughout the weekend.]]>News22012-05-16T14:44:05-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-returns-to-the-world-challenge-podium.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-returns-to-the-world-challenge-podium.html#unique-entry-id-12

Capaldi and GSP Racing welcomed Aaron Povoledo to the team for round 5 of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge season at Laguna Seca. The weekend was Aaron’s, who placed second in the World Challenge Touring Car championship last year, first time behind the wheel of the #26 Total/Dell’s Cherries/GSP Racing Mustang Boss 302S. Aaron spent the weekend’s practice sessions getting used to the Mustang and got up to speed quickly, posting the 5th fastest time in the weekend’s 2nd practice session. Aaron took his knowledge gained in the practice sessions into qualifying and came back with a 7th place starting position for the 50-minute race.

During the race, Aaron stayed out of trouble running consistent laps and worked his way thought the field toward the front. The race’s two full-course cautions helped keep the field together which made Aaron’s job easier and soon, he found himself in fourth place right behind the Acura of Nick Esayian. Aaron made his move on the last lap. He was able to get by Esayian to finish the race in 3rd, Capaldi Racing’s best finish this year. 

“Wow, what a fantastic first race with a new team and car,” said Aaron. “I cannot thank GSP Racing and Capaldi Racing enough for their hard work. The crew worked non-stop making set up changes and improvements to the car. I’d like to thank Total Lubricants, Dell’s Cherries, Ford Racing, SafeRacer, and Bell Racing for all their support. I can’t wait for the Detroit Grand Prix!” 

Capaldi Racing will be back on track with the Pirelli World Challenge on June 1 for the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. Until then, go to www.world-challengetv.com to watch coverage from Laguna Seca and Like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on Team news.

Photo by Mark Webber, Pirelli World Challenge]]>News22012-05-04T12:28:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/first-fiesta-b-spec-pole.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/first-fiesta-b-spec-pole.html#unique-entry-id-11

B-Spec racing made its Pirelli World Challenge debut this past weekend at Miller Motorsport Park with the first three rounds of the season. Capaldi Racing traveled to Miller with team driver, Craig Capaldi, to contest the weekend’s three races with the Ford Racing/Capaldi Racing Ford Fiesta. Craig had very little seat time in the Fiesta as he headed out for qualifying for the weekend’s first race. A two-time NASA national champion in a Focus, Craig put his experience racing front-wheel drive Fords to good use and earned the first-ever pole position for the first-ever Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec race in his Ford Fiesta. 

In the first race, Craig was able to build a small gap during the first seven laps but was ultimately caught by the Mazda 2 of Shaun Bailey. During Craig and Shaun’s fight for position, Jonathan Start caught them in his Fiat 500. Start was able to get by the duo to take the lead, and Craig dropped to third where he finished the race. Craig started the second race third and spent the race battling with Shaun Bailey for second place. Again, Bailey was able to get the edge on Craig, causing Craig to finish third for the second consecutive race.  

Unlike races one and two, race three of the weekend featured a standing start. At the start, Craig jumped into the lead from his second place starting position. For the first four laps, Craig and the Honda Fit of Sage Marie battled for the lead, until Marie was able to pull away. After dropping to fourth during the race, Craig passed Start’s Fiat 500 for third on the last lap to claim the final step on the podium – his third third place finish and third podium finish of the weekend.

“That Ford Fiesta – what a great car! Last weekend featured some of the best racing I’ve ever been a part of,” said Craig. “This has a chance to be a really great class and it provided the closest racing of the weekend’s four World Challenge classes. It was literally door-to-door and mirror-to-mirror. I definitely see this class growing in the future. It’s an honor to earn Ford the first-ever pole in this new class and the fact that the car’s set up was never challenged is a testament to the package Ford Racing worked so hard to develop. I can’t thank them enough for all their support.”

Photo by Mark Webber, Pirelli World Challenge]]>News22012-04-09T08:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/bad-luck-at-barber-200.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/bad-luck-at-barber-200.html#unique-entry-id-8

Capaldi Racing traveled to Barber Motorsports Park for round 2 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) season with veteran team driver, Tony Buffomante, and also welcomed Brad Adams back to the team. Brad last raced with Capaldi Racing in the 2010 CTSCC season. The team arrived at Barber with their familiar silver and orange Mustang Boss 302R sporting new 2013 bodywork.   

The team spent the practice sessions setting the #68 Capaldi Racing/Wolverine Bronze Mustang Boss 302R up for the technically challenging 2.3-mile road course. Brad ended up qualifying the car 16th out of 37 cars in the GS class, his best CTSCC qualifying performance to date. When the green flag dropped, the 77-car field raced toward turn one. Unfortunately, a car carried too much speed into the turn and hit Brad and a number of other cars. 

Brad had to be towed back to the paddock and the team quickly assessed the damage. The impact broke the car’s steering rack and the team worked like crazy to replace that and fix the broken bodywork. The team got Brad back on track 45 minutes to the race and since there was another crash at the restart after the first lap incident the race hadn’t run a green flag lap. Brad reentered the race 15 laps down and began making up time. Brad pitted for fresh tires and fuel with about an hour left in the race and Tony jumped into the car. Tony spent the last hour running with the top 10 cars, but kept his distance since he was several laps down. Tony ran a clean stint and ended up finishing 22nd.  

“The first lap, first turn crash was a huge disappointment,” said Tony. “The team did a great job getting the car set up and it felt like a top 10 car. Brad had a great qualifying session, coming back with his best qualifying performance in the CTSCC. I’d like to give a huge thanks to the team for getting the car back out into the race so we could score some championship points.”

“It was great to be back racing with Capaldi Racing,” said Brad. “This was my first time racing the Boss 302R and it’s a blast. The team did a great job getting the car set up, and unfortunately we were in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is a really big disappointment. The team worked like crazy to get us back out on track and I can’t thank them enough for their efforts.”

Photo by Wes Duenkel]]>News22012-03-30T08:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-gsp-racing-success-at-season-opener.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-gsp-racing-success-at-season-opener.html#unique-entry-id-7

Capaldi Racing arrived in St. Petersburg for the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge season opener with a brand new car and a new driver. Car owner GSP Racing brought Alfonso Perri in to drive the Total/Dell’s Cherries/GSP Racing 2013 Mustang Boss 302S for the 2012 season. Although Alfonso has an extensive karting background, and years of experience in open wheel racing, this will be Alfonso’s first season in the World Challenge series. St. Petersburg was only to be the second time Alfonso drove the Mustang. 

The weekend looked promising in the practice sessions with Alfonso quickly learning the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course and posting lap times in the middle of the pack. After practice, the team made a few adjustments to the car and fitted a fresh set of Pirelli tires for qualifying and ended up qualifying 11th for the weekend’s first race. During the race, Alfonso ran clean, consistent laps and stayed out of trouble, moving up three positions by the end of the race to finish in 8th place. 

Alfonso started the second race in 7th. When the green flag dropped, the car stalled and Alfonso was forced to start the race at the back of the 47-car field. Alfonso pushed hard throughout the race making up time and worked his way back up to 17th overall (10th in GTS). Unfortunately, toward the end of the race, Alfonso got into the wall at turn 10 and was forced to retire, finishing the race 18th in GTS and 31st overall.  

“Overall we had a great weekend,” said Alfonso. “We were making progress all weekend and finishing in the top 10 (8th) in my first World Challenge race was fantastic.  We had a great starting position for the second race and even though the car stalled at the start, we had a great race making up time every lap. I’m very sorry to the team for getting into the wall and ending our race early. They never missed a beat all weekend and delivered a consistently great car. I’d like to thank Total, Dell’s Cherries, Picture Cars Inc., GearUp Safety Equipment, Eurokart Racing, and GSP Racing for their support.”

Capaldi Racing will be back on track with the Pirelli World Challenge April 13 for round 2 of the 2012 season on the streets of Long Beach. Coverage from St. Petersburg will air on NBC Sports Network Sunday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. EST.]]>News22012-03-21T08:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-gsp-racing-team-up.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-gsp-racing-team-up.html#unique-entry-id-6

After a successful 2011 Pirelli World Challenge Season, finishing 2nd in the GTS championship, Capaldi Racing is returning for the 2012 World Challenge season with an all-new car and team. GSP Racing and Capaldi Racing have teamed up with driver Alfonso Perri, Total Performance Engine Oil, and Dell’s Cherries to campaign the #26 Total/Dell’s Cherries 2013 Mustang Boss 302S in the GTS class. 

This will be Alfonso Perri’s first year in the Pirelli World Challenge. He started racing karts when he was 11 years old and quickly moved to Europe to race on the international stage. After karting, Alfonso moved to Formula F competition and also coached other drivers. The team’s first race is March 24 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. 

“I can’t wait for the season to start,” said Alfonso. “Our test was the first time I drove the Boss, and I had a blast. I can’t thank Gino Lucci (President of GSP Racing) enough for the opportunity to race in the World Challenge this year. I’d also like to thank Total, Dell’s Cherries, Picture Cars Inc., GearUp Safety Equipment, Eurokart Racing, and GSP Racing for all their support. I’m really looking forward to working with Capaldi Racing. They are a great group of people who have had a lot of success in World Challenge. I’m going to do my best to give everyone a great year!” 

“It’s great to be back in World Challenge this year,” said Leo Capaldi, team principal. “We had a lot of success in the older Mustang FR500S last year, so I can’t wait to see how things go with the all-new Boss 302S. Gino and Alfonso are fitting right in with the team, so we are going to have a great year. Like last year, we are going to be racing to build awareness for a great charity - the Carroll Shelby Foundation - and it’s an honor to help out.”

Capaldi Racing will be on track with the Pirelli World Challenge this weekend, March 23-25 for the season opening races on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Go to www.world-challenge.com to watch live streaming of the races and visit www.capaldiracing.com and Like Us on Facebook to stay up to date with team news.

About Total Performance Engine Oil. Total is a leading multinational energy company with 96,387 employees and operations in more than 130 countries. Total engages in all aspects of the petroleum industry, including upstream operations (oil and gas exploration, development and production, LNG) and downstream operations (refining, marketing and the trading and shipping of crude oil and petroleum products) and is also a major actor in chemicals (base and specialty chemicals). 

About Dell’s Maraschino Cherries. Dell's Maraschino Cherries was founded in 1948 as a and since then, three generations of hands-on management has made Dell's the premier Maraschino Cherry company. Only the choicest cherries are hand harvested direct from select farmers across the country and arrive in their fully automated establishment. With this high level of control, they stay committed to providing the best quality and largest variety of cherries nationwide.]]>News22012-02-04T12:00:00-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/strong-finish-at-daytona.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/strong-finish-at-daytona.html#unique-entry-id-5

After signing a last minute deal with Wolverine Bronze, Capaldi Racing headed down to Daytona International Speedway for the 2012 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) season opener. Team drivers, Tony Buffomante and Craig Capaldi, had their work cut out for them after missing Grand-Am’s pre-season testing sessions earlier in the month. Since this was Craig’s first time racing at Daytona, he went out in the first practice session to learn the 3.56-mile track. Tony and Craig worked together in the following practice sessions to get the car set up for the 2.5-hour race. Craig went out for qualifying having only driven 15 laps during practice and put the car 23rd on the grid for the race.]]>News22012-01-25T12:00:00-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/tony-buffomante-raceday-interview.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/tony-buffomante-raceday-interview.html#unique-entry-id-4

Capaldi Racing’s Tony Buffomante was a featured guest on Rob D'Amico’s RaceDay on Fox radio show on Sunday, January 22.  The show aired live on Fox Sports Radio (XM Channel 169) and was streamed on www.foxsports.com and www.iHeartRaceDay.com.  During the interview, Tony and Rob discussed Capaldi Racing’s upcoming season in Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC), the team’s impressive performance toward the end of the 2011 CTSCC season, the new partnership between Capaldi Racing and Wolverine Bronze, and the Team’s new Ford Racing Boss 302R race car.  

CLICK HERE to listen to Tony’s interview. 

Also on the show was Ford Racing’s Mark Wilson.  Mark and Rob talked about Ford Racing’s turnkey race car program and the success they had last year with the Boss 302S in World Challenge and the Boss 302R in Grand-Am.  

CLICK HERE to listen to Mark’s interview.]]>News22011-09-23T12:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/grand-am-season-finale-2011.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/grand-am-season-finale-2011.html#unique-entry-id-3

Capaldi Racing traveled to its home track, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, for the EMCO Gears Classic - the final round of Grand-Am's 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) season. The team finished preparing the #68 Capaldi Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302R just days before team drivers Tony Buffomante and Kyle Gimple got behind the wheel for practice. Tony and Kyle spent the weekend's practice sessions working with the team to get the new car dialed in. Tony took the car out for qualifying and set the 6th fastest time for a spot on the 3rd row of the grid for the 2.5-hour race.]]>News22011-10-10T12:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/world-challenge-season-finale-2011.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/world-challenge-season-finale-2011.html#unique-entry-id-2

Capaldi Racing traveled to Road Atlanta for the Pirelli World Challenge season finale looking to end the bad luck streak that plagued them for the past two races at Infineon Raceway and Laguna Sega.  Road Atlanta is the home track for team driver, Eric Foss, and Eric has a lot of experience there.  Needless to say, the team was hopeful going into practice.  ]]>News22011-11-02T12:00:00-04:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-sema-focus.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/capaldi-racing-sema-focus.html#unique-entry-id-1

Racing in both the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Pirelli World Challenge this year has left Capaldi Racing with very little down time.  Even though the racing season is over, Capaldi Racing hasn't slowed down a bit. Since the team's last race at Road Atlanta in early October, they have been working non-stop getting their latest build ready for display as a feature vehicle in Ford Motor Company's major indoor exhibit in this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.  ]]>News22012-01-17T12:00:00-05:00http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/daytona-2012.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.capaldiracing.com/files/daytona-2012.html#unique-entry-id-0

After an up-and-down beginning to the 2011 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) Series for Capaldi Racing, the team got hot in the final two races with the arrival of theirnew Mustang Boss 302R. With their first pole, a track record, and a top 10 finish in the last two races, Team Principal, Leo Capaldi, was excited about the momentum heading into the off-season. "We learned a lot as a team in 2011", Capaldi said, "and I am confident we are well positioned for more success as we head into 2012!"]]>