[ arrive. drive. win. ]
Capaldi Racing Continues Podium Streak at Mid-Ohio
After the practice sessions, Tony was the quickest, while Steve Phillips and Craig were both comfortably in the top 10. In qualifying, Tony attacked the track and set the 2nd fastest time, while Craig and Steve both stepped it up, qualifying 4th and 5th respectively. When the green flag dropped for the race, Tony settled in behind pole sitter Jason von Kluge where he remained for the remainder of the race, finishing 2nd. Craig held his 4th place starting position for the first part of the race, until Mustang Challenge veteran drivers Pratt Cole and Dan Aweida got by, dropping Craig to 6th where he finished. Starting in 5th, Steve ran a solid race, but an encounter with the #81 car dropped him to 10th where he would cross the finish line.
“Jason was fast all weekend,” said Tony. “We did everything we could to catch him but he was on top of his game and never gave me a chance to make a move. The team did a great job setting up the #34 Capaldi Racing FR500S, and I can’t wait until New Jersey. Congratulations to Jason for the win and to Craig for a great first race.”
“Capaldi Racing had the #22 FR500S prepared perfectly for the Mid Ohio race weekend,” said Steve. “I missed having Craig Capaldi as my crew chief, but it was great having him join Tony and me as a teammate and he had a great debut race. Brian Vinson did a great job stepping in as my crew chief and made sure I always had a great car. We had a top 5 car all weekend, and were really strong in the race until an encounter with Kyle Gimple late in the race dropped me to 10th. The #19 FR500C was flawless in the Continental race. Brad Adams and I had a strong run crossing the finish line in 15th place on the lead lap, our best finish to date. Brian Smith, our engineer, had a perfect pit strategy and the entire Capaldi team did a stellar job in preparing the car. I can’t wait for New Jersey and another strong finish for the Capaldi Racing Team.”
“I am extremely pleased with the results of my first Mustang Challenge race,” said Craig. “I was able to keep up with the leaders for the first part of the race, but I overdrove the car and used up my brakes and tires and as a result Pratt and Dan got by me. Thanks to my Dad for the opportunity to race on Fathers' Day and to Tony for the coaching. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
The next Ford Racing Mustang Challenge race is a double-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park July 17-18. Visit www.capaldiracing.com for Capaldi Racing team updates.
Capaldi Racing, Inc., is a professional race team with 30 years racing experience that offers a wide range of racing services and products. The team’s goal is to provide the best services, equipment, crew and results to ensure an enjoyable and rewarding experience for the drivers and their guests. Capaldi Racing has extensive experience when it comes to road racing Ford vehicles, and provides a full service racing experience from car build and prep to trackside support to ongoing maintenance for those interested in NASA’s Spec Focus Series, American Iron, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge series, or the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series. For more information on Capaldi Racing, go to www.capaldiracing.com or call 586-949-RACE.