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Rita Goulet

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Rita Goulet
Goulet at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2024
BornRitamarie Thomason
(1983-08-25) August 25, 1983 (age 41)
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
ARCA Menards Series career
15 races run over 3 years
ARCA no., teamNo. 31 (Rise Motorsports)
Best finish32nd (2023, 2024)
First race2022 Zinsser SmartCoat 200 (Berlin)
Last race2024 Reese's 150 (Kansas)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
ARCA Menards Series East career
14 races run over 3 years
ARCA East no., teamNo. 31 (Rise Motorsports)
Best finish8th (2024)
First race2022 Sprecher 150 (Milwaukee)
Last race2024 Sprecher 150 (Milwaukee)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of October 17, 2024
Police career
DepartmentGastonia Police Department
Service years2022–present
.

Ritamarie Goulet (née Thomason; born August 25, 1983) is an American amateur auto racing driver and police sergeant. She competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 31 Chevrolet SS for Rise Motorsports, and currently serves as a police officer for the Gastonia Police Department in North Carolina. She was previously employed as a police sergeant for the Tuscaloosa Police Department in Alabama.

Early life

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Thomason was born on August 25, 1983, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to a poor family. Thomason eventually settled in Alaska when she was 11. Her parents got divorced when she was 15. She was kicked out of her house, and was moved into a homeless shelter at the age of 16. During the events of 9/11, she continued to live in a homeless shelter, and worked part-time at a tourist attraction in Anchorage. After seeing the attack unfold on a little break room TV, she was desired to help others in difficult situations, which gave her the courage to train as a paramedic. She was transferred into a vocational school to train as a medical assistant. She was later offered an opportunity to finish her paramedic training in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for which she accepted.[1][2][3]

Law enforcement career

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After working as a paramedic for five years, Thomason began working as a police sergeant for the Tuscaloosa Police Department in 2011. She states that her persistent desire to help others led to a law enforcement career. She also works as a school resource officer on Monday mornings, a security guard for an apartment complex on Monday and Tuesday nights, and provides security for a local hospital on Thursday nights. During the weekends, she works at a game-style bowling alley.[2][4]

After moving to Denver, North Carolina in late 2022 with her husband, she began working as an officer for the Gastonia Police Department.[5]

Racing career

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Early career

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Thomason's interest for racing came at 11-years old, after her family purchased their first car, a 1983 Subaru wagon. She explained that the car "was more rust than car at this point." She began to drive at the age of 23, and purchased a 1992 Mazda Miata. She officially started racing in 2018, at 33-years old, driving in an autocross event. She found out that amateur club racing was something that she wanted to do, so she began to strip off the interior of her Miata and make it into a race car. She started driving competitively in the SCCA in 2019, racing mostly on road courses. She received her racing license at the end of the season in November. In 2020, she began racing in the ChampCar Endurance Series, along with the 24 Hours of Lemons. That same year, she would earn a couple of wins in the SCCA. After watching old NASCAR races, she decided she wanted to go stock car racing. In 2021, she sold her Miata, along with her trailer, and purchased a 2014 Chevrolet SS stock car. She had her car tuned up by Dick and Bob Rahilly, the owners of RahMoc Enterprises.[2][3][4]

ARCA Menards Series

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During the fall of 2021, Thomason tested her stock car at local road courses. She would sign part-time with Clubb Racing Inc. for the 2022 ARCA Menards Series, where she planned to run two road courses, and 2-4 short tracks. She made her first start at Berlin Raceway, where she started 15th, and finished 12th.[6]

Goulet's No. 31 car at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2024

Since 2023, Goulet has driven for her own team, Rise Motorsports.

Personal life

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Thomason met her first husband when she was 17, living at a homeless shelter at the time. They got married two years later. Thomason explains that she was sexually, physically, and financially abused by him. She also explains that he had control of what she did, and wouldn't allow her to drive, which eventually lead to a divorce. She moved to Alabama to avoid contact with her ex-husband, and would later meet her second husband. They both married after the move, but got divorced soon after, as they realized they were better off as friends. She met her third husband a few years later, and sometime during 2022, they divorced. Thomason met NASCAR pit crew member Tim Goulet in early 2022, and realized that they both had the same goals of owning an ARCA Menards Series team in the near future. Rita and Tim married on January 1, 2023, and they currently reside in Denver, North Carolina, with a daughter and a son from Tim's previous marriage.[2][3][5]

Motorsports career results

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ARCA Menards Series

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 AMSC Pts Ref
2022 Clubb Racing Inc. 03 Chevy DAY PHO TAL KAN CLT IOW BLN
12 		ELK MOH
19 		POC IRP MCH 37th 100 [7]
Wayne Peterson Racing with
Tim Goulet Enterprises 		06 Chevy GLN
20 		ISF
Tim Goulet Enterprises 31 Chevy MLW
25 		DSF KAN BRI SLM TOL
2023 Rise Motorsports DAY PHO TAL KAN CLT BLN ELK
14 		MOH IOW
16 		POC MCH IRP
16 		GLN ISF MLW
17 		DSF KAN
Wth 		BRI
QL 		SLM TOL
14 		32nd 143 [8]
2024 DAY PHO TAL DOV
23 		KAN CLT IOW
21 		MOH BLN IRP
20 		SLM
13 		ELK MCH ISF MLW
23 		DSF GLN BRI KAN
19 		TOL 32nd 145 [9]

ARCA Menards Series East

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ARCA Menards Series East results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 AMSEC Pts Ref
2022 Tim Goulet Enterprises 31 Chevy NSM FIF DOV NSV IOW MLW
25 		BRI 56th 19 [10]
2023 Rise Motorsports FIF
15 		DOV
12 		NSV
11 		FRS IOW
16 		IRP
16 		MLW
17 		BRI
QL 		12th 177 [11]
2024 FIF
13 		DOV
23 		NSV
13 		FRS
14 		IOW
21 		IRP
20 		MLW
23 		BRI 8th 231 [12]

References

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  1. ^ Ackley, J. A. (September 28, 2021). "Rita Thomason: The Long Road to ARCA". Rock The Curb. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Haislop, Tadd (June 17, 2022). "Proudly bisexual, resilient and ready to race: Rita Thomason set for ARCA Menards Series debut". ARCA. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Christie, Toby (June 16, 2022). "Rita Thomason and Her Unbelievable Journey to First ARCA Start". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Thomason, Rita. "About Rita Thomason". RacingCop.com. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Rise Motorsports — Driver/Team Owner Rita Goulet". Rise Motorsports. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Kristl, Mark (November 5, 2021). "Alex Clubb Fielding His Own ARCA Team, Hopeful to Run Full Season". Frontstretch.com. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  7. ^ "Rita Thomason – 2022 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  8. ^ "Rita Goulet – 2023 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Rita Goulet – 2024 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Rita Thomason – 2022 ARCA Menards Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  11. ^ "Rita Goulet – 2023 ARCA Menards Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  12. ^ "Rita Goulet – 2024 ARCA Menards Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
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