ARCA EAST: Apparent start-and-park leaves Rita Goulet last in Fast Track debut
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Goulet’s Chevrolet shortly after pulling behind the wall with the “1” taped over what is likely a former No. 06 Wayne Peterson car (PHOTO: Mark Kristl/X/Twitter)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Goulet’s exact last-place finish history in ARCA East competition is a bit unclear. In the 2023 season opener, her car was towed off the grid and listed as out of the race with “suspension” as the reason out. While we at LASTCAR.info ruled Nate Moeller as the last-place finisher that day because Goulet had not taken the green flag, The Third Turn gave Goulet credit for the start, as did NASCAR’s Racing-Reference.info.
The following year, in 2024, Goulet again flirted with last place at Milwaukee, running one lap to Brian Clubb’s zero. Because Racing-Reference listed Clubb as out with “mechanical” issues, we ruled him as the last-place finisher. However, due to The Third Turn’s higher accuracy in listing reasons out, we have started to go by their rulings for the 2025, which would likely retroactively give Goulet the last-place finish since they ruled Clubb as a “did not start” status. Depending on how the reader defines their terms, Sunday’s race could perhaps be considered the first, second, or third time Goulet has finished last in her ARCA East career.
While I hope to build a more comprehensive last-place statistical database for the ARCA platform in the future, for today, I will leave the exact total of Goulet’s last-place finishes as an ambiguity until such stats are compiled with consistency in rulings and definitions.
Rita Goulet finished last in Sunday’s Music City 150 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway when her No. 01 Wayne Peterson Racing / Midas Chevrolet pulled behind the wall after two of 150 laps.
The finish came in Goulet’s 16th career ARCA East start.
Rita’s husband, Tim, appeared on this site after last month’s ARCA Menards Series West race at Tucson driving for Rise Motorsports, the team they co-own. While Rita has primarily driven her own equipment throughout her ARCA career, Sunday’s race saw her get behind the wheel of Fast Track Racing’s No. 01 entry in an effort that appears to have included heavy collaboration with Wayne Peterson Racing. Frontstretch’s Mark Kristl reported that Goulet’s entry was a planned start-and-park, a report that came to fruition when she parked her car after just 2 laps, securing the last-place finish.
In total, 16 cars appeared on the entry list. With no issues during practice, all 16 took the green flag. Goulet anchored the lone practice session, but inclement weather forced ARCA to cancel qualifying and set the lineup by owner points, giving Goulet an 11th-place spot on the grid and leaving Austin Vaughn as the 16th and final car in the starting lineup.
After Goulet pulled behind the wall, Mike Basham’s own Fast Track Racing entry was struck with mechanical problems, ending his race after nine laps. Vaughn retired from the race after 51 laps completed, as did D.L. Wilson, who made it nearly twice as far with 99 laps to his credit - both entries were listed as out due to “rear end” issues. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Jeff Maconi, the final car running at the finish with 132 laps completed, bringing his No. 86 Clubb Racing entry home in P12 and, more importantly, in one piece.
Up front, Max Reaves went two-for-two to start his young ARCA career, leading 147 of 150 laps en route to victory over Tyler Reif in second and Hunter Wright in third. Isaac Kitzmiller and Zachary Tinkle rounded out the top five and also currently sit 1-2 in the ARCA East championship standings, with Reif losing six points due to a roof height infraction in post-race technical inspection.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
16) #01-Rita Goulet / 2 laps / quit
15) #9-Mike Basham / 9 laps / mechanical
14) #34-Austin Vaughn / 51 laps / rear end
13) #10-D.L. Wilson / 99 laps / rear end
12) #86-Jeff Maconi / 132 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 3 of 8)
1st) Brad Smith Motorsports, Venturini Motorsports, Fast Track Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 3 of 8)
1st) Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet (1)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2025 ARCA season to view the full drivers’ standings for both the ARCA Menards Series and its East and West divisions. You can also find the manufacturers’ and owners’ standings for all three series HERE.
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 3 of 8)
