Detroit, Michigan
The Trans Am series made a return to the Motor City for 2016 to celebrate their 50th anniversary and showcase true American Muscle this past weekend. Capaldi Racing was one of the first teams to apply for this particular invitational only event in home territory. The #8 Wolverine Bronze / Ford Performance / Boss 302 Mustang would be piloted by local driver Craig Capaldi. The team and Capaldi have had prior experience with the 2.3 mile temporary circuit on Detroit’s Belle Isles, but have not captured the results they have been searching.
The team unloaded and the started preparations for the first of two scheduled races on the weekend. After limited practice time allotted for the teams, Capaldi would qualify the #8 Wolverine Bronze / Ford Performance / Boss 302 Mustang in the fourth starting position for race one. After a clean start and race long battles within the top of the field Capaldi found himself in the 4th position with 20 minutes remaining in race one. Once again the previous bad luck on the Isle would strike again, “With the nature of multi class racing you may not always be the fastest class, we were running 4th and the leaders from the upper Trans Am class got past me splitting us from the top 3 in our class. I don’t think the smell of their exhaust had made it past me yet and a full course caution came out. Really tough luck as this essentially this put the top 3 of our class a lap ahead of us as the safety car picked up the Trans Am leaders who had not made it past my competitors yet” stated Craig Capaldi. As the first checkered flag for the weekend fell, the #8 Wolverine Bronze / Ford Performance / Boss 302 Mustang would come home in a respectful 5th place finish.
Race two would be gridded by the previous day’s results putting the team in a 5th place starting position. The race would start under uncertain weather conditions and with Capaldi set on making a mark on the Belle Isle circuit. After avoiding some competitors attrition and battling in and out of a podium position it began to rain on and off during the later stages of the race. As the laps would down and the inclement weather approached Capaldi was able to make a pass stick for the final podium position just before the race would be put under caution with two laps remaining. As the rain began to fall, Capaldi would see the checkered flag for race to and bring the #8 Wolverine Bronze / Ford Performance / Boss 302 Mustang home in 3rd place. “It is absolutely amazing to get the team on the podium here, we have had some bad luck here the last few years and it even bit us yesterday but the team never gives up” stated Craig Capaldi.
The team has already begun preparation for potential future events in 2016 and are working to find additional partners to continue competing in 2016. “Our team really works hard at this, we haven’t had the car or Craig in a race since the season ending event at Daytona last season. I’m proud of our guys to step up and put a competitive showing together after such a long break, we are hoping we can compete for some more wins this season” states team principle Leo Capaldi.
Capaldi racing would like to thank all of our supporters who made this event possible. Wolverine Bronze Company (www.wolverinebronze.com) , Ford Performance (www.performanceparts.ford.com) , Burris Racing (www.burrisracing.com)
Catch all the Motor City 100 action from Detroit Belle Isle featuring a 90 broadcast of both races on Saturday, July 02, 2016, 12:00 PM ET