Rita Goulet Explained

Rita Goulet
Nationality: American
Birth Place:Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Birth Date:25 August 1983
Birth Name:Ritamarie Thomason
Total Arca Races:10
Years In Arca:3
Arca Car Team:No. 31 (Rise Motorsports)
Best Arca Pos:32nd (2023)
First Arca Race:2022 Zinsser SmartCoat 200 (Berlin)
Last Arca Race:2024 General Tire 150 (Dover)
Arca Wins:0
Arca Top Tens:0
Arca Poles:0
Total Arca East Races:11
Years In Arca East:3
Arca East Car Team:No. 31 (Rise Motorsports)
Best Arca East Pos:12th (2023)
First Arca East Race:2022 Sprecher 150 (Milwaukee)
Last Arca East Race:2024 Dutch Boy 150 (Flat Rock)
Arca East Wins:0
Arca East Top Tens:0
Arca East Poles:0
Updated:May 20, 2024
Embed:yes
Department:Gastonia Police Department
Serviceyears:2022-present

Ritamarie Goulet (nee 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

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

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.[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

Early career

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.

ARCA Menards Series

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]

thumb|left|Goulet's No. 31 car at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2024Since 2023, Goulet has driven for her own team, Rise Motorsports.

Personal life

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.

Motorsports career results

ARCA Menards Series

(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
YearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920PtsRef
2022Clubb Racing Inc.03ChevyDAYPHOTALKANCLTIOWBLN
ELKMOH
POCIRPMCH37th100[7]
Wayne Peterson Racing with
Tim Goulet Enterprises
06ChevyGLN
ISF
Tim Goulet Enterprises31ChevyMLW
DSFKANBRISLMTOL
2023Rise MotorsportsDAYPHOTALKANCLTBLNELK
MOHIOW
POCMCHIRP
GLNISFMLW
DSFKAN
BRI
SLMTOL
32nd143[8]
2024DAYPHOTALDOV
KANCLTIOW
MOHBLNIRP
SLM
ELKMCHISFMLW
DSFGLNBRIKANTOL-*-*[9]

ARCA Menards Series East

ARCA Menards Series East results
YearTeamNo.Make12345678PtsRef
2022Tim Goulet Enterprises31ChevyNSMFIFDOVNSVIOWMLW
BRI56th19[10]
2023Rise MotorsportsFIF
DOV
NSV
FRSIOW
IRP
MLW
BRI
12th177[11]
2024FIF
DOV
NSV
FRS
IOW
IRP
MLW
BRI-*-*[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ackley . J. A. . 2021-09-28 . Rita Thomason: The Long Road to ARCA . 2022-07-04 . Rock The Curb.
  2. Web site: Haislop . Tadd . 2022-06-17 . Proudly bisexual, resilient and ready to race: Rita Thomason set for ARCA Menards Series debut . 2022-07-04 . ARCA.
  3. Web site: Christie . Toby . 2022-06-16 . Rita Thomason and Her Unbelievable Journey to First ARCA Start . 2022-07-04 . TobyChristie.com.
  4. Web site: Thomason . Rita . About Rita Thomason . 2022-07-04 . RacingCop.com.
  5. Web site: Rise Motorsports - Driver/Team Owner Rita Goulet . January 10, 2023 . Rise Motorsports.
  6. Web site: Kristl . Mark . 2021-11-05 . Alex Clubb Fielding His Own ARCA Team, Hopeful to Run Full Season . 2022-07-04 . Frontstretch.com.
  7. Web site: Rita Thomason – 2022 ARCA Menards Series results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 4, 2022.
  8. Web site: Rita Goulet – 2023 ARCA Menards Series results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. June 21, 2023.
  9. Web site: Rita Goulet – 2024 ARCA Menards Series results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. April 26, 2024.
  10. Web site: Rita Thomason – 2022 ARCA Menards Series East results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 10, 2023.
  11. Web site: Rita Goulet – 2023 ARCA Menards Series East results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. March 26, 2023.
  12. Web site: Rita Goulet – 2024 ARCA Menards Series East results. Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. March 20, 2024.