Rise Motorsports

About Us

Rise Up!

Rise Motorsports is the brainchild of Rita and Tim Goulet. They are running a team in NASCAR's ARCA Menard's Series, with plans to field a race truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the near future.

A different sort of team

We want to provide the best experience possible for funded drivers who are operating on a budget. Even though we lack some of the fancy stuff the big-name teams can provide, you're going to get world-class driver coaching, a car built and set up by veterans of the industry, along with a work ethic and attention to detail that you won't find anywhere else.

Partnership opportunities available!

We specialize in up-and-coming business trying to increase their advertising exposure on a national stage. If that sounds like you, reach out to us!

team Owner Tim Goulet

Willing to do whatever it takes!

Tim Goulet grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a short distance from the "Milwaukee Mile" racetrack. He watched the NASCAR Trucks Series race at the Mile and dreamed of someday being able to race on that same track. As Tim grew up, his love for racing never lessened, and he raced a late model at his local dirt tracks for several years. He even managed to race at his beloved Milwaukee Mile three times. Tim went to school to become an industrial mechanic, but as the years went by, his desire grew to again become involved in racing. Several years ago, Tim decided to follow his dreams, moved his family to North Carolina, and started working with Mike Harmon Racing, first as a pit crew member, car chief, and finally as crew chief. Tim has worked for several teams throughout the years, including MBM Motorsports and Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, but deep down, he wanted to someday own his own ARCA team and eventually, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. He met Rita in early 2022 while she was volunteering as a pit crew member for the Phoenix race, and over the past year, discovered that they had similar goals. In early 2023, together they founded Rise Motorsports with the hope of being able to mentor future drivers and crew members and contribute in some small way to the future of ARCA and NASCAR. Rita and Tim married January 1st, 2023, and live in Denver, North Carolina, with his daughter, Sophia, son, Timmy Jr, three cats, and one very weird dog.

Driver/Team owner Rita Goulet

Police Officer turned Racecar Driver

Rita started from humble beginnings, even experiencing homelessness as a teen, but turned her life around and became a police officer in her mid-20's. She was later promoted to patrol sergeant (the only female patrol sergeant at her agency) Through it all, she harbored a love of fast cars, and finally started turning her dream into a reality, racing her Mazda Miata in local amateur series. Though she found success, she still longed for the powerful V8 engines and harrowing NASCAR tracks, so she sold her Miata, bought a NASCAR stock car, and raced for several teams throughout 2022. While racing, she met Tim Goulet, and they realized they shared the same vision in creating a more affordable driver development pipeline into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Rita moved down to Denver, North Carolina in late 2022 and is currently employed as a police officer with the Gastonia (NC) Police Department. Rita is looking forward to racing a part time schedule in the ARCA Menard's Series in 2023. When not working with Rise Motorsports, she volunteers for the NASCAR Xfinity Series team Mike Harmon Racing.

Driver Stephen Leicht

2012 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year

Stephen has an incredibly storied racing history, with over 150 feature wins in quarter midgets and go-karts, and was the 2005 ASA Late Model Champion. He earned his first ARCA win at Nashville Superspeedway, and has competed extensively in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Tim Goulet was Stephen's crew chief for several of his races, and they forged a lifelong friendship. Stephen is racing with Rise Motorsports on a part time schedule, as well as providing mentorship and driver coaching for our up-and-coming drivers.

crew chief sebastian "seabass" laforge

A wealth of experience!

Sebastian grew up in the small town of Liberty, Maine, with a passion for cars beginning at a young age. He watched many races at home with his father and grandfather. That passion grew by attending University of Northwestern Ohio (Class of 2014) and earning an associate degree in Automotive - High Performance Technology. Sebastian has enjoyed his nearly 12-year career by first interning for Andy Hillenburg and several ARCA teams as a mechanic and pit crew member. In July of 2011, he joined MBM (Carl Long), with two Daytona 500 starts, including a top 5 Daytona finish. He then joined Alpha Prime Racing (Tommy Joe Martins) in January of 2022. He enjoys teaching what has been handed down to him. Sebastian is known for his attention to detail and meticulous note taking. We are honored to have Sebastian, along with his wife, Tory and their dog, Tommy Pickles, to be a part of our family.