IZOD IndyCar Series: Kentucky Indy 300

Topics:  Kentucky Indy 300

Ed Carpenter
Dan Wheldon
September 4, 2010

SPARTA, KENTUCKY

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with today's post-race press conference. We are joined by our second place finisher, Ed Carpenter of Panther Racing. Ed finished second, as I mentioned, equaling a career best which was here last year at Kentucky. Talk about tonight's race.
ED CARPENTER: It was a lot different than last year, that's for sure. Everyone was really equal tonight. It was hard to pass because it seemed like everyone had the same setup on almost.
Early on Dan and I were both really strong working together, got a little bit of a gap. I was really loose, really loose early in the race, in the first stop we made a pretty big front wing change, and I think that ultimately was part of the reason why we lost so many spots in the first pit stop, and I think we dropped back to 11th or 12th, and to be honest, it took the entire rest of the race to work our way back to the front.
THE MODERATOR: And I think it was obviously a different position for you this year having a teammate up front to work with. Talk about that.
ED CARPENTER: I think Dan and I, whether it's been in Indy, Chicago or here, we've worked really well together. I think I've helped him, he's helped me. You know, every time that we've had a two-car team with Panther, one of us has been on the podium and now both of us are. So I think that's something to be proud of.
THE MODERATOR: We're also joined by our third place finisher, Dan Wheldon, his second consecutive podium finish. Dan led 93 laps tonight, scoring the points for most laps led. Dan, talk about your race.
DAN WHELDON: You know, I think first and foremost, the whole Panther Racing team has done a phenomenal job, to bring the two cars that they did, sent me to these last few races, they performed very well. And I think having Ed on board, not only has it been a great working relationship that we seem to share, but I think, and I think Ed will agree, that the team really have gelled very well, and I think that their game has been raised because of that. So it's been a fantastic addition.
I think for me personally the race went very, very well. Certainly I owe a lot to the No. 4 boys. They did a fantastic job in the pits. I think I came in with Dario pretty close to my gearbox and was able to leave a fair ways ahead on what was a very crucial stop. So that was all credit to them.
You know, it just was a great race. It was just unfortunate the way it ended, but that happens, and I think that will only spur us on. I'm wishing the person to the right will race at Motegi with us, and I'm still going to keep working him for that, so Bob Curry, if you're listening, please can we add one race to his schedule, I'll be extremely proud of you for doing that.
But no, it was a great race. I'm not going to lie, I was bummed that it didn't turn out different, but like I said, I think that's going to motivate us even more for these last two races, and I think as a lot of people could see, the equality of the Hondas out there was pretty good, too. It was very, very tight, but just enjoying the series a lot, and the last two races have been good.

Q.. Last year your second place finish was kind of like in a lot of ways coming of age for you as an IndyCar driver. But you really seemed kind of bummed out tonight that you're losing to a guy that's won it on fuel.
ED CARPENTER: Yeah, I think Dan and I can say we probably had the best cars in the race, but the best car doesn't always win. That's racing. It's one of those things. They didn't even -- they kind of got forced into that strategy, so that's just the way it goes sometimes. It was his night. It was meant to be. But I am a little bummed out.

Q.. When did you guys become aware that Helio (indiscernible).
ED CARPENTER: I don't know about Dan, but my team didn't tell me. We came in probably last flash, and my spotter was talking to me telling me where Dan was, and for a second I thought when I cycled in front of him we were going to win, and then when I came down the front stretch I looked up at the pylon and I saw No. 3 up there, and I was just praying he was going to run out of fuel, but it didn't happen.
DAN WHELDON: I don't think they'd dare tell me that after the race I had. So no, it was one of those things where when I saw Ed come out of the pits, I was at least hoping if I wasn't going to be able to win, it would be him, and then they told me there was a Penske, like a fair ways ahead. So I could obviously tell from that point on.
ED CARPENTER: And I think that's why, you would think we'd be happier with both of us on the podium, but with the weekend we had, I think we were expecting for one of us to win the race.

Q.. (Indiscernible.)
DAN WHELDON: You know, I think with -- as close as -- and it doesn't matter if it's a road course or an oval, if you've got two lots of information coming in, it makes a huge difference, particularly with the limited testing that you're allowed to do in the series. You know, it's no good having a teammate come in that you don't work well with or doesn't have a good feel for the car. It seems with me, in my career I've always worked very, very well with my teammates and I've always been blessed with good teammates. And I think, like I've said, having Ed on board, not only do the teams see him and I working well together and the engineers working well together, it's really kind of raised the game of the crew. It just brings everybody up.
Like I said, it's very valuable information. He's obviously very good, has a really good feel for the car, and we can bounce ideas off of one another knowing -- we can bounce ideas off of one another confidently. You know, that's been the thing that has certainly kind of impressed me with Ed coming on board. It's kind of spread throughout the whole team.
We have a good relationship, and I think we're obviously not threatened by one another in terms of where we're at in our careers, and because of that, like I say, I think it's really helped drive the team on. For me personally, he's a pleasure to drive with.
ED CARPENTER: Yeah, just to add to that, I think there's a level of trust with one another. Going back to Chicago last week, we had a part failure in practice and I didn't get to practice, and going into qualifying I trusted Dan, and we've been similar enough every time we've been on the track, I was able to go out and still put in a good qualifying run without having any practice. And I think that's a good example to show how it is working well together and the level of trust we have with each other.
DAN WHELDON: I trust him, too, because if you would have seen how loose he was on about lap 4, that spring car driving he did will certainly pay dividends because he was as sideways as I've seen a car and still was quick.
ED CARPENTER: And I was trying to figure out how Dan wasn't loose because we had the same setup on.

Q.. (Indiscernible.)
ED CARPENTER: I'm just happy to be back doing what I love to do. There's no place that I want to be more than in an IndyCar, and I'd had the luxury of racing full-time since 2004, and when you have something like that taken away from you, when you get it back and get the chance to get back in a car, you know, I think you're going to lay it all down every time you get in the car.

Q.. I think since you were probably on the same kind of strategy, obviously Helio saved fuel, but did either of you save fuel or were you running as fast as you could go?
DAN WHELDON: No, I was certainly going as fast as I could go.
ED CARPENTER: I was trying to save fuel to the point at which I didn't lose the lead group. At one point I was running behind Dario, and Dan -- I forget who it was, Dan and two other cars were kind of getting away from Dario, and I made the decision to push hard and get around Dario just to stay with the leaders knowing that I needed to pit with them if I was going to be able to beat them. So I was trying to save fuel.
But Helio, I don't want to say he lucked into this one, but they had a problem on pit lane that forced their strategy, and that's what won them the race.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.