Carpenter Looks For Better Setups After Saturday Indy 500 Practice Runs

Carpenter Looks For Better Setups After Saturday Indy 500 Practice Runs

Topics: Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis 500

Carpenter Looks For Better Setups After Saturday Indy 500 Practice Runs

Tom Blattler
Ed Carpenter Racing
May 12, 2012

May 12th 2012 - INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Carpenter, the most recent oval track winner in the IZOD IndyCar Series, was primed for a good start during the opening day of Indianapolis 500 practice runs Saturday at the famed 2.5-mile oval.

Carpenter, debuting his new No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet Dallara machine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, expected to be a contender for high speeds in the first day of practice for the 96th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” set for Sunday, May 27. But it didn’t go as Carpenter wanted Saturday.

The Butler University graduate posted a best speed of 213.962 miles per hour in the Saturday afternoon practice to list him as 24th fastest on the time sheets. Carpenter completed 39 laps in his first day as the only team owner/driver in the field.

Carpenter had tested his new mount last month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but some problems hindered the Ed Carpenter Racing team from recording solid speeds with their Chevrolet-powered car. Meanwhile, several IZOD IndyCar Series squads were able to gain a baseline for their setups at the April test.

Rookie Josef Newgarden drove the Sarah Fisher car to the top speed of the day Saturday with a speed of 220.250 m.p.h.

Practice rounds continue Sunday at IMS with the green flag dropping at noon as the teams continue their preparations for next Saturday’s pole position and Top Nine Shootout qualifications. The remainder of the 33-car field will be qualified next Sunday.

“We ran more than we had planned today,” said Carpenter after Saturday’s action. “We aren’t where we want to be. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really disappointed about where we were today. We have been working really hard coming into this weekend. But I feel we weren’t ready for today. I think it showed on the time charts and how the car felt. Our guys and I are going to be working hard tonight to rebound strong for Sunday’s runs. It is too important to us to have another day like today. We didn’t get the time in here at the test that we wanted due to some issues that day. And it would have been a nice baseline from the April test to start this weekend with our practice runs.”