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Indy 500 a little disappointing for Carpenter

Topics: Indianapolis 500

Indy 500 a little disappointing for Carpenter

Ed Carpenter
Ed Carpenter Racing
June 7, 2013 @ 9:00 am

Well, we made it through the Indianapolis 500 and the team is still enthused to go racing on the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Many times everybody is pretty beat up and ready for a break in the schedule. But there are four consecutive weeks after Indy for racing.

Placing 10th in the 97th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was a little disappointing to be honest.

We were looking for the win or a top-five at the least.

But I’ve looked back at the entire Indy 500 experience and I have a smile on my face.

As a driver, I was little mad at our race day performance. Starting from the pole was just a great experience and very thrilling for everyone at Ed Carpenter Racing and Fuzzy’s Vodka.

I thought we had a good car for the race, too. We led 37 laps that day, the most of any driver. But the ending wasn’t want I wanted.

As a team owner, the overall showing of the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet was very solid and we were contenders for the pole and the race, and that is all a team owner can ask for at Indy. It’s such a crapshoot at IMS on race day. You need to be lucky as well as good.

Our ECR team had worked so hard over the winter to get everything ready for the start of the month. We ran the first five days in race setups, just trying to get the car to work well in all types of weather conditions.

Finally, on Friday before Pole Day, we started trimming the car aerodynamically and trying to gain more speed.

Being a one-car team, there isn’t the opportunity to share information like with the bigger multi-car operations. So we had some ups and downs during the week. We’d find something that worked well and then we would go the wrong way too.

Our engineering staff of Matt Barnes, Brent Harvey, Ben Siegel, Joe Howard and Ed Delporte had formed an excellent game plan to work through all of the settings we wanted to try. As usual, our crew chief Bret Schmitt and his crew were outstanding the entire month with having the Fuzzy’s Chevy ready to go each day.

We were flying "under the radar” during the first week and stayed right on schedule with our plans. While some of the bigger teams were gaining the headlines, we were making progress towards qualifying. Then, on Pole Day, we thought we had a good car.

We didn’t get the best draw for the first round of qualifying but the car felt good and we posted the fifth fastest speed at 227.952 miles per hour in some warmer conditions. Due to the earlier rain delay, the top-nine shootout didn’t begin until 6:30 p.m. that Saturday, May 18. The track is always tricky at Indy. You have to watch the wind, the sun, the clouds and make an educated guess for your setup.

When we went out around 6:45 or so, we thought our previous setup might still be good with the cooler conditions. Other teams (Andretti and Penske) thought less downforce might be faster. Well, as it turned out, it wasn’t. Our car was fast and I could feel it immediately. The first lap was 229.347 followed by a 228.976, 228.774 and a slower 227.955 for an overall 228.762. The car got a little loose on the last lap.

But when I saw A.J. Allmendinger’s run, I thought we had a chance for the front row and even the pole. The Penske cars weren’t the same as earlier and the Andretti five cars weren’t the same, either. It was thrilling to hear the crowd yelling when we took the pole.

We were like the "little team” against the "big super teams.” So the crowd was definitely on our side and, that I was the local kid too, didn’t hurt.

It was a whirlwind after that. Tons of interviews, a police escort to the Pacers-Knicks game for an intro there and small party at our sponsor’s house.

But the minute I won the pole, my mind set changed to race setups and getting ready for Sunday’s practice runs.

It was super hot and humid that Sunday and the conditions were as bad as we had seen them all month. It was a good test for our team and the car. And we pushed the Fuzzy’s Chevy into the garage with a good feeling.

The next few days were pretty crazy with media tours, sponsors appearances and fan events. Fuzzy’s had developed a new Indy 500 Limited Edition Checkered Flag bottle for the month and it was very popular. Long lines were in order for myself and Fuzzy (Zoeller, former Masters and U.S. Open champion and Fuzzy’s Vodka founder) at all of the bottle signings around Indy.

Actually, it was nice to get back in the cockpit on Carb Day and just think about the car and the race. The attention I was given by the fans and the local Indianapolis people was just incredible and humbling. The 500 Festival parade was spectacular and the reaction from the big crowd was really overwhelming. My wife, Heather, and I were truly honored to receive that kind of ovation.

Race day is always maddening. But surprisingly, Heather was doing interviews earlier than me. She was doing television and radio interviews at 7 a.m. I think I was still sleeping at that point in the motorcoach at the track. By 8 a.m., it was busy for me too. But I was ready to go racing.

I was excited about our chances from the pole position and I felt we had a car to win the Indy 500. After all of the great tradition and festivities, we wheeled the Fuzzy’s Chevy to the front immediately. I thought I could get the lead and I wanted to lead early. But I also knew I wanted to go with our game plan and race with the leaders. Then be ready to charge in the last 50 or so laps.

We led 37 laps of the first 75 and it was good start for the ECR squad. The pit stops were very good and we were playing the waiting game too. I wanted to save some fuel in the middle of the race, so I dropped back in the line and followed Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay and others for awhile.

Our downforce level was pretty light but we felt we could add some front wing and adjust the tire pressures if needed.

Around the middle of the race, lap 100, I could tell the car wasn’t as good as before. Out front, the car was very good, but, in traffic, it was pushing and I couldn’t keep the nose down low on the track. So passing became very hard.

The crew made some changes and I thought we would improve the car.

Unfortunately, it was never enough as the track and heat conditions changed later in the race. In addition, the competition level was unbelievable. It is so tough to race for the lead in the series right now that you need everything just right, as I said previously. We got stuck back in the field a bit and I could never make a charge.

Marco and Ryan were really hooked up and Carlos Munoz was very impressive in the race for a rookie. Of course, TK is always a contender and was right in the mix too.

At the finish, TK made the right move at the right time and got the yellow flag just right too. I was so happy for Tony because he has had some tough luck at IMS before. But I feel for Marco and Ryan too. Man, they drove so well and took home third and fourth. The cards just weren’t in their favor this year.

Overall, we had a good month with the pole and leading the most laps. But there is still only one lap I want to lead at Indy and that is the last one. We’ll back next year trying to make that happen. Now it’s on to the rest of the IZOD IndyCar Series and looking for another victory. I think this ECR/Fuzzy’s team has the ability to reach the winner’s circle very soon.