Ed Carpenter Talks MAVTv500, ECR Team Performance, & CFH Racing 2015

Ed Carpenter - Driver, Team Owner, Oval Track Specialist. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

Ed Carpenter Talks MAVTv500, ECR Team Performance, & CFH Racing 2015

Ed Carpenter has been racing since he was 8 years old and balanced racing and education throughout much of his career. Carpenter graduated from Butler University with a degree in Marketing in 2003, a few weeks before he won the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Carpenter always has been interested in things with engines.

Carpenter started Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2012 season and is the lone team owner/driver in the Verizon IndyCar Series. He is driving in the oval races for 2014, while Mike Conway is driving the street and road courses. In their second event together, Conway won the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

This past weekend in Milwaukee Ed Carpenter finished in the top 10. Carpenter is successful at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. He won ACS's 2012 MAVTV 500 INDYCAR Race. Last year, he came in 2nd for ACS's 2013 MAVTV 500 INDYCAR race (lost to Will Power). He also won the pole position for back-to-back INDY 500 races - May 2013 & 2014. As an INDYCAR driver and team owner ... over last weekend, he announced that that his team (Ed Carpenter Racing) is merging with Sarah Fisher Hartman racing for the 2015 season.

As we go into the final two races of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series (VICS) championship season, Ed Carpenter answers a few questions and expresses his hope that Ed Carpenter Racing team ends the VICS season in the Top 5 in points accumulated.

One and a half weeks before the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season finale MAVTv500 race at the AutoClub Speedway, Ed Carpenter attends a USC Football practice and attempts a Field Goal. Image Credit: Albert Wong (2014)

Interview Questions:

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(1) This year has been a pretty good year for Ed Carpenter Racing if one looks at the points the Fuzzy's Vodka DW12 has been able to post up with only 2 races left - Mike Conway's road course at Sonoma and Your Auto Club Speedway's super oval. The two of you are ranked right next to each other - Mike Conway is sitting at P22 and you are at P23 ... but the car's total points have the effort ahead of 3 out of 4 drivers on the two 4 car teams - Ganassi and Andretti - at P7 with 1 Pole and 3 wins.

A) Has this unusual team mix of specialists delivered the results that you expected? B) Has this mix of fielding a car with specialists for a season been done before?

(2) How do you see the team/car finishing the season with these two races that are left? - First, Mike Conway's road course at Sonoma and Second, Your Auto Club Speedway's super oval performance.

Last weekend, before the race was held in Milwaukee, the announcement came out that Sarah Fisher Racing, a team you use to race for and Ed Carpenter Racing were going to merge to compete in the 2015 season and form a 2-car team.

(3) With announced merger forming CFH Racing, what do you see as the advantage in a multiple car team over your present one car/two driver efforts which are impressive on their own? (4) Did the use of the new aerodynamic kit packages for 2015 enter into your decision to merge and grow the team? (answered in context of previous question - skipped)

(5) Does this merger forming CFH Racing allow your current sponsor Fuzzy´s Vodka to gain more exposure?

(6) Do you see the multi-car teams having an advantage in this area of sponsorship and racing platform changes?

(7) Sarah Fisher's driver, Joesef Newgarden seems to be becoming a hot commodity right now in the paddock. Do you intend to try and retain Joesef Newgarden as a driver on this new 2-car team?

(8) Will you continue with the 2-driver line up in one DW12 with Mike Conway taking up duty on the road courses as part of this 2-car team? ... or will you eventually join Sarah in a team management role?
ENDS

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... notes from The EDJE