Ed Carpenter: Indianapolis 500 Pole Sitter, Team Owner and Stepson of Tony George

Ed Carpenter is an American auto racing driver who competes in the IndyCar Series with his own team, Ed Carpenter Racing. He is the stepson of Tony George, founder of the Indy Racing League, and he shares the record for most Indianapolis 500 starts without a win with George Snider. Most of his career has been on oval tracks, where he has won three IndyCar races and taken two pole positions at the Indianapolis 500.

Who is Ed Carpenter?

Everette Edward Carpenter Jr. was born on 3 March 1981 in Paris, Illinois. He grew up in Marshall until the age of eight, then moved to Indianapolis, where he later graduated from Butler University.

His family connection to the Indianapolis racing world runs through his stepfather, Tony George, who founded the Indy Racing League.

A stepson of the Indy Racing League's founder who built a team of his own and became a three-time IndyCar winner on the ovals.

How did Carpenter start in racing?

Carpenter's racing career began in midget cars in 1989, and he later won national quarter-midget events in Xenia, Ohio and Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1996.

In 1998 he competed in the USAC Regional Series midget division, driving the No. 3 TG Racing car at 16th Street Speedway. He qualified eleventh fastest at one event and finished third in the feature race there.

The 1999 USAC National Midget Series was his first full national campaign. He drove for TG Racing in fifteen races and won a race at Louisville Motor Speedway, finishing thirteenth in the points. He returned in 2000 for a stronger year, with four top-five finishes and a second place at the Belleville Nationals, and he finished ninth in the points.

He also raced in the USAC Silver Crown Series in 2000 and 2001. In 2000 he was ninth at the Copper World Classic, earning Rookie of the Race, and he took pole for the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Speedway.

What did Carpenter achieve in Indy Lights?

Carpenter joined the Indy Racing League's Infiniti Pro Series in 2002, driving for Sinden Racing. He finished second at Kentucky, took two third places at Michigan and Gateway, and ended the season third in the points with 226.

In 2003 he moved to A. J. Foyt Enterprises, driving car No. 14. That season he won the Futaba Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his only Indy Lights victory, and he qualified on pole for the races at Kansas and Chicagoland, finishing second in both.

He again finished third in the championship in 2003, with 377 points. In 2005 he returned to the series for a one-off appearance with Vision Racing at the Liberty Challenge, a road course event at Indianapolis, where he finished eleventh.

How did Carpenter's early IndyCar seasons go?

His first IndyCar experience came in 2001, when he tested a car for Panther Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His first race start came in 2003 with PDM Racing, driving the No. 18 Dallara-Chevrolet at Chicagoland, where he finished thirteenth.

In 2004 he ran his first full-time season with Red Bull Cheever Racing. His best finish was eighth at Kentucky, and he struggled to match the results of his teammate, Alex Barron. He qualified for the Indianapolis 500 that year, but a crash after 62 laps ended his race in 31st place.

For 2005 the team was reorganised by Tony George, who bought equipment from Kelley Racing and created Vision Racing. Carpenter drove the No. 20 Dallara-Toyota, and his best finish that season was tenth at the Firestone Indy 200 in Nashville. He started 26th at Indianapolis and finished eleventh, one lap down.

What happened at Vision Racing in 2006 and 2007?

On 26 March 2006 Carpenter was involved in a crash during the warm-up session for the season-opening race at Homestead. The driver Paul Dana was fatally injured in the incident. Carpenter was airlifted to hospital and released the next day with bruised lungs.

He returned for the third race of the season at Motegi, and at Indianapolis he finished eleventh after a late pit stop. Rain tyres helped him finish sixth at the Watkins Glen race, and he took fifth at Chicagoland at the end of the season. He finished fourteenth in the standings.

In 2007 Carpenter took sixth place at the season-opening race at Homestead. At Indianapolis he started fourteenth but finished seventeenth after a crash with Marco Andretti, which led to Andretti flipping over the back straight. The race was stopped by rain soon afterwards.

His best result for the rest of the year was a sixth at Iowa Speedway after starting fifth. He finished fifteenth in the points.

What were the high points at Vision Racing in 2008 and 2009?

In 2008 Carpenter qualified second at Homestead, but his time was nullified when his car, and that of teammate A. J. Foyt IV, failed technical inspection. He still worked his way through the field to finish sixth. At the Indianapolis 500 he qualified tenth and finished fifth, leading three laps along the way.

He ended 2008 fifteenth in the standings with 320 points, and a fiery crash at Chicagoland while he was running in the top five marked the end of the season for him.

In 2009 he started poorly at the two street circuits, St. Petersburg and Long Beach, before getting back-to-back top-ten finishes on ovals. He finished eighth at the Indianapolis 500 after starting seventeenth. On the day after the Milwaukee race his wife Heather gave birth to their second child.

His best result of the 2009 season came at Kentucky, where he led 34 laps before finishing 0.0162 seconds behind Ryan Briscoe after a close side-by-side battle. He finished twelfth in the standings with 321 points.

What happened when Vision Racing lost its sponsors in 2010?

In 2010 Vision Racing lost its sponsors and shut down as a full-time team. Carpenter drove the car with Panther Racing for the Indianapolis 500, starting eighth and finishing seventeenth after a caution during pit stops put him a lap down.

The two teams later fielded the car at Kentucky, where Carpenter qualified on pole and led a front-row sweep with teammate Dan Wheldon. He led eleven laps and nearly won, but he finished second when Helio Castroneves saved fuel and stayed out to the end. He finished 28th in the championship with ninety points.

Did Carpenter win his first IndyCar race in 2011?

Yes. He won his first IndyCar Series race at Kentucky Speedway in 2011, driving for Sarah Fisher Racing. He started fourth and beat Dario Franchitti by 0.0098 seconds, the closest finish the track had seen in the series.

The 2011 season began with the Indianapolis 500, where Carpenter qualified eighth and finished eleventh after leading three laps. The team competed in a partial season of oval races and selected road and street events.

The season ended at the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Carpenter had started third and was running second when a major accident occurred in turn one. Dan Wheldon was fatally injured in the crash, the race was cancelled, and the results were expunged. Carpenter finished the season 26th in the standings with 175 points.

Why did Carpenter start his own team in 2012?

In 2012 Carpenter started Ed Carpenter Racing and drove the No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet. The team struggled in qualifying during the early races, and it was more competitive on the ovals than on the road and street courses.

At Indianapolis that year he crashed during Pole Day qualifying and had to requalify on Bump Day. He started 28th and moved into the top five late in the race before spinning on lap 180, which left him 21st.

The season ended with a strong run at the MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway. Carpenter led for 62 laps and attempted to pass Dario Franchitti on the final lap, completing the move before the caution came out. That gave him his second IndyCar victory, and he finished the season eighteenth with 261 points.

How did ECR perform in 2013 and 2014?

In 2013 Carpenter's single-car team qualified on pole at the Indianapolis 500, ahead of the Penske and Andretti entries, which together numbered eight cars. He led a race-high 37 laps in the race but dropped back to tenth after handling problems in the second half.

He finished fourth at Texas, fourth at Iowa after leading eighteen laps, and second at the season finale at Auto Club Speedway after leading a single lap. He ended the 2013 season sixteenth with 333 points.

In 2014 he shared the No. 20 car with Mike Conway, who drove the road and street courses while Carpenter took the ovals. He qualified on pole at Indianapolis for a second consecutive year and led 26 laps, but a crash on lap 176 ended his race in 27th place.

At Texas that year he held off Will Power on the restart to win his third IndyCar race. He finished the season 22nd with 262 points, and in 2014 it was announced that Ed Carpenter Racing would merge with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing to form CFH Racing for 2015.

Is Ed Carpenter still racing regularly?

Not in full seasons. In 2015 he shared the No. 20 car with Luca Filippi, taking the oval races. He qualified twelfth at Indianapolis that year, but a crash with Oriol Servia on lap 113 dropped him to thirtieth, and he finished 27th in the points.

He has since competed mainly in the Indianapolis 500. As of the most recent records, he has been racing only at Indianapolis.

Ed Carpenter career summary