Friday
Ed Carpenter to Start 14th at Richmond
Press ReleaseVISION RACING QUALIFYING AND PRACTICE REPORT
Carpenter has five previous attempts at Richmond International Raceway. In his debut at the track driving for Cheever Racing in 2004, he finished in the 16th spot due to an accident. In 2005 he finished 12th and in 2006 Carpenter recorded his best finish at Richmond when he started 13th and finished eighth. In 2007 Carpenter started 15th and finished 10th and last year he finished just outside of the top-ten, in the 11th position.
Most recently, making his third IndyCar Series start at Iowa, Carpenter drove the No. 20 Menards car from the 13th spot to tenth where he held on to record his second-consecutive tenth place finish this season and fourth top-ten finish overall.
Last weekend, Carpenter was also able to move two spots in the IndyCar Series championship point standings, going from 14th up to 12th in the standings. He now has 126 points (115 points behind leader).
Overall, Vision Racing returns to Richmond International Raceway for the fifth time. The team’s best finish at Richmond came in 2006 and 2007 when Tomas Scheckter finished in the seventh spot. Carpenter also has two top-ten finishes at the track.
The Vision Racing Wellness Tour, supported by team sponsor Lilly USA, will make an important pit stop for a second consecutive year at Richmond International Raceway providing racing fans with FREE diabetes screenings; complete with A1c testing and risk factor assessment, along with cholesterol and blood pressure testing. The Wellness Tour mobile unit (bus) will be located behind the main grandstands and will be open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, race day at the Richmond International Raceway.
IndyCar practice resumes again Friday evening at 9 p.m. for a thirty minute session. So far Carpenter’s best lap in practice came at 158.618 mph. Carpenter will add to the 69 practice laps he’s accumulated thus far later Friday evening.
On Saturday June 27th, race day at Richmond International Raceway, Vision Racing will also be launching their new and improved team website, www.visionracing.com at 3 pm ET.
Qualifying and Practice Results and Quotes: (June 26, 2009)
Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Qualifying Position: 14th
Qualifying Speed: 163.824 mph
Top Speed in Practice: 158.618 mph
Overall Rank in Practice: 19th on speed chart
Number of Laps in Practice: 69
On qualifying:
“We made big changes to the No. 20 Menards car between practice and qualifying. We came here with something way different than we ran here last year thinking it would be better. It didn’t really work out that way so between practice and qualifying we changed everything. Definitely happy that we improved from practice and moved up quite a bit. It’s hard to go qualify when you are running a completely different set up than what you ran in practice but the guys did a good job in getting the car better for me. We have a few cars between us and the front and that will be a challenge here but we’re up for it.”
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About the SunTrust Indy Challenge: The 300 lap/ 225 mile SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway will air live on Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET on VERSUS, as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web at www.IndyCar.com.
About Vision Racing: Vision Racing is owned and operated by Tony and Laura George as well as actor Patrick Dempsey of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana in a 32,000 square foot facility. The team competes full-time in the IndyCar Series and is entering its fifth season of IndyCar Series competition. The team features returning IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter and welcomed veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay for 2009. Also new for 2009 is a return to the Firestone Indy Lights Series with driver James Davison, as well as a technical partnership with new FIL team Bryan Herta Autosport and driver Daniel Herrington. Vision Racing continues to proudly perpetuate the legacy of the Hulman-George family through motorsports excellence, by demonstrating the traditions and heritage of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Racing.
- Vision Racing, Press Release
Article Tags: Ed Carpenter, IndyCar, IndyCar Series, No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, Richmond International Raceway, SunTrust, SunTrust Indy Challenge IndyCar Series Race, Vision Racing
