Catchfence

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The rain stayed away and “Fast Friday” was fairly active as IZOD IndyCar teams worked on trimming out their cars a little more and gaining more speed in practice as they get set for Saturday’s much anticipated new Indianapolis 500 qualifying format for Pole Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter put down his fastest lap of the day early on in practice aboard the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka as he and his Panther Racing crew prepare for the 2010 Indianapolis 500. As the track cooled and weather conditions changed from what is expected for qualifying, the team elected not run again. By the end of the day, Carpenter’s fast lap of 224.378 mph, earned on his 6^th lap slotted him as the 25^th fastest driver on the speed charts.

Carpenter completed a total of 17 laps in his Vision Racing’s No. 20 Honda powered Dallara, sponsored by Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka.  He will be making his 100^th IZOD IndyCar Series start and is preparing for his seventh Indianapolis 500-mile race and sixth with Vision Racing. Last season Carpenter started 17^th and drove to eighth place finish. His best drive at Indianapolis came in 2008 when he started 10^th, drove his first career IndyCar Series leader laps (3) and finished fifth.

The No.4 National Guard Panther Racing team elected not to turn any laps during “Fast Friday” practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, instead electing to wait until tomorrow’s Pole Day qualifications after a full day of productive running on Thursday that produced a top-five with a quick lap of 226.106 mph. The 2005 Indianapolis 500 champion will make his eighth IZOD IndyCar Series start at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

On Saturday, Carpenter and car sponsor and golf legend Fuzzy Zoeller will be available for media interviews following Carpenter’s first qualifying attempt.

IZOD IndyCar Series action will resume Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. ET for practice and will conclude at 10 a.m. with Pole Day qualifying beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Want more Vision Racing news, photos and tidbits from the track? Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/visionracing; follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/visionracing and; read all about us from a fan’s point of view on Charles West’s daily INDY 500 blog: www.visionracing.com/fans.

The Indianapolis 500 will air live on Sunday, May 30^th at noon ET on ABC, as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web atwww.IndyCar.com.

Practice Results and Quotes: (May 21, 2010)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka/Vision Racing/Panther Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Top Speed in Practice: 224.378 mph

Top Time in Practice: 0:40.2625 sec

Number of Laps in Practice: 17

Overall Rank in Practice:     on speed chart

Best Lap This Month: 225.283 (May 20, 2010)

On practice:

“We ran early and got everything we wanted to do taken care of. The way the weather is looking for the weekend we feel there will be an opportunity to do some race runs on Sunday so we just did a couple of qualifying sims today to make sure the car still felt good. We didn’t want to get too carried away because the weather is going to be a little different on Pole Day. I think we’re in good shape and I think it’ll be pretty intense trying to make that Top 9.  There will be quite a few cars going for those last few spots that might be open. I think we can realistically be anywhere from eighth to fifteenth. At the very least it will be interesting.”

Dan Wheldon – No. 4 National Guard/Panther Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Top Speed in Practice: Did not practice

Top Time in Practice: Did not practice

Number of Laps in Practice: 0

Overall Rank in Practice: Did not practice

Best Lap This Month: 226.106 (May 20, 2010)

On practice:

“Obviously the car was quick in qualifying trim on Thursday. It’s important to note that the guys worked hard to prepare the car for qualifying trim most of the day and we made the conscious decision not to go out in the last hour and a half because we are comfortable with where we are with the car and excited for qualifying. I feel like we’re in really good shape and I think it’s going to be very competitive out there but we’re confident that we can do a good job representing the National Guard.”

Day 7 INDY 500 Practice Results:

1 (3) Helio Castroneves 00:39.7 / 226.558 mph 17 laps

2 (12) Will Power 00:39.7 / 226.429 mph 15 laps

3 (77) Alex Tagliani 00:39.8 / 226.153 mph 21 laps

4 (9) Scott Dixon 00:39.9 / 225.828 mph 65 laps

5 (32) Mario Moraes  00:39.9 / 225.806 mph 13 laps

25 (20) Ed Carpenter 00:40.1 / 224.378 mph 17 laps

###

About the Indianapolis 500: The 200 lap/500 mile Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will air live on Sunday, May 30^th at noon ET on ABC, 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 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka: Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka is a grain-based vodka and is a product of Fuzzy’s Spirits, LLC located in Sellersburg, Indiana. Fuzzy’s Spirits, LLC is dedicated to providing responsible golfers and non-golfers with a refreshing vodka drink to enhance their enjoyment of the moment. Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka recently received the prestigious gold medal rating from the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago, and is currently available in twelve states. www.fuz.com / www.fuzzyvodka.com

About DEEM: DEEM is a mechanical and electrical company centrally located in Indianapolis, Indiana with satellite offices throughout the Midwest down to the southeastern United States.  DEEM offers HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Refrigeration, Industrial Piping, Building Automation, and Sheet Metal Installation and Services.  Currently, DEEM is licensed to perform in many regions throughout the country. www.deemfirst.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. The team competed full-time in the IZOD IndyCar Series for five seasons from 2005-2009 and is entering its sixth season of IZOD IndyCar Series competition with an entry in the 2010 Indianapolis 500 as a collaboration with Panther Racing. In 2009 IZOD IndyCar competition, Vision Racing scored two hard-earned 2nd place podium finishes and posted their best career start (4th), seven top-10 results and their highest total of laps led, laps competed and races completed in a season. Driver Ed Carpenter has finished 5th and 8th in the previous two Indianapolis 500s. 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