Catchfence

SFR Driver Ed Carpenter Finishes 11th in the 2011 Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 29, 2011)- Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) driver, Ed Carpenter, returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Sunday to mark his eighth start on the famed 2.5-mile oval. He started the race in the eighth spot, advancing as far as first place during the race. Carpenter had a competitive racecar and worked his way through the field in his No. 67 Dollar General Honda powered Dallara, before developing understeer and an overall lack of grip just past the halfway point. The team made a pit stop, their fourth of the day, on lap 136 to resolve the handling issues and get Carpenter back in the fight.

Ed Carpenter: “It was a weird day today. We were running pretty good early on and had good track position. Things were going well, but halfway through we just lost a handle on the car. We were trying different changes on stops and we finally figured it out, but it was probably one stop too late. We lost a lot of track position and struggled to get back in the mix. It’s a disappointing finish to the month for the Dollar General guys. We deserve better than 11th for how we ran this month, but that’s the way it goes sometimes at Indy; it breaks your heart.”

Sarah Fisher: “I’m really proud of the effort that the Dollar General team put forth this month. They ran up front all day, which is a testament to their hard work and never giving up on a car that isn’t perfect. We spoiled ourselves by being fast all the way up until the last stop, so 11th doesn’t seem as good as it is for our small team. Now that we have race one of the season under our belt, we’ll attack race number two with a vengeance.”

The 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 was a hot one, with air temperatures reaching 90 degrees and track temperatures exceeding 115 degrees. Bryan Herta Autosport’s Dan Wheldon took the checkered flag, followed closely by Panther Racing’s JR Hildebrand, who made contact with the turn-4 wall on the last lap of the race.

Carpenter will continue his 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season Saturday, June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition (HD) at 8 p.m. (EST) on VERSUS. Additional coverage will be available on IMS Radio, XM Satellite Radio Channel 94 “IndyCar Racing,” Sirius Channel 212, along with broadcast coverage summaries available at www.indycar.com and www.sarahfisher.com.

About Ed Carpenter:

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar ® Series season marks Ed Carpenter’s eighth year in the series after making his debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003. Growing up with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his backyard, with Laura and step-father Tony George as parents, Carpenter was no stranger to racing. Carpenter began racing at eight years old and balanced racing with education throughout much of his career. Earning a Bachelors of Science degree in marketing from Butler University in 2003, Carpenter graduated from Butler just weeks before he won the Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With a college degree under his belt, Carpenter is now able to focus on several other activities when he’s not racing. Away from the track, Carpenter follows professional football and is an Indianapolis Colts season ticket holder and an enthusiastic Butler Bulldogs supporter. The 29-year old is also an avid cyclist, water skier and enjoys working out. Before he became a regular in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Carpenter was a short track racer in the United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, sprint and Silver Crown Series. 2011 marks his first season with Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) and Dollar General. Carpenter resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Heather, his daughter Makenna, son Ryder, and their two dogs Bentley (Rottweiler) and Roscoe (Chihuahua).

About Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR):

Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) is an auto racing team that competes in the IZOD IndyCar® Series, founded by IZOD IndyCar Series veteran racer, Sarah Fisher. Fisher announced plans to become the IZOD IndyCar Series first female owner/driver and the youngest team owner on February 27, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS). The team competed in three events in 2008, grew 100 percent in 2009 to six races and competed in fifteen total events in 2010, during the team’s first season initiating a two-car effort. With backing from Dollar General, SFR has announced plans to run an abbreviated schedule in 2011 competing in nine events, with Ed Carpenter the No. 67. For more information, please visit Sarah Fisher Racing online at www.sarahfisherracing.com.

- Sarah Fisher Racing, Press Release