Catchfence » Tony and Laura George

Ed Carpenter Drives To 12th Place Finish At Homestead-Miami Speedway

Press Release — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:51:48 +0000

Ed Carpenter

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Oct. 10, 2009) - Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter drove the team’s No. 20 Menards Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine to a 12th place finish in the IndyCar Series season finale, the Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday afternoon. It was the first time in the series’ history that the race finished without any cautions.

Carpenter matched his IndyCar Series career-best start by taking the green flag in the fourth position and even moved as high as third in the race by getting around Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske on the opening lap. Briscoe returned the move on lap four and from there the car’s handling capabilities and maneuverability deteriorated quickly. By lap 42 Carpenter had fallen all the way back to the 16th position, citing a severe understeer and overall lack of grip.

Making an early stop on lap 48, Carpenter’s crew quickly gave him four tires, a full tank of ethanol and one and a half turns of front wing. The change in wing configuration gave Carpenter a bit more stability, but the setup still was not conducive to regaining positions on the track. In each of the next two pit stops, Carpenter would continue to receive front wing adjustments as well.

Running much of the race between the 13th and 15th positions, Carpenter persevered and took advantage of others’ mistakes and missed strategies to finish in the 12th position.

Carpenter also ended up 12th in the IndyCar Series Championship point standings with 321 total points (395 behind the leader). Overall this year, Carpenter earned his career best finish of second, matched his career best start of fourth, lead 35 laps and drove to six top-ten finishes.

The IndyCar Series Championship went to the race winner, Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. He secured the championship by 11 points over teammate Scott Dixon and by 12 points over challenger Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske. Briscoe and Dixon also rounded out the podium for today’s race, respectively, and were followed by Tony Kanaan of Andretti Green Racing in fourth and Helio Castroneves of Team Penske in fifth.

Post Race Quotes: (Oct. 10, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 12th

Qualifying Position: 4th

On Race:

“At the start I went by (Ryan) Briscoe and I thought it was going to be a great race, but the tires went away and by lap three I was almost out of adjustments in trying to get the car’s understeer under control and then I had to deal with some oversteer and it was just a shame. It’s not the race that I wanted to end my season on and it was a heck of a lot like the races earlier in the season before the aero changes. Plus the race was all green so it couldn’t have been too excited to watch, but congratulations to Dario (Franchitti). He outlasted those other guys and got it done. So congrats to him. It’s just not a good way for us to finish the season. It makes for a long off-season not knowing when we are going to be able to get on track again to try and sort all of this out.”

On Season:

“Kentucky was an obviously highlight for us. At Indianapolis we didn’t have a great car, but I felt like we had a good finish there for the car that we had in the race. But to be honest, outside of Kentucky, nothing else this season went the way I wanted it to go.

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 the start of 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

13th Place Finish For Vision Racing In Japan

Press Release — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:07:49 +0000

MOTEGI, JAPAN (Sept. 19, 2009) - Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter took the checkered flag at Twin Ring Motegi in 13th spot aboard the team’s No. 20 William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine at the Indy Japan 300 after a frustrating weekend of battling the car more than his Indycar Series competitors.

A notoriously challenging track, atypical of the other 1.5 mile ovals on the circuit, Ed Carpenter and the team struggled from the first practice to find the right balance and set-up to be able to take on the treacherous Turn 3 and 4 combination which would claim a handful of victims before the end of the weekend. Positive strides were made by the start of the qualifying session and the team felt they had finally made the adjustments they needed, enabling their driver to qualify 11th for the staring grid. However, as the green flag waved on Saturday afternoon in Japan, it was evident that the race and handling of the No.20 car was going to be more of a challenge than expected.

Carpenter did his best to counter understeer and lack of grip but fell back in the opening laps. He battled his way back in the second half of the race but having fallen two laps down was unable to crack the top-ten, but kept the car off the wall and crossed the finish with a hard earned but disappointing 13th place position finish for Vision Racing.

Carpenter’s result in Japan keeps him in 12th place in the IndyCar Series championship point standings with 303 total points (267 points behind the leader).

Winner of the Indy Japan 300 from the pole position, Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi retakes the lead in the IndyCar Series championship battle with just one race remaining. Previously atop the points standings, Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske made an unforced error in the pits as race leader, making contact with the wall at the pit exit, necessitating another stop to replace damaged tires and a front wing, dropping him back for 18th place finish. Dixon’s teammate Dario Franchitti and Newman Haas Lanigan’s Graham Rahal joined him on the podium, with Oriol Servia and Mario Moraes completing the top-five.

With just five points now separating Dixon from Franchitti in the championship standings, and just eight points ahead of Briscoe, and Vision Racing still working to earn their first IndyCar series victory, the upcoming IndyCar Series finale will no doubt be a no-holds-barred flat out battle. Don’t miss the final chapter in the fight for the IndyCar Series Championship title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. The qualifying show will air Friday, September 9th, at 6 p.m. (ET) while the late afternoon race broadcast will air live on Saturday, October 10th, at 4 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS.

Ed Carpenter

Post Race Quotes: (Sept 19th, 2009)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 13th

Qualifying Position: 11th

On race: “We thought after qualifying that we had made the car a lot better but we really didn’t. We were behind from the first practice and we thought we had gotten it better for qualifying but we obviously didn’t and fell behind. We struggled through the whole weekend really, falling behind and never getting caught up, just like we did in the race. It’s a long way to come to come for a butt kicking and it sure makes for a long flight home.”

About Vision Racing:

- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter Drives To Sixth Place Finish At Chicagoland Speedway

Press Release — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:48:59 +0000

JOLIET, Ill. (Aug. 29, 2009) - Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter drove the team’s No. 20 Menards Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine to a sixth place finish in an exciting PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in which the top 13 cars were separated by just 0.8269 seconds at the finishline.

Starting from the 12th position, Carpenter made quick work of moving through the field as he maneuvered to the fifth position by lap seven and made his way to fourth by lap 17. He ran as high as third in the race on a restart on lap 101. From there, Carpenter ran a strong clean race, his crew gave him efficient pit stops and he remained in the top-ten for the remainder of the event.

In the final stint however, Carpenter found himself behind a three-wide pack, running in the eighth spot with no way to get by. Thanks to a yellow flag on lap 184 as a result of Helio Castroneves making contact with the wall, the field regrouped and lined up for a restart, allowing Carpenter to make a final push to the front.

Taking the green flag for the final time on the lap 191 restart, Carpenter went from seventh and up to sixth on lap 195, but then fell as far as ninth when the white flag appeared on lap 199. In the remaining mile and a half, Carpenter made up three positions to take sixth overall.

Carpenter earned his sixth top-ten of the season and remains 12th in the IndyCar Series championship point standings with 284 total points (264 points behind the leader).

IndyCar Series championship point leader Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske won the Saturday night race by just 0.0077 of a second over Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Rounding out the top-five in the race were Mario Moraes, Dario Franchitti and Graham Rahal.

Watch the IndyCar Series as they continue the oval racing at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan for the Indy Japan 300. The race broadcast will air live from on Sept. 19th at 10:30 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS.

Ed Carpenter

Post Race Quotes: (Aug. 29, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 6th

Qualifying Position: 12th

On race:

The balance had just kind of gotten more understeer late in the race. It kind of seemed like we were better in the first half of the race and then others got better in the second half of the race than what we did. I don’t know. We still had a good car at the end, but we just kept getting land-locked with guys running two and three-wide and then I would be sitting there with nowhere to go. I would rather be able to race like that, but it gets frustrating at times just because you have a good car and you get held back.

The last lap was interesting because we started in ninth and got back up to sixth so it was still a good day. Obviously, we wanted to be on the podium again, so that’s frustrating, but points-wise it was probably good with (Hideki) Mutoh dropping out and (Dan) Wheldon having trouble. Those are some of the guys that are in front of us so hopefully we closed up a little bit with some of those guys in points. I’ve got two more ovals now to try and do better.

(on the finish) It was pretty close. I was deciding whether or not I was going to lift ahead of the line if guys started touching, but it all worked out. It was close. It’s a good thing we have timing and scoring, because in the old days they did the scoring by hand and if that was still the case, we would be trying to decide that finish a couple of days later.

About Vision Racing:

- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter Earns 11th Place Finish At Infineon Raceway

Press Release — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:24:17 +0000

Ed Carpenter

SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 23, 2009) - Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter piloted the team’s No.20 William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine to a 11th place finish in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway on Sunday.

The 11th place drive gives Carpenter his best finish at Infineon. Carpenter has made five attempts at Infineon’s natural terrain road course, all with Vision Racing, and has been running at the finish in each affair.

After qualifying in the 21st spot, Carpenter actually started 20th in Sunday’s event due to a last minute tire change for fellow competitor Justin Wilson. After a first-lap incident which involved eight cars, Carpenter jumped up to the 11th spot and ran between there and the 16th position for the remainder of the race.

After a full course caution in the waning laps for a slide off by Helio Castroneves, Carpenter restarted the race on lap 71 in the 14th spot. He made a pass on Richard Antinucci and took advantage of an incident involving Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti on the final lap, to move up to the 12th position and finish on the lead lap at the checkered flag. Carpenter was awarded another position for an 11th place result after Andretti was penalized for avoidable contact. Carpenter made just two pit stops and overcame fading brakes to soldier on to his fifth consecutive running finish at Infineon.

The perseverance shown in Sunday’s race by Carpenter allowed him to move up a spot and back into the 12th position in the IndyCar Series championship point standings. He now has 258 total points after 14 races (239 points behind the leader) and he’s eagerly eyeing next weekend’s 1.5-mile oval affair at Chicagoland Speedway. At the most recent 1.5-mile oval race, earlier this month at Kentucky Speedway, Carpenter led 34-laps and earned a career-best finish of second place by just 0.0162 seconds behind race winner Ryan Briscoe.

Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing won today’s race from the pole and put himself in just four points behind points leader and second place finisher Briscoe of Team Penske, who has 497 total points. Scott Dixon falls to third in points. Rounding out the top-five in the race were Mike Conway, Mario Moraes, and Hideki Mutoh.

Watch the IndyCar Series next weekend as they return to oval racing at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300. The race broadcast will air live from Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night, Aug. 29th at 9 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS.

Post Race Quotes: (Aug. 23, 2009)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 William Rast/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Finishing Position: 11th

Qualifying Position: 21st (started race from 20th due to tire change by competitor)

On race:
(On the first lap mayhem) “You couldn’t really seem much. There were cars everywhere and the further you went, the more cars you saw go off course. I was really surprised it didn’t go yellow. I drove through like it was under yellow until I realized it was still green and started passing people. It was a little hectic. That made the race interesting from the start putting (Scott) Dixon behind and putting guys like me further ahead. There at the end, I was starting to struggle as I was losing the breaks and flat spotted the tires. The last half of the stint I was just limping around and couldn’t really push the guys in front of me. I feel like we took a step in the right direction. We made some changes after the morning warm-up but didn’t really fix the problems we were having out there. I wish we had had a little better car today so we could have made it into the top-ten.”

About Vision Racing:

- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter To Start 21st At Infineon Raceway

Press Release — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:41:38 +0000

SONOMA, Calif. (August 22, 2009) - Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter will start 21st in the No. 20 William Rast/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sunday at Infineon Raceway. Carpenter’s qualifying average came in at a time of 1:18.2413 and an average speed of 105.964 mph.

Carpenter has been running at the finish in all four previous attempts at Infineon Raceway. However, he is still looking for his first top-ten finish there. In his first attempt at Infineon Raceway in 2005, Carpenter started 20th and finished 15th with Vision Racing. In 2006 season he started 16th and finished 12th, in 2007 he started the race from the 14th spot, ran as high as 12th and ultimately finished 13th, and last year he started and finished in the 23rd position.

Most recently at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Carpenter started from the 21st spot, drove as high as 13th in the event and finished 17th. Unfortunately, Carpenter fell one spot to 14th in the IndyCar Series championship point standings with 239 total points after 13 races (221 points behind the leader).

Carpenter and Vision Racing will run the William Rast branded livery on the No. 20 machine in tomorrow’s race which was most recently run by Carpenter during the Canadian swing through Toronto and Edmonton. This time the No. 20 William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine will ride in the sponsor’s home state. William Rast, a People’s Liberation subsidiary known for its stylish high-end denim, based in Los Angeles, Calif. and the premium lifestyle brand with emphasis on stylish denim, has been a mainstay on the Vision Racing body work all season. This weekend, Carpenter’s car will feature a grey matte finish, day-glow orange accents and of course, William Rast branding.

Overall, The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be Vision Racing’s fifth trip to Infineon Raceway. The team’s best finish at Infineon came in 2007 season when Tomas Scheckter finished eighth.

IndyCar practice resumes again tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. local time for a thirty minute session before the race beings at 2 p.m./5 p.m. (ET), live on VERSUS TV.

Qualifying and Practice Results and Quotes: (Aug. 22 2009)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Qualifying Position: 21st

Qualifying Speed: 105.964 mph

Qualifying Time: 1:18.2413

Top Speed in Practice: 104.500 mph

Top Time in Practice: 1:19.3378

Overall Rank in Practice: 21st on speed chart

Number of Laps in Practice: 27

Ed Carpenter

On qualifying:

“Qualifying did not go very well for us. We put our “reds” (Firestone Firehawk red-walled tires) on and Milka (Duno) was up in front of us so we let her go and even though we let her build a 20-second gap, that’s still not enough for her so I caught her on the second lap and then once I got clear of her then (Mario) Moraes came out of the pits and I was behind him for two laps, so we wasted a lot of time getting stuck behind people. As a result we probably missed the best lap for our tires and I ended up getting out of rhythm in the session. I was hoping for much better than that, but it is what it is so we’ll just try and improve upon it tomorrow.”

About the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma:

The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway air live on Sunday, Aug. 23rd at 5:00 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. In the past calendar year, the team has scored nine top-ten finishes and five additional top-five finishes including a fifth place finish in the Indianapolis 500 by Ed Carpenter and a second place run by Ryan Hunter-Reay on the streets of St. Petersburg in the 2009 season opener. 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

Vision Racing Gears up for Infineon Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

Press Release — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:35:37 +0000

VISION RACING FACT SHEET

Infineon Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma – Aug. 23, 2009

Infineon Raceway

- TAKING THE VISION TO INFINEON: The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be Vision Racing’s fifth trip to Infineon Raceway. The team’s best finish at Infineon came in 2007 season when Tomas Scheckter finished eighth. The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be the team’s 80th IndyCar Series event since their first season in 2005.

- WILLIAM RAST RETURNS: Vision Racing is bringing back the William Rast branded livery on the No. 20 machine which as most recently run by Carpenter during the Canadian swing through Toronto and Edmonton. This time the No. 20 William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine will ride in the sponsor’s home state. William Rast, a People’s Liberation subsidiary known for its stylish high-end denim, based in Los Angeles, Calif. and the premium lifestyle brand with emphasis on stylish denim, has been a mainstay on the Vision Racing body work all season. William Rast was also featured earlier in the year as a primary on the team’s No. 21 car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. Carpenter’s car will feature a grey matte finish, day-glow orange accents and of course, William Rast branding.

- TWEET-UP: @VisionRacing is getting together with @InfineonRaceway to organize a “Tweetup” on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 at the race track from 5-6 p.m. for Indy Racing League fans on hand. The gathering of Twitter followers will take place in the Wine Country Winner’s Circle, following IndyCar Series qualifying for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. In addition, several IndyCar drivers who are regulars on Twitter are expected to attend the Tweetup, including Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter and fellow competitors Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kaanan, Graham Rahal, Mario Moraes and others. The Firestone Firehawk is also slated to make an appearance. Additional teams joining Vision Racing will be Luczo Dragon, KV Racing, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, Conquest Racing, Penske Racing and other team representatives will also be in attendance. Motorsports writers who Tweet will also be joining in on the fun. The Tweetup will feature light food, refreshments and giveaways from Vision Racing and Infineon Raceway. All fans have to do to attend is have a Twitter (www.Twitter.com) account and access the official invitation at http://twtvite.com/84ask4 . Only those who RSVP will be allowed at the Tweetup. The invitation does not include a Saturday event ticket; that must be purchased separately.

- OH SO CLOSE: Earlier this month at Kentucky Speedway, Carpenter earned a career-best finish of second, led 34 laps, was the most improved driver (started 14th) had the fastest lap of the race for the second consecutive season and put on an impressive display that stole the show as by crossing the finish line just 0.0162 of a second behind Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske. Not only was it Carpenter’s career-best finish in 93 starts over six seasons, it was also Vision Racing’s best oval finish and it also matched Ryan Hunter-Reay’s second place finish for the team earlier this season on the streets of St. Petersburg. Hunter-Reay was runner-up to Briscoe in that race as well. It was the closest finish in the history of Kentucky Speedway and the 11th closest finish in IndyCar Series history.

- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: After forming and joining the Indy Racing League in 2005, Vision Racing is celebrating its fifth season of competition in 2009. Since the team embarked upon IndyCar Series competition, eight drivers have piloted five (Nos. 2, 20, 21, 22, 90) different team entries. Those drivers have combined for an additional 45 top-10 finishes, plus 10 top-five finishes, four more podium finishes and 76 laps led. Over the previous four years the quest for the team’s first victory has been top priority and Vision Racing is confident that year five will be the season where that it happens. The team’s best ever finishes occurred in the 2009 as Ryan Hunter-Reay drove from 14th to finish second in the season opener at St. Petersburg and Carpenter also drove from 14th to second at Kentucky Speedway. Hunter-Reay’s podium finish also put Vision second in the championship point standings at the time which was also its’ the highest-ever ranking. The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be the team’s 80th IndyCar Series event since their first season in 2005.

- FIRST-HAND FROM THE FAMILY: Since the beginning of the season, Vision Racing team co-owner, Lauren George has been writing a blog, much to the enjoyment of the fans, which has been featured both on the team’s Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/VisionRacing) and on the team’s new website (www.VisionRacing.com/fans). Her highly anticipated blog post that recaps the team’s weekend at Kentucky is up and ready for reading. And if that’s not enough, her father and fellow team co-owner, Tony George, got into the act in Edmonton by publishing his thoughts and opinions in response to a recent announcement he made exclusively on the team’s website early in July. The latter George’s post drew more than 16,000 hits to the site in less than one day. The pair are planning to continue submissions periodically throughout the remainder of the season, exclusively at VisionRacing.com. Not to mention, Carpenter has begun adding a video blog to the site now in addition to his updates on his continued “tweets” at www.twitter.com/edcarpenter20.

- ON ROAD/STREET COURSES: The team’s best finishes on a road or street course is second, recently scored in the 2009 season-opener at St. Petersburg by Ryan Hunter-Reay in his debut with the team. It’s is also the team’s highest finish overall. Prior to Hunter-Reay’s podium finish, the previous best road and street course drives include a fourth place finish scored by Paul Tracy in 2008 at Edmonton, and a pair of sixth place drives; one captured by Tomas Scheckter on the streets of St. Petersburg in 2007 and the other by Ed Carpenter in 2006 at Watkins Glen International. The team’s best finish at Infineon came in 2007 season when Tomas Scheckter finished eighth.

- FIND US ONLINE, ANYTIME: In late June, the team launched the newly remodeled www.VisionRacing.com. The site not only features great design and features, but also boasts its own fan site with additional content just for fans. The site is also the hub of the team’s social media experiment for the 2009 season. Vision Racing has established itself in the realm of online social media and networking via accounts at Twitter, Facebook and YouTube this season; allowing fans, friends, followers and even members of the media the opportunity to closely follow and interact with the five-year IndyCar Series participant. Be sure to follow the team’s Twitter feed all race weekend long at Mid-Ohio for behind the scenes info, pictures and maybe even an impromptu, trackside “tweet-up!” The team’s new site was designed by RACERSITES.COM.

- ON LOAN: Considered a win-win situation for all involved, Vision Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay has taken over piloting duties of A.J. Foyt’s No. 14 ABC Supply entry for the remainder of the 2009 IndyCar season in a deal that began at Iowa. Hunter-Reay, who drove the No. 21 Vision Honda Dallara to a second place podium finish in the 2009 season opener at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida, and has transferred his driving services to A.J. Foyt Racing as a temporary replacement for the injured Vitor Meira.

- 2009 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS: This season’s highlight to date came in the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. when Ryan Hunter-Reay started 14th and drove all the way to finish in second place and again just last weekend when Ed Carpenter also started 14th, led 34 laps and finished second by just 0.0162 of a second at Kentucky Speedway. Carpenter has also added four top-ten finishes at Kansas, Indianapolis, Texas and Iowa.

- AS SEEN ON TV: Patrick Dempsey joined Vision Racing prior to the 2006 season, taking on a new role that has been making hearts race in a literal way as a team co-owner. Known for his scene-stealing turns in such ’80s nostalgia classics such as Can’t Buy Me Love and Loverboy, Patrick Dempsey continues to please America with his explosive charisma and versatile talent. Dempsey is the star of the ABC drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” Dempsey’s no stranger to the racetrack when he’s not in front of the camera. A true racer at heart, he’s currently driving professionally in Grand American Cup class sports car racing with Dempsey Racing, formerly Hypersport. He raced a Ferrari F430 GT with Team Seattle in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and also competed in the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

- A TEAM WITH A VISION: Vision Racing is owned and operated by Tony and Laura George, their daughter Lauren George and 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 and second year of Firestone Indy Lights racing. 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 Indy car racing.

Ed Carpenter

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

Birthday: March 3, 1980; Hometown: Marshall, Ill.; Residence: Indianapolis, Ind.

Finished second by 0.0162 of a second at Kentucky earlier this month; leading 34 laps.

- AT INFINEON RACEWAY: Carpenter has been running at the finish in all four previous attempts at Infineon Raceway. However, he is still looking for his first top-ten finish there. In his first attempt at Infineon Raceway in 2005, Carpenter started 20th and finished 15th with Vision Racing. In 2006 season he started 16th and finished 12th, in 2007 he started the race from the 14th spot, ran as high as 12th and ultimately finished 13th, and last year he started and finished in the 23rd position.

- MOST RECENTLY: Starting from the 21st spot, Carpenter drove a clean race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course two weeks ago. He drove as high as 13th in the event and finished 17th. Unfortunately, Carpenter fell one spot to 14th in the IndyCar Series championship point standings with 239 total points after 13 races (221 points behind the leader).

- BABY ON BOARD: Just as planned, Carpenter and wife Heather (Pettigrew) welcomed their second child into the world on June 1st as the 8 lb. 1 oz., 20 inch long Ryder Carpenter arrived on his due date. Young Ryder has been traveling the IndyCar Series circuit with his family at just a few weeks old; joining the schedule back in June for the Iowa event and tagging along ever since. Big sister, Makenna was born in October 2007, while the couple was married November 8, 2005 on the Island of St. Thomas.

- TWEET, TWEET: With the birth of his second child in June, son Ryder, Carpenter decided it would be the perfect time to make his debut on Twitter.com as well; joining Vision Racing’s Twitter efforts. You can view Carpenter’s Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/edcarpenter20 and follow the team at www.twitter.com/visionracing.

- 2009 SEASON: This is the sixth full season in IndyCar Series competition for Carpenter and the seventh season that he has participated in overall. Carpenter is looking to build off of four top-ten finishes and a career-best second place finish at Kentucky Speedway. His top-ten finishes came on the ovals of Kansas, Indianapolis, Texas and Iowa. The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be Carpenter’s 14th event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.

- LEADER LAPS: In his fifth IndyCar Series start in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, Carpenter recorded his first laps led in an IndyCar. He led the field for three laps under caution and finished an Indianapolis 500 career-best, fifth. He led again this season for a lap at Texas Motor Speedway and again last weekend for 34 laps at Kentucky Speedway. He has a total of 38 career-leader laps.

- BACK WITH MENARDS: The No. 20 Vision Racing machine again features the most recognizable car on track as it carries the day-glow yellow color of Menards for the second consecutive season. Menards returned as the primary sponsor of the No. 20 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, driven by Ed Carpenter. The Menards sponsorship also continues a long-lasting relationship between the home store retailer with Carpenter. The 28-year-old driver carried the Menards livery in 2002, with Sinden Racing in Firestone Indy Lights competition and well before that his days of dirt track racing behind the wheel of quarter midgets.

- ED “CARPENTER”: Carpenter and his arsenal of power tools were busy again this past off-season as he was knee deep in a house flipping project with a long time friend as well as occupied with rehab projects around his own home. Of course, Menards has been an essential part of Carpenter’s home repair ventures. Prior to his current real estate investment, Carpenter and his “do-it-yourself” mentality crafted his home repair skills with his first home and family heirloom. The home is located in Speedway, Ind. was purchased as new in 1955 by stepfather Tony George’s parents, Elmer and Mari George. Tony grew up in the home as a boy and for a time, drivers A.J. Foyt and Roger McCluskey lived in the basement.

- DOUBLE DUTY: Ed Carpenter made history in September 2003 at Chicagoland Speedway when he became the first driver to compete in a Firestone Indy Lights event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend.

- INAUGURAL BRICKYARD WINNER: Carpenter won the inaugural Firestone Indy Lights Firestone Freedom 100 in 2003 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Making him an inaugural winner at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway along with Ray Haroun (Indianapolis 500), Jeff Gordon (Brickyard 400), and Michael Schumacher (United States Grand Prix).

- BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: Carpenter graduated from 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament qualifying Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind., with a marketing degree in May 2003.

- DID YOU KNOW? Carpenter enjoys water skiing, snowboarding, hunting and cycling. His racing heroes include Al Unser Jr., A.J. Foyt, and Lance Armstrong and he has two dogs; a Rottweiler named Bentley and a Chihuahua named Rosco.

- ED AT-A-GLANCE: Carpenter is participating in his sixth season in the IndyCar Series, and his fifth with his second team in Vision Racing. The 28-year-old made his IndyCar debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003 for PDM Racing, which made him the first driver to compete in an IRL Indy Pro Series event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend. Carpenter, who has been with the team since it’s inception in 2005, is determined to make his sixth season overall, the best for both he and the team. So far he’s done that with a career-best second place finish at Kentucky Speedway in August with 34 laps led.

About the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma:

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 the start of the 2009 season. 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

Ed Carpenter Earns Career-Best Second Place Finish In Kentucky Photo Finish

Press Release — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:16:36 +0000

Ed Carpenter

SPARTA, Kentucky (Aug. 1, 2009) - Starting from the 14th spot on the grid for the Meijer Indy 300, held at the Kentucky Speedway, Ed Carpenter’s drive for Vision Racing no less than stole the show in the No. 20 Menards Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine Saturday night under the lights. After passing seven cars in the first eight laps, Carpenter led a total of 34 laps and earned a career-best finish of second; finishing just behind Penske Racing’s Ryan Briscoe by a margin of 0.0162 of a second in the IndyCar Series’ closest finish at Kentucky.

At the finish, Carpenter earned most-improved driver honors by advancing his position 12 spots from a 14th place start on the grid (based on entrant points) to his second place podium finish. He also set the fastest lap of the race for the second consecutive time at Kentucky with a 218.498 mph lap average (24.3847 seconds) on lap eight. From there, he continued to slice his way through the field in dominant fashion.

With the help of four flawless pit stops by his Menards pit crew, Carpenter took the lead for the first time in the race on lap 137 and held it for 34 laps. Carpenter and Briscoe battled it out side by-side for the remaining 9 laps with Briscoe edging the no.20 Menards car by just fractions of a second each time they got to the scoring line. With both competitors leaning on their push-to-pass buttons on the white flag lap, the fans were treated to a breathtaking finish.

The second place result is not only a career-best IndyCar Series finish for Carpenter, but matches the team’s best finish of second scored by Ryan Hunter-Reay in the team’s No. 21 entry on the Streets of St. Petersburg in the 2009 season opener. It is however, the team’s highest oval finish and adds to their previous best run here of third, scored by A.J. Foyt IV in 2007. This is Carpenter’s first career IndyCar podium finish.

Carpenter’s past successes at Kentucky included a sixth place drive while setting the fastest lap of the race last year, as well as another good run in 2007 when he finished seventh by charging from the back of the field after a stalled engine on his first pit stop. Carpenter has six attempts at Kentucky with a podium finish and three additional top-ten finishes.

Earning his fifth top-ten finish of the season, and his fourth career top-five, and taking second place, Carpenter jumped from 16th to 12th in the IndyCar Series championship point standings. He now has 226 total points after 12 races (190 points behind the leader).

Briscoe’s victory put him in control of the championship point standings with 416 total points. Rounding out the podium with Carpenter was Tony Kaanan of Andretti Green Racing. In addition to a great battle for the photo finish, fans were treated to twenty lead changes and just one caution, making this race the second-fastest (in mph) in series history.

Watch the IndyCar Series next weekend as they take on challenge of the natural-terrain Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Honda Indy 200. The race broadcast will air live from Mid-Ohio on Sunday afternoon Aug. 9th at 1 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS.

Post Race Quotes: (Aug. 1, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 2nd

Qualifying Position: 14th (based on entrant points)

On race:

“I passed 3 or 4 cars on the start so I had a good idea I had a good car. It was fun running on a mile and a half oval next to a Penske car and run side by side for that many laps at the end of the race. I was trying to run Ryan (Briscoe) as high as I could to make him run the long way around and keep him from getting a run but just had to race him clean and he raced me clean. I have to be happy with second. It’s a career best for me but it hurts being that close to a win. It doesn’t come around often enough. I was hitting the overtake button as often as I could on that last lap.

I knew it was going to be close at the line. He was beating me to the line almost every time on those last few laps. I kept trying different things to try to get an edge and do anything but crash. It was nice to have him race me so clean since he wasn’t used to racing side by side with the Menards car for the lead. The Vision crew guys gave me some awesome pitstops and they were as perfect as they could be. Those guys should be very proud of the job they did tonight. I have to thank Tony and my mom and all of our sponsors, Menards, John Mansville, Lilly, William Rast for their support. It’s been a tough year for the Vision team and this is a good result to help turn things around for the rest of the season but we were just one spot off from making it that much better. This is great for moral.”

About Vision Racing:

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

Ed Carpenter Drives To 16th Place Finish At Edmonton

Press Release — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:36:31 +0000

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (July 26, 2009) - Starting from the 23rd spot on the grid for the Rexall Edmonton Indy, held at the Edmonton City Centre Airport in Western Canada, Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter drove a clean race, took advantage of others’ mistakes and took the checkered flag in the 16th position driving the No. 20 William Rast sponsored Dallara/ Honda/ Firestone.

Carpenter made just two pit stops in the 95-lap event, which was a green-lap affair up until two laps from the finish when Tomas Scheckter made contact with the wall. The race finished under caution, but the lack of a full-course yellow allowed the field to spread out amidst the 1.973-mile road course during the contest.

Unfortunately, with the result, Carpenter drops another spot in the IndyCar Series championship point standings to the 16th position with 186 total points (194 points behind the leader).

Will Power of Team Penske won the race from the pole in his part-time ride driving the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Machine. Rounding out the podium was Helio Castroneves of Team Penske and Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. With the result, Dixon takes back control of the championship points standings with 380 total points

Watch the IndyCar Series next weekend as they take to the 1.5-mile oval at Kentucky Speedway for the Meijer Indy 300. The race broadcast will air live from Kentucky on Saturday evening, Aug. 1st at 8 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS.

Ed Carpenter

Post Race Quotes: (July 26, 2009)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 William Rast/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 16th

Qualifying Position: 23rd

On race:

It wasn’t too bad a day considering. My car was way better on red Firestone tires than it was on blacks. For the middle stint, when I was on the black tires, my times were pretty bad and I had tons and tons of understeer. The red Firestone tires made the balance good enough that I could run some decent lap times and got into a good rhythm. It was a tough race going green the way it did until the last couple of laps. It made for a long day but unlike the other street courses, I didn’t make any stupid mistakes, spin, run into anything or anybody, so I’ll take that as a positive. With it going all green, being as physical as it was, I would have liked to have seen some some attrition especially since I didn’t make any mistakes.”

About Vision Racing:

- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter / Vision Racing Rexall Edmonton Indy Preview

Press Release — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:19:01 +0000

VISION RACING FACT SHEET

Rexall Edmonton Indy – July 26, 2009

Edmonton City Centre Airport

- TAKING THE VISION TO EDMONTON: Vision Racing and the IndyCar Series ventures to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and the Edmonton City Centre Airport for the second time. In the team’s debut at the 1.937-mile road course in 2008, they added driver Paul Tracy in the No. 22 Subway sponsored car along side the team’s regulars, Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV. Tracy made a lasting impression in his debut with the team in his native country as he battled the odds to work his way from a 15th place starting spot on the grid to run with the leaders, and narrowly missed out on a podium finish in his first outing for the Vision team in a collaborative one-race effort with Walker Racing. Fellow team drivers A.J. Foyt IV and Ed Carpenter finished 12th and 13th respectively. The team’s best road and street course finish came earlier this year on the streets of St. Petersburg when Ryan Hunter-Reay finished in the second position. Ed Carpenter’s best road/street course finish came at Watkins Glen when he took sixth place in 2006.

- NEW LOOK FOR CANADA: Vision Racing is pleased continue the running of William Rast branded livery in Canada as Carpenter will drive the No. 20 William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry for the second-consecutive race, after debuting the car two weeks ago at Toronto. William Rast, a People’s Liberation subsidiary known for its stylish high-end denim, is the primary sponsor on the No. 20 car this season for the IndyCar Series’ Canadian swing through Toronto and Edmonton.

While William Rast, a premium lifestyle brand with emphasis on stylish denim, has been a mainstay on the Vision Racing body work all season, it was also featured earlier in the year as a primary on the team’s No. 21 car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. However, the William Rast moniker has been featured on the Vision Racing entries at each event this season. Carpenter’s car will feature a grey matte finish, day-glow orange accents and of course, William Rast branding.

- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: After forming and joining the Indy Racing League in 2005, Vision Racing is celebrating its fifth season of competition in 2009. Since the team embarked upon IndyCar Series competition, eight drivers have piloted five (Nos. 2, 20, 21, 22, 90) different team entries. Those drivers have combined for an additional 45 top-10 finishes, plus 10 top-five finishes, three more podium finishes and 42 laps led. Over the previous four years the quest for the team’s first victory has been top priority and Vision Racing is confident that year five will be the season where that it happens. The team’s best ever finish occurred in the 2009 season opener as Ryan Hunter-Reay drove from 14th to finish second in the race. That podium finish also put Vision second in the championship point standings which was also its’ the highest-ever ranking. The Rexall Edmonton Indy will be the team’s 77th IndyCar Series event since their first season in 2005.

- SUMMER VACATION: Thanks to a mid-season break in the schedule this past weekend, team members got to enjoy some rare time away from the racetrack to spend with their families and friends. Team co-owners, Tony, Laura and Lauren George and driver Ed Carpenter, and their respective families spent their free time in the beautiful state of Montana before making the trek up to Edmonton for the race.

- FIND US ONLINE, ANYTIME: Just a couple of weeks ago, the team launched the newly remodeled www.VisionRacing.com. The site not only features great design and features, but also boasts its own fan site with additional content just for fans. The site is also the hub of the team’s social media experiment for the 2009 season. Vision Racing has established itself in the realm of online social media and networking via accounts at Twitter, Facebook and YouTube this season; allowing fans, friends, followers and even members of the media the opportunity to closely follow and interact with the five-year IndyCar Series participant. Be sure to follow the team’s Twitter feed all race weekend long for behind the scenes info, pictures and maybe even an impromptu, trackside “tweet-up!” The team’s new site was designed by RACERSITES.COM.

Ed Carpenter

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

Birthday: March 3, 1980;

Hometown: Marshall, Ill.;

Residence: Indianapolis, Ind.

Making second career start at Edmonton.

- AT EDMONTON: Carpenter will be making his second start at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Last year, driving the Vision Racing No. 20 Menards machine, he started from the 23rd spot and advanced ten places to finish in the 13th spot.

- MOST RECENTLY: Starting from the 19th spot on the grid in his debut on the streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Carpenter held on and persevered through a wild and exciting Honda Indy Toronto to finish the race in the 15th spot. He fell back as far as the 23rd spot after running as high up as 12th and overcame a pair of spins and contact with Graham Rahal to move his way back up through the field and finish in 15th. Unfortunately, Carpenter dropped one spot again in the IndyCar Series championship point standings to the 15th position with 172 total points (175 points behind the leader).

- 2009 SEASON: This is the sixth full season in IndyCar Series competition for Carpenter and the seventh season that he has participated in overall. Carpenter is looking to build off of four top-ten finishes earned in the last six consecutive oval races. His top-ten finishes came on the ovals of Kansas, Indianapolis, Texas and Iowa. The Rexall Edmonton Indy will be Carpenter’s eleventh event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.

- LEADER LAPS: In his fifth IndyCar Series start in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, Carpenter recorded his first laps led in an IndyCar. He led the field for three laps under caution and finished an Indianapolis 500 career-best, fifth. His most recent leader lap came this season at Texas Motor Speedway when Carpenter was credited for leading one lap. He has a total of four (4) career-leader laps.

- NEW VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT: Carpenter still has the same view from the cockpit that he’s always had, but fans of the driver will notice a different look coming from his cockpit this season as his helmet is carrying the distinct colors and logos of the premium jean and clothing retailer, William Rast, for the 2009 season. For the Canadian events at Toronto and Edmonton, Carpenter’s helmet will match his car as his No. 20 machine will carry William Rast primary sponsorship at those races.

- ED “CARPENTER”: Carpenter and his arsenal of power tools have been busy again this past off-season as he has been knee deep in a house flipping project with a long time friend as well as occupied with rehab projects around his own home. Of course, Menards has been an essential part of Carpenter’s home repair ventures. Prior to his current real estate investment, Carpenter and his “do-it-yourself” mentality crafted his home repair skills with his first home and family heirloom. The home is located in Speedway, Ind. was purchased as new in 1955 by stepfather Tony George’s parents, Elmer and Mari George. Tony grew up in the home as a boy and for a time, drivers A.J. Foyt and Roger McCluskey lived in the basement.

- BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: Carpenter graduated from 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament qualifying Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind., with a marketing degree in May 2003.

- ED AT-A-GLANCE: Carpenter is participating in his sixth season in the IndyCar Series, and his fifth with his second team in Vision Racing. The 28-year-old made his IndyCar debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003 for PDM Racing, which made him the first driver to compete in an IRL Indy Pro Series event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend. Carpenter, who has been with the team since it’s inception in 2005, is determined to make his sixth season overall, the best for both he and the team. Last year Carpenter recorded seven top-10 finishes, two top-fives and his first leader laps.

- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter Perseveres To 15th Place Debut In Toronto

Press Release — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:42:55 +0000

Ed Carpenter

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada (July 12, 2009) - Starting from the 19th spot on the grid in his debut on the streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter held on and persevered through a wild and exciting Honda Indy Toronto behind the wheel of the No. 20 William Rast Dallara/Honda/Firestone.

After dropping to the 20th position just after the start of the race, Carpenter battled back on track and took advantage of other’s mistakes and utilized a solid strategy to move as high as the 12th position during the first of many full-course cautions on lap eight.

Upon the first race restart on lap 12, while running in the 12th spot, Carpenter experienced his first bit of excitement with a small spin while getting on the power in turn six. Carpenter was able to resume, but fell to the 23rd position. Track conditions made for slippery conditions, a scenario that Carpenter confirmed on the radio to his team before spinning for a second time on lap 26. Once again, he was able to carry on in the race and by lap 45 had made up three positions.

On lap 58 the adversity for Carpenter continued as competitor Graham Rahal put his car inside of the No. 20 William Rast machine while both cars were navigating a tight turn. The contact between the two drivers put Carpenter into the air and Rahal into the wall. Yet again, Carpenter managed to press on in the race in spite of the incident.

Working his way up to the 17th spot, Carpenter stopped for a pit stop to check for damage and change to red walled Firestone tires. From that point, Carpenter soldiered on to the finish while others experienced misfortunes and mishaps on the tricky street course. For his efforts and patience, Carpenter scored a 15th place result.

Unfortunately, Carpenter dropped one spot again in the IndyCar Series championship point standings to the 15th position with 172 total points (175 points behind the leader).

Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi won the wild race and resumes control of the championship points standings as a result with 247 total points. Rounding out the podium was Ryan Briscoe and Will Power of Team Penske.

Watch the IndyCar Series in action two weeks from today for the Series’ return to Edmonton Centre Airport for the Rexall Edmonton Indy. The race broadcast will air live from Edmonton on Sunday, July 26th at 5 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS.

Post Race Quotes: (July12, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 William Rast/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 15th

Qualifying Position: 19th

On race:

“There sure was a lot of action but I’m just really disappointed in myself. Everything was looking good yesterday when we had a really good qualifying effort and we were trying to build on that in the race. Every street course this year I’ve manage to spoil our efforts.

These races turn into attrition races every time and instead of taking advantage, I’ve done something to set us back. I have to apologize to William Rast, Menards, Johns Manville and Lilly and especially all the guys that work hard on this team. We had something to be happy about yesterday and today I threw it all away trying to get my rear tires cleaned off before the restart and just lit them up and lost it. It was a stupid mistake.”

About Vision Racing:

- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter / Vision Racing Takes to the Streets of Toronto

Press Release — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:09:43 +0000

Ed Carpenter

VISION RACING FACT SHEET

Honda Indy Toronto – July 12, 2009

Streets of Toronto

- TAKING THE VISION TO TORONTO: Vision Racing and the IndyCar Series ventures to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and its city streets for the first time. The team’s best road and street course finish came earlier this year on the streets of St. Petersburg when Ryan Hunter-Reay finished in the second position. Ed Carpenter’s best road/street course finish came at Watkins Glen when he took sixth place in 2006.

- NEW LOOK FOR CANADA: Vision Racing is pleased to announce that the William Rast branding livery will ride again this season, only this time on the team’s No. 20 Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry driven by Ed Carpenter. William Rast, a People’s Liberation subsidiary known for its stylish high-end denim, will be the primary sponsor on the No. 20 car for the IndyCar Series’ Canadian swing through Toronto and Edmonton. While William Rast, a premium lifestyle brand with emphasis on stylish jeans, has been a mainstay on the Vision Racing body work all season, it was last featured as a primary on the team’s No. 21 car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. Carpenter’s car will feature a grey matte finish, day-glow orange accents and of course, William Rast branding.

- BIRDS-EYE VIEW: Fans watching the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday’s ABC TV coverage beginning at 1 p.m. (ET), will get the opportunity to see the No. 20 William Rast/Vision Racing machine from a birds-eye view. The car will carry an in-car camera this weekend giving viewers a unique perspective as Carpenter pilots the car around the streets of Toronto.

- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: After joining the Indy Racing League in 2005, Vision Racing is celebrating its fifth season of competition in 2009. Since the team embarked upon IndyCar Series competition, eight drivers have piloted five (Nos. 2, 20, 21, 22, 90) different team entries. Those drivers have combined for an additional 45 top-10 finishes, plus 10 top-five finishes, three more podium finishes and 42 laps led. Over the previous four years the quest for the team’s first victory has been top priority and Vision Racing is confident that year five will be the season where that it happens. The team’s best ever finish occurred in the 2009 season opener as Ryan Hunter-Reay drove from 14th to finish second in the race. That podium finish also put Vision second in the championship point standings which was also its’ the highest-ever ranking. The Honda Indy Toronto will be the team’s 76th IndyCar Series event since their first season in 2005.

- FIND US ONLINE, ANYTIME:Just a couple of weeks ago, the team launched the newly remodeled www.VisionRacing.com. The site not only features great design and features, but also boasts its own fan site with additional content just for fans. The site is also the hub of the team’s social media experiment for the 2009 season. Vision Racing has established itself in the realm of online social media and networking via accounts at Twitter, Facebook and YouTube this season; allowing fans, friends, followers and even members of the media the opportunity to closely follow and interact with the five-year IndyCar Series participant. Be sure to follow the team’s Twitter feed all race weekend long for behind the scenes info, pictures and maybe even an impromptu, trackside “tweet-ups!” The team’s new site was designed by RACERSITES.COM.

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

Birthday: March 3, 1980;

Hometown: Marshall, Ill.;

Residence: Indianapolis, Ind.

Making debut at Toronto for just his 21st career road/street course start.

- AT TORONTO: Carpenter will be making his debut on the streets of Toronto this weekend. It will be Carpenter’s 21st road/street course race EVER! His best finish in those 21 starts came at Watkins Glen, in 2006 when he drove as high as fifth and finished sixth. Ed has never started in the top-ten on a road or street course, but has finished in the top-ten twice (sixth at Watkins Glen in 2006 and 10th at Detroit in 2007). In the team’s most recent road course affair at Watkins Glen, Carpenter was driving in the tenth position when Mario Moraes made an aboidable move and hit Carpenter, causing damage to the No. 20 machine. The team’s best road/street course finish came in the season-opener this year at St. Pete when Ryan Hunter-Reay finished second. That was also the team’s highest-ever finish.

- TWEET, TWEET: With the birth of his second child, son Ryder, Carpenter decided it would be the perfect time to make his debut on Twitter.com as well; joining Vision Racing’s Twitter efforts. You can view Carpenter’s Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/edcarpenter20 and follow the team at www.twitter.com/visionracing. Speaking of Twitter, Carpenter is also making good use of the in-car camera by adding his Twitter handle to the top of his William Rast branded helmet. It reads @edcarpenter20.

- MOST RECENTLY: After being unceremoniously punted out of his tenth place running position by a competitor, Carpenter found himself battling on for a 16th place finish at Watkins Glen last Sunday afternoon for the fifth annual Camping World Grand Prix. After starting in the 21st position, a bit of strategy and good fortune put Carpenter and the No. 20 Menards machine in the tenth position following his first pit stop and subsequent full course caution. While running in the top-ten on lap 23 for the restart, competitor Mario Moraes completed an ill-advised move approaching turn five and made significant contact with the No.20 Menards car. Carpenter’s crew was able to repair the damage (flat tire and broken right-rear tow link) and get him back on track where he worked his way from the 19th position to take 16th at the checkered flag.

- 2009 SEASON: This is the sixth full season in IndyCar Series competition for Carpenter and the seventh season that he has participated in overall. Carpenter is looking to build off of four top-ten finishes earned in the last six consecutive oval races. His top-ten finishes came on the ovals of Kansas, Indianapolis, Texas and Iowa. The Honda Indy Toronto will be Carpenter’s tenth event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.

- LEADER LAPS: In his fifth IndyCar Series start in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, Carpenter recorded his first laps led in an IndyCar. He led the field for three laps under caution and finished an Indianapolis 500 career-best, fifth. His most recent leader lap came this season at Texas Motor Speedway when Carpenter was credited for leading one lap. He has a total of four (4) career-leader laps.

- BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: Carpenter graduated from 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament qualifying Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind., with a marketing degree in May 2003.

- ED AT-A-GLANCE: Carpenter is participating in his sixth season in the IndyCar Series, and his fifth with his second team in Vision Racing. The 28-year-old made his IndyCar debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003 for PDM Racing, which made him the first driver to compete in an IRL Indy Pro Series event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend. Carpenter, who has been with the team since it’s inception in 2005, is determined to make his sixth season overall, the best for both he and the team. Last year Carpenter recorded seven top-10 finishes, two top-fives and his first leader laps.

o Highest Career Start: 4th – Michigan International Speedway, 2006/Vision Racing

o Highest Career Finish: 5th – Chicagoland Speedway, 2006/Vision Racing

— Homestead-Miami Speedway, 2008/Vision Racing

— Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2008/Vision Racing

o Laps Led: 4

o Top-5′s: 3

o Top-10′s: 25

o Starts: 91

o Running at Finish: 64 (71%)

About the Honda Indy Toronto:

The Honda Indy Toronto held on the streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada will air live on Sunday, July 12th at 1:00 p.m. 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 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 the start of the 2009 season. 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

Vision Racing Settles For 16th Place Finish At Watkins Glen

Press Release — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:50:26 +0000

Ed Carpenter

WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 5, 2009) - After being unceremoniously punted out of his tenth place running position by a competitor, Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter found himself battling on for a 16th place finish at Watkins Glen International Sunday afternoon for the fifth annual Camping World Grand Prix. After starting in the 21st position, a bit of strategy and good fortune put Carpenter and the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine in the tenth position following his first pit stop and subsequent full course caution.

While running in the top-ten on lap 23 for the restart, competitor Mario Moraes completed an ill-advised move approaching turn five and made significant contact with the No.20 Menards car. The incident forced Carpenter to take the road course short cut on his way back to the pits and caused damage to the car.

Carpenter was obligated to make two stops due to the incident as he took on new Firestone Firehawk tires, a refill of Ethanol, and a repair of the right-rear tow link. The Menards/Vision Racing crew made a speedy repair of the car, but Carpenter was still forced to go a lap down as a penalty for taking the short cut.

Dropping back to the 19th position, Carpenter put forth his best effort to salvage a decent finish. In doing so, he was able to move up three spots and take the checkered flag in the 16th position. Unfortunately, it was not the sort of result that Carpenter desired as he dropped one spot in the IndyCar Series championship point standings to the 14th position with 157 total points (156 points behind the leader).

Justin Wilson of Dale Coyne Racing won the event, which marks the first race this season in the IndyCar Series that a car other than that of Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing has won. It was also Dale Coyne Racing’s first-ever victory as an organization. Rounding out the podium were Ryan Briscoe of Penske and Scott Dixon of Ganassi. Dixon also took control of the championship points lead with 313 total points.

Watch the IndyCar Series in action next weekend for the Series’ debut at Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the Honda Indy Toronto. The race broadcast will air live from the streets of Toronto on Sunday, July 12th at 1 p.m. (ET) on ABC.

Post Race Quotes: (July 5, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 16th

Qualifying Position: 21st

On race:

“It ended up being a disappointing race. We looked like we were falling into a decent strategy when we pitted and caught the yellow to find ourselves mid-pack after doing our pit stop. We took the restart in 10th spot but it isn’t a real race unless Mario Moraes does something stupid. He’s very fast and very talented but until he gets a little smarter he’s never going to run up front in a race. It’s a shame because the KV Racing team is a good team that puts together fast cars but all he does is run over people every race. That’s what ended our day.”

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- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter Drives To A 13th Place Finish At Richmond

Press Release — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:22:17 +0000

Ed Carpenter

RICHMOND, Virginia (June 27, 2009) - Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter finished 13th tonight at Richmond International Raceway in the SunTrust Indy Challenge driving the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine.

Carpenter started from the 14th position and ran as high as eighth in the race, but was caught out twice by yellow flags immediately after making his second and third pit stops. Those cautions caused by on-track accidents impeded any progress and advancement Carpenter could have made via pit stop cycles and fuel saving strategies.

The 13th place finish this evening dropped Carpenter one point in the IndyCar Series championship point standings to the 13th position with 143 points (136 points behind the leaders).

This stretch of six consecutive oval races that saw Carpenter score four top-ten finishes has concluded with Richmond and now the IndyCar Series will transition to the first of three consecutive road and street course events starting with next weekend’s affair at Watkins Glen International. Carpenter’s best finish at Watkins Glen came in 2006 when he finished sixth. It is also the team’s best finish at the 3.37-mile road course.

Watch the IndyCar Series in action next weekend for the fifth annual Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen. The race broadcast will air live from the Watkins Glen International on Sunday, July 5th at 1 p.m. (ET) on ABC.

Post Race Quotes: (June 27, 2009)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 13th

Qualifying Position: 14th

On race:

“It was a frustrating race. You could run a decent pace on your own but this was like no Richmond race I have ever run before. The No. 20 Menards car was really affected by dirty air and loss of grip in traffic. We didn’t have much luck with cautions coming out of the pits either. Finishing in 13th place is nothing to be happy with, but we made it through in one piece when others didn’t.”

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- Vision Racing Press Release

Ed Carpenter earns Top-10 Finish at Iowa Speedway

Press Release — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:54:01 +0000

NEWTON, Iowa (June 21, 2009) - Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter finished tenth at Iowa Speedway Sunday afternoon in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 driving the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine.

After on-track weepers producing surface moisture at Iowa Speedway canceled qualifying on Saturday, the starting grid for today’s race was set by the IndyCar Series entrant point standings. Thus, Carpenter started from the 13th position and drove as high as tenth which is where he held on through the attrition and on-track incidents to take the checkered flag.

Working through changes to the car and driving a clean race allowed Carpenter to record his second-consecutive tenth place finish in the last two IndyCar Series races and his fourth top-ten finish this season. As a result, Carpenter moved up from 14th to 12th in the championship point standings with 126 points (115 points behind the leader).

In three starts at Iowa, Carpenter has two top-ten finishes and a top-five start now on his resume.

From the heart of the mid-west, Carpenter and the team head to yet another short-track oval in Richmond International Raceway next weekend with a little momentum on their side. Carpenter also has two top-ten finishes at the .75 of a mile track.

Watch the IndyCar Series’ SunTrust Indy Challenge live from the Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, June 27th. Race coverage on VERSUS begins 8 p.m. (ET).

Post Race Quotes: (June21, 2009)

Ed Carpenter – No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 10th

Qualifying Position: 13th (Based on IndyCar Series entrant point standings.)

On race:

“The bumps were a factor. The car was loose over those bumps the whole race and I had understeer in turn 3 and 4 especially in traffic. We were pretty limited on what we could do to take understeer out of the car because I was afraid of what that it would do over the bumps. It’s disappointing because this is a great race track and I’d really like to see them fix that bump. I know they tried but we’d like to see them try something different. We’re happy to be coming back the next two years so I think it would be in all of our best interests if they tuned it a bit to open it up and make it a more exciting race. It’s a top-ten but not one we can be proud of since we didn’t really feel like we beat anybody. We just rode around and didn’t crash like a lot of others.”

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- Vision Racing Press Release