It’s been a long time coming, but IZOD IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter picked up his first ever series win Sunday at Kentucky Speedway in dramatic fashion.
In almost the complete opposite of his luck in 2009 (when he lost to Ryan Briscoe by .0162 of a second), Carpenter edged out Dario Franchitti by .0098 of a second after having a 20-lap wheel-to-wheel battle with the Flying Scotsman.
Kentucky has always been one of Carpenter’s better tracks, as he has finished runner up the previous two years at the 1.5-mile oval. But, his luck changed at the track in his 113th series start.
Carpenter knew he won as soon as he crossed the line.
The whole story is great…Carpenter is one of the nicest guys in the series and has built a following since his strong run at the track a couple years ago. His team owner is one of the friendliest faces in the paddock…Sarah Fisher. Plus, Fisher just gave birth to daughter Zoey on Sept. 13.
But, there was bad news for the team. Before the race, it found out that Dollar General was not going to return to sponsor the No. 67 car next year. Well…hopefully this win changes the company’s mind.
Events like this and like the Indy 500 result back in May show that even the “small” teams can compete…as long as they find the right people. And there is no doubt that Sarah Fisher Racing (and Bryan Herta Autosport) has the right people to win races consistently in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Oh yeah…in case you were wondering…Dario Franchitti took the points lead over Will Power by 18 points with only Las Vegas left. What stinks for Power is that the bad luck bit him again. He was coming into his pit stall and was hit in the side by Ana Beatriz. He never recovered.
But, today, instead of talking about the championship, it is all about Ed!