Ed Carpenter Racing

Lore & Background

After spending five seasons with Vision Racing, and the 2011 IndyCar Series season with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, on November 2, 2011, Ed Carpenter announced the creation of Ed Carpenter Racing, which ran its first season in 2012 with sponsorship by Fuzzy's Premium Vodka for three seasons. Among the reasons for the team's creation was concerns surrounding the departure of Sarah Fisher Racing's sponsor Dollar General. IRL founder and Carpenter's stepfather Tony George also became an owner, along with former golfer Fuzzy Zoeller. American Le Mans Series team owner and former Penske Racing member Derrick Walker was hired as general manager; Tim Broyles and Bret Schmitt were hired as team manager and crew chief, respectively. On February 13, 2012, it was confirmed that the team will run with engines from Chevrolet. Carpenter stated that he was intending to run a full season, unlike in previous seasons, where he ran the ovals, and had also decided to drive with #20, the number he drove with during his tenure at Vision Racing. The team claimed its first victory with Carpenter winning the season-ending MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway, and ECR became the only one-driver team to win a race in 2012. In 2013, Walker left for a position with IndyCar. Eventually, Carpenter scored the pole position for the Indianapolis 500. He finished the season sixteenth in points, with a best result of second at the final race at Auto Club Speedway. For the 2014 season, Carpenter competed in the oval races on the calendar, while Mike Conway competed for the team on road and street courses. On March 20, J. R. Hildebrand was hired to run the 2014 Indianapolis 500 with the team in the No. 21. The move to a shared drive paid off well for the team early in the year, with Conway winning the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and Carpenter winning the Indy 500 pole for the second consecutive year. Carpenter's four lap average of 231.067 mph was the first Indy pole-claiming run in excess of 230 mph for 11 years. Unfortunately, he was involved in a crash with James Hinchcliffe on a late restart, finishing 27th. Later in the season, Carpenter won the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway, his first win since the 2012 triumph at Fontana. On August 16, 2014, Carpenter announced the team would merge with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the 2015 season, becoming CFH Racing. After one season, H

In Their Own Story

The garage at Avon smells like brake dust and burnt rubber, the way it always does at 4:45 a.m. on a race-morning. Ed is already in the pit box, boots off, sleeves rolled, arguing with his crew chief about front-wing angle while the Dallara sits on the jack stands like a caged animal. A young mechanic—third season, still nervous—watches from the tool cart, trying not to breathe too loud. The grandstands are empty. The track is silent except for the distant hum of a generator. But in this box, with the fluorescent lights buzzing and the whiteboard covered in setup notes, the whole weekend lives and dies. Ed glances up, catches the kid staring, and grins. "You're not just watching, kid. Hand me the 14-millimeter." And the garage, for one more hour, is the most important place on earth.

Reader's Guide

The team currently fields the No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet for Alexander Rossi, the No. 21 Dallara-Chevrolet for Christian Rasmussen, and the No. 33 Dallara-Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter. The team's history includes a merger with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing in 2015 to form CFH Racing, which reverted to Ed Carpenter Racing in 2016.

Did You Know?

• The team's first victory came in 2012 with Ed Carpenter winning the season-ending MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway.
• Carpenter won the Indianapolis 500 pole position in both 2013 and 2014.
• In 2014, Mike Conway won the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach driving for the team.
• Danica Patrick drove a third car for the team in her final Indianapolis 500 appearance in 2018.