Ed Carpenter and Josef Newgarden Will Both Run Fuzzy’s Vodka Colors Under the Lights at the Firestone 600

(SPEEDWAY, Ind.) June 7, 2016 – Preview Notes

– Ed Carpenter Racing will have two green Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolets under the lights this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the third of five oval races on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. The only owner/driver in the series, Ed Carpenter, will return to the No. 20 and compete in the Firestone 600 with Josef Newgarden as the No. 21 continues the race to the championship.

– The 1.5-mile oval outside of Fort Worth, Texas boasts 24 degrees of banking in the turns. Carpenter and Newgarden will get 75 minutes of practice before moving into qualifications on Friday afternoon. Another 30 minute practice session will follow in the evening before Saturday night’s 248-lap race.

– The 2015 Firestone 600 was a difficult one for ECR as both Carpenter and Newgarden fell out of the race within one lap of each other due to separate mechanical failures.

– Carpenter had the car to beat during the 2014 race, leading 66 of the final 67 laps. At one point, he had stretched his lead to over 14 seconds. His victory that night was his was his third career win in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

– The most recent oval race for ECR was the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, held less than two weeks ago on May 29. Carpenter had gained eight positions in the first 50 laps when an electrical issue sidelined the No. 20. Newgarden led 14 laps and was in the hunt for the win, but fell short when rookie Alexander Rossi managed to complete a 36-lap run without having to pit for fuel. Newgarden would finish 3rd, matching his best finsh of the year.

– Last weekend, the Verizon IndyCar Series ran a doubleheader in Detroit with one race on Saturday and one race on Sunday. Newgarden was able to make the most of a tough weekend and finish 4th in Dual 2, landing him firmly in the 4th position of the championship standings. He is only 18 points out of second place.

– The Verizon IndyCar Series returns to NBC Sports Network for this weekend’s race. The first practice session will be broadcast live beginning at 11 a.m. CT on Friday, followed by a tape-delayed qualifications broadcast at 5 p.m. CT. The race broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. CT Saturday night with the green flag set to fall at 7:50 p.m.

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA CHEVROLET: “It is always great to race at Texas Motor Speedway and it’s a track that we have had success at. I am ready to rebound from a tough Indianapolis 500 and the team is ready to keep the momentum going that we have built over the past month.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 21 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA CHEVROLET: “I absolutely love Texas, it’s one of my favorite Indy car tracks. It’s one of our best places for fans and certainly one of the best ovals to drive an Indy car on. I can’t wait to get back there with Ed again, I think we’ll have two really good chances with both of the Fuzzy’s Vodka cars. We’ll try to make something happen under the lights!”