Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot Hope to Extend ECR’s Run of Three Top 2 Results in Three Years

(INDIANAPOLIS) July 3, 2018 – Race Preview

– After a positive test at Iowa Speedway last week, Ed Carpenter Racing will return to the .875-mile tri-oval this weekend for the Iowa Corn 300. For each of the past three years, ECR has left Iowa Speedway with a podium finish and has had a driver inside the Top 5 for four consecutive years. Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot will work to continue that streak this weekend as they compete in the 300-lap race in a pair of Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolets.

– Team owner Carpenter has been a competitor in all but one Verizon IndyCar Series race at Iowa Speedway, with ten total starts to date. Four of Carpenter’s last six races at Iowa Speedway have concluded in Top 10 finishes. His highest result occurred in 2013, when he finished 4th after qualifying in the same position. 

– Iowa Speedway will be a new track for Pigot, who is participating in a full Verizon IndyCar Series season for the first time this year. After sharing the No. 20 with Carpenter the past two seasons, the 24-year-old was elevated to ECR’s full-time driver of the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet for 2018. Though Sunday’s race will be his first in an Indy car at Iowa, Pigot competed at the short oval in 2015 during his successful campaign for the Indy Lights championship. He also completed a one-day test at Iowa Speedway alongside Carpenter last week.

– In 2017, Carpenter started on the outside of the second row after qualifying 4th. He settled into the 5th position but struggled with a car that was lacking grip in between Turns 1 and 2. Carpenter attempted to make adjustments from inside the cockpit and discovered that the weight jacker had malfunctioned. All additional changes to the car had to be made by the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka crew on pit lane. Despite the handling issues, Carpenter persevered until the checkered flag and finished 12th.

– Two weeks ago at Road America, Pigot brought home his best result of the year with an 8th place finish. Carpenter, who completes exclusively on the oval events, recently won his third pole position for the Indianapolis 500. He led the most laps of all drivers in this year’s race before finishing second, his best result of the year and the highest Indy 500 finish of his career. In 2018’s first short oval race at Phoenix, Carpenter finished 7th.

– Ed Carpenter Racing drivers have stood on the first or second step of the podium at Iowa Speedway each of the past three years, leading a total of 431 laps in those events. The team earned a pair of second place finishes with Josef Newgarden in 2015 and JR Hildebrand in 2017. In 2016, the team put forth a dominating performance. Newgarden qualified second, took the lead on the first lap and led a total of 282 laps on his way to the team’s most recent victory.

– The Iowa Corn 300 will feature one practice session on Saturday, July 7, before qualifying that afternoon. NBC Sports Network will show qualifications live, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. Early Saturday evening, Carpenter and Pigot will have one final hour practice. Sunday’s 300-lap race will be shown live on NBCSN, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on July 8. 

ED CARPENTER, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet: “I am always excited to race at Iowa Speedway and be a part of the Iowa Corn 300! It is definitely a track where I have been comfortable and enjoyed racing at. It’s such a small track for our cars and how quick we can run. It’s a constant challenge, both physically and mentally. We were able to test last week and it gave us a good direction before we get back on track this weekend.”

SPENCER PIGOT, No. 21 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet: “I haven’t raced at Iowa Speedway since 2015 and that was in Indy Lights. I’m looking forward to the challenge of racing here in an Indy car this weekend! A pass can take four to five laps to get done while you’re running side by side, which is pretty unique for us. There’s not a lot of places we get to do that and as a driver, it’s a lot of fun. We tried a lot of things on the car at the test last week and have a good direction to work towards heading into the race. Hopefully, we can have a strong race in the Fuzzy’s Vodka car!”