MILWAUKEE -- Victory in the Firestone 600 on June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway was personally satisfying for Ed Carpenter as the driver, and maybe more gratifying for the Ed Carpenter Racing team owner.
It was the second victory of the season for the team. Carpenter competes in the oval track races in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka car, while Mike Conway is in his first year with the team for the street/road course events. He won at Long Beach in mid-April.
The last time two different drivers won in the same car in one season was 2005 when Bruno Junqueira won the second Champ Car race of the season in Monterrey, Mexico, in the No. 2 PacifiCare Newman-Haas Racing car. He was injured in the Indianapolis 500 and Oriol Servia drove for the remainder of the season, winning at Montreal.
“We've got a good group of people, and I think we're able to show that on track right now,” Carpenter said. “Like I keep saying, I’m really proud of the whole team, the whole effort, the whole group. We have a lot of fun, and it's even more fun when you're winning.
“They've been giving us great cars all year for myself and Mike, so it's nice to be able to deliver.”
It was the third career victory for Carpenter (the first since the 2012 season finale at Auto Club Speedway), who led 90 laps in leading Will Power of Team Penske across the finish line by .5427 of a second.
“I want to try to win every session, every race that we go to, whether I'm driving or Mike is driving,” said Carpenter, the sole team owner-driver in the series. “We're just going to try to keep the intensity up and try to keep fighting for wins. The team is certainly capable and they give us cars. We just got to put it all together week in and week out.”
Carpenter is joining several other teams this week and next for testing on ovals in preparation for events at Pocono Raceway (July 6), Iowa Speedway (July 12) and Milwaukee (Aug. 17).
"We need to use this break to get ready for the next oval races. It's tough on the whole team after more than a month of work. But that is why we love to go racing," said Carpenter, who was on the .875-mile Iowa Speedway on June 10 and will test at Milwaukee on June 12.
The next Verizon IndyCar Series event -- the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers doubleheader on June 28-29 – commences a series of five races in six races in four consecutive weekends.
Bourdais placed on probation, Honda docked 30 points
INDYCAR announced infractions from the Firestone 600:
• INDYCAR officials have fined KVSH Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais $10,000 and placed him on probation for the remainder of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The member was found to have violated Rule 9.3.1 (Improper Conduct On-Track) of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook during an incident with Justin Wilson on Lap 121 of the event at Texas Motor Speedway.
• INDYCAR officials have fined Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing $5,000 for a technical violation on its No. 67 Verizon IndyCar Series entry driven by Josef Newgarden. The entrant was found to have violated Rule 14.6.5.2.1a (Rear wing angle).
• INDYCAR officials have penalized Honda a total of 30 Engine Manufacturer Championship points for violation of Rule 16.5.1 (engine change under mileage). Honda engines were changed out in the Nos. 14, 25 and 28 entries. Each occurrence is a 10-point penalty incurred by the manufacturer.
The member may contest the imposition of the penalty pursuant to the procedures and timelines detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.
Bishop, founder of International Motor Racing Research Center, dies
John Bishop, who has been described as the most respected leader in the history of road racing in America, has died. He was 87.
Bishop was among the founders of the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and the facility was dedicated to him on its opening in 1999. The Center was created to be a pre-eminent repository of all materials related to motorsports in all series and at all tracks, worldwide.
Of note
SKF has agreed to a multi-year extension with Team Penske that will expand its technical alliance and continue its associate sponsorship of the team’s entries in the Verizon IndyCar Series. … Dario Franchitti will drive the Lotus 25, which was designed by Colin Chapman, built by Team Lotus and driven by Jim Clark to the British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone in 1963 during the 50th Silverstone Grand Prix commemorative parade in early July.