Ed Carpenter hasn’t competed in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet since the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series finale on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval, so pardon the CFH Racing co-owner/driver for his exuberance over a May 3 Promoter Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The sessions on the 2.5-mile oval (9:30-10-45 a.m. ET for veteran drivers; 10:45 a.m.-noon for rookie orientation test and refresher test; 1-5 p.m. for all drivers) are open to the public. There is a $15 admission charge, with youngsters 12 and under free with ticketed adult. Bronze badges will be accepted for admission.

It will be the initial opportunity for teams to get acclimated with the new superspeedway aerodynamic bodywork packages designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda. Carpenter joined Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves in running the Chevrolet superspeedway kit on the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway oval March 10, but there is an Indy 500-only rear wing main plane of both manufacturer kits.

“We have this day on Sunday, which is going to be extremely valuable,” said Carpenter, who earned the Verizon P1 Award for the Indianapolis 500 the past two years. “Even the teams that did the lion's share of development in the offseason for the aero kit, I don't think any of them ran the car in the full speedway configuration like we'll have it on Sunday, and there's quite a few options that we have for the car. 

“There's going to be a lot to learn.  Even though the month of May is condensed from when I started my career, there's still way more track time than we get anywhere else, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.  The one thing that's certain is it's the same for everyone, so whoever ‑‑ whichever team and drivers can be most efficient and make the best use of their time certainly has the ability to get a leg up on the competition.”

CFH Racing, co-owned by Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman, has three entries for the 99th Running of the 500 Mile Race – Carpenter, JR Hildebrand and Josef Newgarden, who won the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 26.

The Promoter Test leads into the May 11 opening day of preparations for qualifications May 16-17 and the May 24 race. Both Chevrolet and Honda aero platforms have multiple options that can be utilized – even asymmetrical on the cars – and there will be distinct differences not only between manufacturers but between qualifying and race packages.  

“I think we'll see what we learn here on Sunday, and I think that will kind of set the course for how we attack the first part of the week once we get back on the oval,” Carpenter said. 

“But the one thing I am looking forward to is we have three great cars and I have two really good teammates to lean on. I ran with JR last year and Josef has been strong at the speedway the past two years, as well, being in the fast nine and racing against him there. So we have three strong combinations in the team, and certainly that should work to our benefit.”