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There’s always details to pick up, something to validate, aerodynamic components to test – whether in the short or long term -- during an on-track session.

For CFH Racing co-owner/driver Ed Carpenter, 174 total laps during a team test Aug. 12 on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway provided some aero package answers, validated some adjustments and -- on a late May-like day weather-wise -- fostered anticipation for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Carpenter, who drives the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet on ovals, will make his sixth and final start of the Verizon IndyCar Series season Aug. 23 in the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. Luca Filippi will close out the season Aug. 30 in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn Sonoma Raceway road course.

Carpenter is coming off 10th- and sixth-place finishes at The Milwaukee Mile and Iowa Speedway in mid-July, advancing a total of 17 positions, to turn to tide of three uncharacteristic DNFs. It’s important for Carpenter, who will make his 159th Indy car start, to finish strong.

“It makes the offseason a little less painful if you go out with a strong performance,” said Carpenter, who has a best finish of ninth in two starts at Pocono Raceway. “Furthermore, on the 20 car and especially when I've been driving, we really haven't gotten the results we'd hoped for this year. So it's our last chance to kind of right that wrong and go out with a little momentum for the offseason.

“As the year has gone on the team has been getting stronger and stronger on all circuits, especially ovals. As the year has gone on we've really kind of figured out what was ailing us at the beginning of the year and the Month of May. So I'm excited to get another shot at Pocono, a 500 miler.”

Carpenter joined Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud and Tony Kanaan in the NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing entry during a team test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves of Team Penske participated in a Firestone tire test in preparation for the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2016.

Carpenter, a two-time pole winner for the 500 Mile Race, started 12th in the 99th Indy 500 on May 24 and was eliminated from contention because of a crash while in 15th position on Lap 113 of 200.

“Since we left May and the Indy 500, I think we have a pretty good understanding of what was holding us back, so to speak, during the month,” he said. “I can't go into the exact specifics of what we figured out, but just definitely confident, the whole group is confident that we've put that behind us and we'll be in the mix where we should be at Pocono.

“Pocono and Indy do have some strong similarities for at least part of the track. It's a really challenging track and fun track to drive on. I think the racing has gotten better there each year as everyone figured it out more and learned more about what it takes to be successful there. I think we'll see even better racing this year with the aero kits that IndyCar unveiled this year.”