Spencer Pigot has found a way to extend his Verizon IndyCar Series rookie season and Ed Carpenter Racing has found a driver to fill out its road- and street-course schedule in the No. 20 Chevrolet.
ECR announced today that Pigot will pilot the No. 20 at the seven remaining non-oval events on the 2016 calendar, starting with this weekend’s doubleheader event, the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans on the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Team owner Ed Carpenter will continue to drive the Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka-sponsored entry at oval races.
CLICK HERE: Chevrolet Dual in Detroit entry list
“I'm very excited to be joining Ed Carpenter Racing for the remainder of the season on road and street courses,” Pigot said. “ECR has been very strong in 2016 and I hope we can continue to build on the success they've already had.”
Pigot moved up to the Verizon IndyCar Series this year after earning the $1 million Mazda Road to Indy scholarship for winning the 2015 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship. The 22-year-old Orlando native joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for three Indy car races, with a best finish of 11th in the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course May 14. He finished 25th in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29.
The announcement means ECR will field two cars the rest of the season, with Josef Newgarden the full-season driver in the No. 21 Chevy.
“We are really excited to be able to add Spencer to the ECR lineup and finish out the year with the (No.) 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka car at all of the races,” Carpenter said. “Spencer is a definite young talent who came through the Road to Indy and we look forward to finishing the year strong with him.”
Pigot excelled throughout the Mazda Road to Indy, winning a total of 24 races in the three developmental stepladder series, including six victories in his 2015 Indy Lights championship run with Juncos Racing. He earned four Mazda scholarships along the way to help further his career. Pigot is also aligned with Rising Star Racing, which pairs sponsors with select open-wheel drivers.
“I have to thank Fuzzy's Vodka and Rising Star Racing for the opportunity to continue my Indy car career this season,” Pigot said. “This weekend in Detroit will be the first time we work together. They have a lot of talented people within the team and we will try to hit the ground running. I'd also like to thank Bobby Rahal and the RLL team for giving me my first shot in INDYCAR.”
The addition of Pigot means there are 22 cars entered for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, the only doubleheader race weekend on the 2016 schedule. The dual races are set for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday, both airing on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.
Practice begins at 10:45 a.m. ET Friday, with knockout qualifying for the first race 3:30 p.m. A final practice is scheduled for 10:05 a.m. Saturday. Qualifying for the second race (two groups, 15 minutes each) is set for 10:45 a.m. Sunday. All practices and qualifying will be streamed live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.