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Carpenter
builds racing success with faith continued
“When you first start going in IndyCar and going that speed it feels fast, but once you get used to it and get a comfort zone, it all slows down,” he says. “When it all feels right, you’re comfortable in the car, the car’s handling well, you feel in control.” According to Carpenter, fear is something you conquer before reaching IndyCar’s precarious speeds. “It’s something that, as a driver to get to this level, you’ve had to deal with,” he tells Living Light News. “I don’t really think about it. God has a plan for everyone in life and all you can do is play it out.”
Some attribute Carpenter’s willingness to hurdle over asphalt at these intense speeds to his upbringing. The stepson of Indy Racing League founder and legend Tony George, Carpenter’s been competing on the track since he was eight years old. “I lived out in the country and would always ride three-wheelers and motorcycles and drive tractors,” says Carpenter, who used to spend time at his grandparents farm growing up in Illinois and later Indiana. “Once I got my first Quarter Midget [racing car], I fell in love with it and wanted to do it ever since.” Growing up in a racing family undoubtedly helped Carpenter advance through racing’s proving grounds while continuing his education. He earned a degree in Marketing from Butler University in 2003 a few weeks before he won the Freedom 100 at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But driving ability isn’t the only thing Carpenter learned from his parents. Being raised in a Christian home led him to the faith in Jesus Christ that he relies on every day when he rolls onto the track. “With the dangers of it, you have to have a lot of faith in Christ and just faith in general just to know that everything is going to be okay,” he shares. “I can only control what’s in my hands and know that God has a greater plan for us. I just do what I can do.” Putting his life in God’s hands became real for Carpenter when he was involved in a devastating crash during the warm-up for the Toyota 300 Indy Series opener in March 2006. A caution flag was raised when he hit the wall during practice, but rookie driver Paul Dana didn’t slow down and sped into the back of Carpenter’s car at full speed. Although Carpenter escaped the crash with only bruised lungs, Dana died from injures soon after the collision. “From that aspect, it wasn’t so much a challenge to me, it was that I lost a fellow driver and being a Christian and understanding that there’s a greater plan made it easier for me to deal with that and want to get back in the car.” Though overcoming the accident was a challenge, stepping out from behind his stepfather’s shadow has presented perhaps an even bigger hurdle. Carpenter drives for Vision Racing, a team owned by his parents and Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey. Racing for a team run by his stepfather Tony George, who also happens to be the third-generation owner of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, can be challenging. “Ed is probably one of the most understated and misunderstood drivers in the IndyCar Series. Given his family as well as his willingness to openly speak his mind and share his opinions, I think those who don’t know the real story like to assume that Ed didn’t earn his place in the Series,” says Michael Kaltenmark, longtime friend and Vision Racing Public Relations Coordinator. “Ed didn’t get to choose his family, but he is choosing to work hard and make the most of the opportunities that he’s been given. He’s a solid driver who has come into his own behind the wheel, all the while helping to build Vision Racing practically from scratch.” Carpenter’s work ethic during his five-year pro racing career earned him a 15th place finish overall last year, and it looks like he will improve substantially on that this year. Off the track, he continues to grow in his reputation as an outstanding husband to his wife Heather and a loving father to his newborn daughter Makenna. “I certainly saw changes when he was single and not married and then I saw maturity blossom when he married Heather, and now being a dad it’s transformed again,” says Bob Hills, IRL’s chaplain. “With some drivers, it diminishes their racing career, but with Ed’s, I’ve seen it flourish even more.” Like his gradual rise through IndyCar’s echelons on the racetrack, Carpenter’s consistent character and faith in God is making a difference off the circuit. “I think that given Ed’s status and because he’s open about his beliefs, then that automatically makes him a role model for others,” says Kaltenmark. “I believe racing has brought me closer to God than anything,” Carpenter told Breakaway magazine. “There are so many ups and downs in this sport, and God is always there for me. And I believe God will continue to impact my life as long as I keep my focus on Him.” Photos courtesty IMS Photo/IndyCar Series
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Carpenter,
27, is one of the youngest drivers who will wind through the Rexall
Edmonton Indy speedway for the 14th race of the Indy Racing League’s
2008 season on the July 25th weekend. Driving his 650-horsepower Honda
IndyCar, Carpenter will weave through fellow drivers and try to avoid
the 22,000 other tires lining the track to improve on his current 11th
place ranking when he visits Edmonton this month.
