2009 IRL Team Reports: Vision Racing

IRL Team reports for the 2009 IRL season

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Post by mlittle » Tue May 12, 2009 12:55 pm

CARPENTER, VISION RACING QUALIFY FOR 2009 INDY 500

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Menards sponsored No. 20 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine has been qualified for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 on Day Two Qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon by driver Ed Carpenter with a four-lap qualifying average of 222.780 mph.

It was Carpenter's only qualifying attempt of the day and it was good enough to hold on for the 17th position, the middle of row six, which is where he'll start his sixth Indianapolis 500.Just last season he started a career-best 10th at Indy, drove his first career IndyCar Series leader laps (3) and finished a team and career-best fifth place at the Brickyard.

Carpenter also drove 25 laps of practice today with a best lap of 223.512 mph.

Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay again had difficulty finding the speed in practice to qualify the No. 21 Vision car. At approximately ten minutes until track closing at 6 p.m., Hunter-Reay and the No. 21 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine rolled into the qualifying line for its first attempt of the weekend.

After three of four qualifying laps, Hunter-Reay ceased the attempt when it became apparent his average was not going to be good enough to make it in to spots 12 through 22. As a result, Hunter-Reay will wait until next Saturday to qualify the No. 21 machine for the race as positions 23 through 33 will become available.

In practice today, Hunter-Reay turned 50 laps with a best lap of 221.683 mph which was 19th fastest of all participants.

Hunter-Reay is aiming for his second attempt at Indianapolis this year, and hoping to build on his performance last year that earned him Rookie of the Year honors. In the 2008 race, driving for Rahal-Letterman Racing, Hunter-Reay started 20th and drove all the way up to finish just behind his now teammate Carpenter, in the sixth spot.

IndyCar Series practice for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 will resume Thursday, May 14th, from noon to 6 p.m.

The Indianapolis 500 will air live on Sunday, May 24 at noon ET on ABC, as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web at www.IndyCar.com .

Practice & Qualifying Results and Quotes: (May 10, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Four Lap Qualifying Average: 222.780 mph
No. of Qualifying Attempts: 1 today (2 total)
Top Speed in Practice Today: 223.512 mph
Top Time in Practice Today: 40.2663
Number of Laps in Practice Today: 25
Overall Rank in Practice Today: 5th
Top Speed for Month: 223.512 mph (May 10)
Top Time for Month: 40.2663 (May 10)
Number of Laps in Practice for Month: 229

On qualifying/practice:

"I'm happy to be qualified finally. It's such a stressful process and my stomach gets all knotted up. I'm just happy to be in the race for Menards, Johns Manville, Lilly and William Rast who support our efforts every day. Of course I would have liked to be sitting 11th or 12th but at the end of the day just getting in the show really is enough. I was more upset yesterday that I am today and I'm starting a little further back so it's all relative and amazing what a difference a day can make. I think today was much better conditions for qualifying, not as windy wind, nice cool temperature, sunny and the humidity is down, motors are running better, conditions that favor quicker times for us. Out of Turn 2, the car was kind of taking off and I ran a little higher than I'd like but it was a combination of being light on downforce, not having much grip left on the table, just a little wind blowing the car out of Turn 2. It's been a good day but now I'm anxious to get out there and start work on our race set-ups of the best race in the world."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Top Speed in Practice Today: 221.683 mph
Top Time in Practice Today: 40.5985
Number of Laps in Practice Today: 50
Overall Rank in Practice Today: 28th
Top Speed for Month: 221.683 mph (May 10)
Top Time for Month: 40.5985 (May 10)
Number of Laps in Practice for Month: 166

On practice:

"Of course I'm very disappointed. The whole team is. Both of Vision's 21 and 20 engineers are working together and that's been a great help. There have been some improvements that way but we don't know what's going on. We have similar settings but there's a mile and half an hour speed difference. We'll look at the data over again and try to understand more over the next three days but we need an answer."
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Post by mlittle » Fri May 15, 2009 3:20 pm

LOTS OF LAPS FOR VISION RACING IN PRACTICE AT INDY

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Seat time was the name of the game today for Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter today while persistence was the mindset for Ryan Hunter-Reay as practice resumed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

Carpenter completed a total of 90 laps today between the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine and the No. 21T Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car. After qualifying the No. 20 Menards special on Sunday in the 17th position (middle of row six), Carpenter got behind the wheel of Hunter-Reay's No. 21T machine today to confirm previously gathered feedback on the car.

After 14 laps in the No. 21T, Carpenter switched to his trademark day-glo yellow No. 20 Menards car and put in an additional 76 laps on the day. His best lap was 219.287 mph while working on race setups and full fuel tank runs.

Just last season at Indianapolis, Carpenter started a career-best 10th, drove his first career IndyCar Series leader laps (3) and finished in a team and career-best fifth at the Brickyard.

Teammate Hunter-Reay only completed 22 laps in the No. 21T Vision Racing car this afternoon as he continued to work with his engineers and mechanics on different setups and adjustments. He persevered through the changes and put up a best lap on the day at 218.894 mph.

Hunter-Reay will qualify his car this Saturday during the third round of qualifying which will determine the starters for spots 23 through 33.

Hunter-Reay is aiming for his second attempt at Indianapolis this year and his following up his performance last year that earned him Rookie of the Year honors. In the 2008 race, driving for Rahal-Letterman Racing, Hunter-Reay started 20th and drove all the way up to finish just behind his now teammate Carpenter, in the sixth spot.

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

On practice: "We got in a lot of laps today which was good. We wanted to get on the track as much as possible and we did that. I started out the day by jumping in Ryan's (Hunter-Reay) car to confirm some things for the team and then I just spent the rest of the afternoon in my car getting ready for the race. We did a lot of race runs, full tank running and it was pretty productive. Towards the end of the day the track heated up and it got pretty windy and it wasn't bad conditions, but not great conditions either. So it was kind of good to go out and run when the track is not at its best. I think my car is okay right now and we're fairly close to where I was last year when I ran here and finished fifth, but obviously we want to finish a little higher than fifth this year so we're going to keep working at it."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21T Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

On practice: "It was another really frustrating day for the 21-team. We rolled out with the same settings on the 20-car in our backup car, the 21T. Ed (Carpenter) drove the car and confirmed some of the things that I had been reporting to the team. Then I drove the car and I wasn't satisfied with how it was feeling given some technical issues. We threw a lot of big changes at it today and those take time to implement so that's why we only had 22 laps on the day when others were getting in 100 laps or more. The good news is at the end of the day we were able to do a full-throttle, 10-lap run and the car handled it. We topped out at 218 mph so we've got a speed gap there that we've got to close, but we'll back at it tomorrow to keep working on it."
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Post by mlittle » Mon May 18, 2009 1:23 am

HUNTER-REAY, VISION RACING PROVISIONALLY QUALIFY FOR 2009 INDY 500

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Vision Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay provisionally qualified the team's No. 21T Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 today with a four-lap qualifying average of 219.502 mph.

It was Hunter-Reay's only qualifying attempt of the day and it was good enough to hold on for the 30th position, the outside of row 10, which is where he could start his second Indianapolis 500 pending no changes after "Bump Day" qualifying on Sunday. Additional qualifying attempts made by competitors on Sunday could potentially bump Hunter-Reay's qualifying speed out of the field of 33, thus forcing him to re-qualify the No. 21T machine.

Just last season Hunter-Reay started 20th at Indy and ran an impressive race finishing behind current teammate, Ed Carpenter, in the sixth spot and earning Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors.

Hunter-Reay also drove 18 laps of practice today with a best lap of 219.379 mph.

Teammate Ed Carpenter and his No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine did not practice today. Carpenter qualified the No. 20 Menards special last Sunday, May 10th in the 17th position, middle of row six, with a four-lap qualifying average of 222.780 mph.

IndyCar Series practice and qualifying for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 will resume Sunday for "Bump Day" activities. Practice begins at 10:15 a.m. with qualifying and practice occurring at noon.

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21T Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

On qualifying: "These Vision guys have worked really hard but the car is still slow. I feel really bad about that but we are two miles an hour from where we should be. I really appreciate this opportunity and the fact that we are fifth in the Championship points right now and that's great but we need to get a handle on things pretty quick to keep ourselves in the hunt. It's tough because I know how it should be for us and its not and that's frustrating. We are qualified for the Indianapolis 500 but it is hard to be happy about where we are starting. The key now is to work on race set-up and hopefully figure out what is holding us back."
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Post by mlittle » Tue May 19, 2009 9:33 am

HUNTER-REAY, VISION RACING MAKE 2009 INDY 500 FIELD IN DRAMATIC FASHION

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Courage and a gust of wind propelled Vision Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay into the famed field of 33 for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

After being bumped out just moments earlier by competitor John Andretti, Hunter-Reay pulled on track at 5:57 p.m. (ET) in the No. 21 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone and bumped his way back into the field; qualifying the car as the final gun sounded representing the end of qualifications.

Even more, his four lap average of 220.597 mph was literally just enough to get back in as it bumped out driver Alex Tagliani by only 0.085 seconds. It's also the closest field in the history of four-lap qualifying for the 500-Mile Race -- 3.0967 seconds separate pole winner Helio Castroneves and Hunter-Reay.

It was Hunter-Reay's second qualifying attempt of the day and fourth of the month overall. He will start in the 33rd and final position for his second Indianapolis 500. His status as a last row starter actually puts him in good company along the likes of Indy 500 and open-wheel greats Mario Andretti, Al Unser and Johnny Rutherford.

Hunter-Reay will be looking to earn a spot in history with those gentlemen by vying for the race win from the farthest starting position. The farthest back anyone has started the Indianapolis 500 and won is the 28th spot, which has been done twice by Ray Haroun (1911) and Louis Meyer (1936).

Just last season Hunter-Reay started 20th at Indy and ran an impressive race, finishing behind current teammate, Ed Carpenter, in the sixth spot and earning Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors.

Hunter-Reay also drove 25 laps of practice today with a best lap of 220.948 mph.

Teammate Ed Carpenter and his No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine turned 82 laps in practice today with a top speed of 220.065 mph.

Carpenter qualified the No. 20 Menards special last Sunday, May 10th in the 17th position, middle of row six, with a four-lap qualifying average of 222.780 mph.

Just last season Carpenter started a career-best 10th at Indy, drove his first career IndyCar Series leader laps (3) and finished a team and career-best fifth place at the Brickyard.

IndyCar Series final practice for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 will take place this Friday, May 22nd from 11:00 am ET on Carb Day.

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21T Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

On qualifying: ""These guys worked so hard and it's great to get them in the show. I can't believe we found ourselves in this position to have to qualify in the last 3 minutes. I wouldn't have put money on that. It worked in our favor but it was just a question on minutes because Tagliani was pretty fast. Luckily we went out last. We ran downforce levels you wouldn't believe. We were as trimmed out as anybody has been this month and we still could make it into the 221 mph for some reason but we made it in the show and that is what counted today. We've had an inherent handling issue with the car since the beginning of the month. There was just too much push. The exit of Turn 1, as the tires wore off; new tires will mask that push. But then once you get to the third and fourth lap, it was like a controlled slide at the front of the car up to the wall to see if I could keep it off the wall. If you watched with a somewhat educated eye on the run, you could tell that we were definitely light, and we were really, really struggling with the front of the car. We're really lucky right now. I'm just worried about the front of the car in traffic. We went and ran in traffic a little bit the other day, and I could only get so close up to cars and the front would wash out. We need to make it better for the race."

"These Vision guys worked really hard. I'm really happy for them. Now, hopefully we can go make up all those spots in the race. I mean, it was just all day long it was like this. Since we woke up, it was: 'What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Let's pull the car out. Let's put it in. The whole day it was qualifying simulations. That was the hairiest day I've ever had, I think. I've never been so happy to be last place. It's been such a tough month but I keep telling myself that I am living what everyone tells you about this place. This is what makes Indianapolis so special; Days like these. As difficult as this month has been I can't thank Tony and Laura (George) and the Vision team for giving me this opportunity and we'll make it through the month together."
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Post by mlittle » Sun May 24, 2009 9:37 pm

IZOD ANNOUNCES PRIMARY SPONSORSHIP OF VISION RACING'S #21 CAR DRIVEN BY RYAN HUNTER-REAY

Partnership with Vision Racing Drives IRL's Centennial Celebration in Indianapolis

NEW YORK, NY (May 22, 2009) - Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation [NYSE: PVH] announced today that its IZOD brand will be the primary sponsor of Vision Racing's #21 car for the Indianapolis 500 and the Milwaukee Mile during the 2009 IndyCar Series. The IZOD car, driven by IZOD spokesperson and 2008 Indy 500 Rookie-of-the-Year Ryan Hunter-Reay, will make its debut today on "Miller Lite Carb Day?" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday's Indy 500.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our role with Ryan and the IndyCar Series," says Mike Kelly, Executive Vice President of Marketing for PVH. "Partnering with Vision Racing as the primary sponsor for the #21 car was a natural evolution in our ongoing involvement with IndyCar racing. We're excited to see the IZOD brand being driven on the most historic track in auto racing this weekend at the Indy 500."

"I couldn't be more excited to have IZOD as the primary sponsor of my car for the Indianapolis 500 and Milwaukee Mile," says Ryan Hunter-Reay. "Having my personal sponsor take a more prominent role in my team just reinforces the successful partnership we have together. I'm proud to be driving the #21 IZOD car for Vision Racing."

Earlier this month, IZOD rolled out the black-and-white checkered carpet in New York City to welcome to Macy's Herald Square the historic exhibit "In Pursuit of FAST: 100 Years of Indy Racing, Fashion and Design" to mark the kick-off to the Centennial Era - Indy Racing League's three-year celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Speedway in 2009 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2011. The exhibit brings to life a century of American racing through visual displays of archival elements such as hundreds of original photos, graphic designs and artwork from artists such as Leroy Neiman, as well as millions of dollars in vintage cars and memorabilia that tell the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500.

In addition, on May 18th, Macy's and IZOD literally stopped traffic on Broadway in Manhattan to welcome the 33-driver Indy 500 field to New York for their annual photo and interview opportunity. Drivers dressed in their race day uniforms and hailing from a multitude of countries appeared in the traditional Indy 500 line up in front of the world famous Macy's Herald Square store. The following day, May 19th, Indy legends Al Unser, Jr., Rick Mears and Johnny Rutherford, along with Ryan Hunter-Reay, hosted a meet-and-greet for racing fans and New Yorkers at Macy's.

In July 2008, the IZOD brand became the official apparel of the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Firestone Indy Lights. As the official apparel sponsor, the IZOD team designed custom uniforms
for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League, inspired by the uniquely American heritage of IndyCar racing and designed to address the performance needs on and off the track.

In celebration of the Centennial Era of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy 500, PVH launched its IZOD collection of vintage, race-inspired and modern performance clothing commemorating the anniversary. In addition, with access to 100 years of Speedway and Indy 500 artwork, the IZOD team designed distressed, vintage look-and-feel short sleeve polo shirts and tees.
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Post by mlittle » Sun May 24, 2009 9:38 pm

VISION
RACING MAKES FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR 2009 INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Vision Racing drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay took to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway one last time Friday in preparation for Sunday's running of the Indianapolis 500 as a part of Miller Lite Carb Day activities.

Not only was Friday morning's one hour practice a final opportunity for race preparations, but conversely it was an initial opportunity for the team to display their race day liveries. Specifically, Hunter-Reay's No. 21T Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine featured a new look as IZOD will serve as the primary sponsor for the race.

Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation [NYSE: PVH] announced earlier in the week that its IZOD brand will be the primary sponsor of Vision Racing's No. 21 car for the Indianapolis 500 and the Milwaukee Mile during the 2009 IndyCar Series season.

In addition, Hunter-Reay's front wing will carry the TDS company logo which was transferred over from Conquest Racing's No. 34 entry which was bumped out of the field on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Carpenter's No. 20 Menards Special will also carry the William Rast moniker for race day and feature Forte Healthy Energy Shot which was also formerly featured on the No. 34 Conquest Racing machine.

With the sponsor decals affixed and the race looming ahead, Carpenter and Hunter-Reay made the most of their final opportunity to shake down their cars. Carpenter was 21st fastest amongst the field of 33 with a best lap of 219.602 mph, while Hunter-Reay was 27th fastest with best lap at 218.593 mph.

Carpenter's four lap qualifying average of 222.780 mph will put him in the 17th position, the middle of row six, for the start his sixth Indianapolis 500. Just last season he started a career-best 10th at Indy, drove his first career IndyCar Series leader laps (3) and finished a team and career-best fifth place at the Brickyard.

Hunter-Reay entered the field of 33 for Sunday's race in much more dramatic fashion as he bumped his way back into the field; qualifying the car as the final gun sounded representing the end of qualifications this past Sunday.

Even more, his four lap average of 220.597 mph was literally just enough to get back in as it bumped out driver Alex Tagliani by only 0.085 seconds. He will start from the 32nd spot in his second attempt at Indianapolis on Sunday.

Just last season Hunter-Reay started 20th at Indy and ran an impressive race finishing behind current teammate, Ed Carpenter, in the sixth spot and earning Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors.

This year Hunter-Reay will be looking to earn a spot in history by winning the race from the highest starting position. The farthest back anyone has started the Indianapolis 500 and won is the 28th spot, which has been done twice.
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Post by mlittle » Tue May 26, 2009 10:27 am

VISION RACING'S CARPENTER DRIVES TO TOP-TEN FINISH AT INDIANAPOLIS

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 24, 2009) - Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter scored his second consecutive top-ten finish of the season today in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with an eighth place result in his No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine. Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay started and finished in the 32nd position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after making contact with the wall.

Making his sixth Indianapolis 500 start and fifth with Vision Racing, Carpenter drove from the 17th spot on the grid, all the way up to the sixth position and eventually held on to take eighth in what was a caution-filled event. The climb through the field was in large part thanks to his efficient crew who helped gain as many as nine positions when leaving the pits throughout the course of the event.

It was Carpenter's second best finish in the 500-mile affair after taking fifth place and leading three laps just last year. For his efforts, Carpenter moved up three more spots in the IndyCar Series Championship point standings to 14th. He has 70 championship points, 52 points behind the leader Dario Franchitti.

Unfortunately, Hunter-Reay and the No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car did not fair as well in the race. Starting from the 32nd position, Hunter-Reay immediately went to work on his competitors. On lap one he charged to the 28th spot and by lap 15 was in the 25th position.

On lap 20, Hunter-Reay got checked up by fellow competitor, A.J. Foyt IV and as a result, pushed up into the turn four wall. The initial contact turned the No. 21 Vision Racing machine around and directly into the inside wall where he entered pit lane and came to rest.

Hunter-Reay was checked, cleared and released from the infield care center, but his car sustained heavy damage. He was credited with a 32nd place finish in his second Indianapolis 500 start. As a result, Hunter-Reay drops from fifth to ninth in the championship point standings with 84 points (38 points behind leader).

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Finishing Position: 8th
Qualifying Position: 17th

On race: "It's a Top-10 but after finishing here fifth last year nothing less than that would really be satisfying because you always want more. It was a tough day because it was pretty slick out there and my car wasn't great to start the day but we worked on the No .20 Menards car all day, added some downforce and got to where I was happy with the way it was handling but the problem was were just weren't quite fast enough to get up front and challenge. We battled our way to eighth but I was just hoping for a little more coming into the day after a great run here last year but it just wasn't meant to be. The month will end of a high note however with a new baby coming into our lives in the next couple of days. Until I win the Indy 500 bringing a child into the world will still be the best thing to ever happen to me."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No .21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Finishing Position: 32nd
Starting Position: 32nd
Qualifying Position: 33rd

On race: "AJ Foyt IV was really loose and checked up in Turn 3 and 4. I followed him in there too closely and that's my fault. I got a big aero wash and I was a passenger from there on. That put me in the grey and into the wall. The Vision 21 IZOD crew fought so hard all month and we were finally in a position that we were going to have a race where the positions were going to come to us with some patience. They already were. It's a shame to have to have that happen trying to get around a car that's almost disabled, but I guess that's Indy."
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Post by mlittle » Sat May 30, 2009 8:01 am

Milwaukee: Vision Racing preview


* TAKING THE VISION TO MILWAUKEE: Vision Racing returns to The Milwaukee Mile for the fifth time. The team's best finish came by Tomas Scheckter in 2006 when the South African finished third.

* BIRDS-EYE VIEW: Be sure to tune into the ABC's television race broadcast of Sunday's A.J. Foyt 225 to get a birds-eye view of Vision Racing drivers Carpenter and Hunter-Reay as both the Nos. 20 and 21 machines will feature in-car cameras.

* SETTING PRECEDENCE: In the opening weekend of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, Vision Racing completed the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with two team bests thanks to debuting driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay. Driving the team's new No. 21 machine, Hunter-Reay drove from 14th to finish second in the race which is a new team high. That podium finish also put Hunter-Reay second in the championship point standings which is also the highest-ever ranking for a Vision Racing driver.

* HAPPY Vth ANNIVERSARY: After forming and joining the Indy Racing League in 2005, Vision Racing is celebrating its fifth season of competition in 2009. Since the team embarked upon IndyCar Series competition, eight drivers have piloted five (Nos. 2, 20, 21, 22, 90) different team entries. Those drivers have combined for an additional 43 top-10 finishes, plus 10 top-five finishes, three more podium finishes and 41 laps led. Over the previous four years the quest for the team's first victory has been top priority and Vision Racing is confident that year five will be the season where that it happens. The A.J. Foyt 225 will be the team's 71st IndyCar Series event since their first season in 2005.

* NEW AND OLD FOR 2009: Most recently, Lauren George, daughter of team co-owners, Tony and Laura George, was named a team co-owner as well and will have responsibility for directing the team's Firestone Indy Lights effort which also received primary sponsorship from People's Liberation in May. Vision Racing is fielding two cars, full-time for the second straight season. Ed Carpenter pilots the No. 20 car for the fifth straight year, while Ryan Hunter-Reay recently joined the team and drives the No. 21 machine. Team sponsors Menards, Johns Manville, and Lilly return while SONAX, IZOD and William Rast come aboard. Personnel-wise, Keven Kukulewicz returns as team manager while the engineering staff is again headed by Jeff Britton. Joining the team this year along with Hunter-Reay is engineer Neil Fife, while engineers Nathan O'Rourke and Robert Gue return to the team as well. IndyCar Series veteran and winner Bryan Herta is again serving as a road-course consultant for the team this season. Herta and his new Firestone Indy Lights (FIL) team, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) and driver Daniel Herrington has formed a technical partnership with Vision Racing and their new FIL team with driver James Davison. It marks Vision Racing's first FIL effort since 2005.

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

Coming off a pair of top-ten finishes at Kansas and Indianapolis.

* AT MILWAUKEE: Carpenter has five previous attempts at The Milwaukee Mile with his best finish coming in 2007 when he started eighth and finished seventh. Last year Carpenter had an impressive drive going at "The Mile" as he moved up steadily from his starting position of 17th and worked his way up to as high as fifth in the race and even advanced four positions in one pit stop. With just three laps remaining in the race, Carpenter was in seventh when Marco Andretti made a move to the inside of Carpenter. Andretti ended up moving up into Carpenter and both crashed hard into the wall and collected Vitor Meira to bring out only the fourth of four cautions in the race. He finished 20th. In 2004 he started in the 14th spot with Cheever Racing and finished the race in 11th. The following year with Vision Racing he started from the 16th position and finished in the 12th spot. In 2006 he started from seventh and ran in the top 10 for much of the race, but contact with Helio Castroneves on lap 108 ended his race early and left him in 16th

* BABY ON BOARD: Carpenter and wife Heather (Pettigrew) are getting ready to welcome their second child into the world as Ryder Carpenter's arrival is expected on June 1st. Big sister, Makenna was born in October 2007, while the couple was married November 8, 2005 on the Island of St. Thomas.

* MOST RECENTLY: Carpenter drove his No. 20 Menards Special from the 17th spot to as high as sixth and eventually an eighth place finish in his sixth Indianapolis 500 start. It was his second consecutive top-ten finish on the season and highest finish thus far in 2009 and second highest finish at Indianapolis.

* 2009 SEASON: This is the sixth full season in IndyCar Series competition for Carpenter and the seventh season that he has participated in overall. Carpenter is looking to continue a pair of top-ten finishes earned in the two most recent events at the ovals of Kansas and Indianapolis. The A.J. Foyt 225 will be Carpenter's fifth event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season and third straight oval.

* FIRST LEADER LAPS: In his fifth IndyCar Series start in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, Carpenter recorded his first laps led in an IndyCar. He led the field for three laps under caution and finished an Indianapolis 500 career-best, fifth.

* ED "CARPENTER": Carpenter and his arsenal of power tools have been busy again this past off-season as he has been knee deep in a house flipping project with a long time friend as well as occupied with renovation projects around his own home. Of course, Menards has been an essential part of Carpenter's home repair ventures. Prior to his current real estate investment, Carpenter and his "do-it-yourself" mentality crafted his home repair skills with his first home and family heirloom. The home is located in Speedway, Ind. was purchased as new in 1955 by stepfather Tony George's parents, Elmer and Mari George. Tony grew up in the home as a boy and for a time, drivers A.J. Foyt and Roger McCluskey lived in the basement.

* DOUBLE DUTY: Ed Carpenter Made history in September 2003 at Chicagoland Speedway when he became the first driver to compete in a Firestone Indy Lights event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend.

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

* AT MILWAUKEE: While Hunter-Reay only has one start in an Indy car at The Milwaukee Mile, he has plenty of open-wheel racing experience there, including a pole and race win in 2004 driving for Herdez in the Champ Car World Series. Last year with Rahal Letterman Racing 12th and finished 15th. In all, Hunter-Reay has four open-wheel starts at Milwaukee.

* IZOD KEEPS CAR LOOKING GOOD: Hunter-Reay's No. 21 Honda powered Dallara will again feature the IZOD branding and livery that debuted last weekend for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

* TOP-TEN IN POINTS: Hunter-Reay is currently ninth in the IndyCar Series championship point standings. Unfortunately an 32nd place finish at Indianapolis caused him to slip from fifth to ninth.

* MOST RECENTLY: Starting from the 32nd position at Indianapolis, Hunter-Reay immediately went to work on his competitors. On lap one he charged to the 38th spot and by lap 15 was in the 25th position. On lap 20, Hunter-Reay got checked up by fellow competitor, A.J. Foyt IV and as a result, pushed up into the turn four wall. The initial contact turned the No. 21 Vision Racing machine around and directly into the inside wall where he entered pit lane and came to rest. He was credited with a 32nd place finish.

* RECENT ENGAGEMENT: Hunter-Reay recently became engaged to fiance Beccy Gordon during the Long Beach weekend, the race circuit where they actually met for the first time. Gordon is the sister to fellow racer, Robby Gordon.

ED CARPENTER - NO. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

On returning to Milwaukee: "I am very excited for this race this weekend in Milwaukee. It is such a historical race track and we are racing on its historical date right after Indianapolis. It is always one of my favorite races and tracks. It is such a challenge to get your car handling well, and whoever does the best job of that usually wins the race. We had a great race car last season but were taken out late in the race, so I feel like we are going there with a shot at contending for a win, so I cannot wait to get there. It is also a big race for us since Menards home is in Wisconsin, so I always want to perform for Menards in their home state."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY - NO. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

On returning to Milwaukee: "Milwaukee has a special place in my heart because it was where I have a big win, a dominant win for me in 2004 where I won from the pole and led every lap. It's a place that all the drivers really respect. It's place with a long racing history. I'm going back to Milwaukee with a lot of optimism with what we have on the table and looking to rebound from our difficult month of May at Indy and try to put the no.21 IZOD sponsored entry back on the podium."
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Post by mlittle » Sun May 31, 2009 11:47 am

Milwaukee: Vision Racing news 2009-05-30


VISION BRING WELLNESS TOUR TO MILWAUKEE FANS

Milwaukee, WI -- May 29, 2009 -- The Vision Racing Wellness Tour will make an important pit stop for a second consecutive year at the Milwaukee Mile provide racing fans with free diabetes screenings with A1c testing and risk factor assessment, along with cholesterol and blood pressure testing. During the 2009 season, the Tour, created for fans by Vision Racing and their partner Lilly USA, will travel to select IndyCar Series races, including Milwaukee's AJ FOYT 225, with this FREE off-the-track health offering.

While receiving a diabetes check-up may not be considered a typical racetrack activity, race fans may be surprised to learn just how common diabetes is and about the seriousness of its resulting complications. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects nearly 24 million Americans nationwide; nearly one-fourth, or approximately 6 million of those affected are unaware that they have the disease. Furthermore, diabetes is associated with an increased risk for a number of serious and potentially life-threatening complications, such as blindness, kidney failure and leg amputations, among others.[ii] The Vision Racing Wellness Tour aims to provide people with the education and resources they need to be aware of diabetes and other important health issues.

"Through our partnership with Vision Racing, we have a great opportunity to bring a truly unique health offering to the track," said Rob Brown, vice president and chief marketing officer, Lilly USA. "In select cities, IndyCar race fans will have access to a certified diabetes educator in addition to the diabetes screenings at the Wellness Tour. Through these offerings, Lilly hopes to help people stay on track with their health."

Vision Racing team drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay, ambassadors for the Wellness Tour, are encouraging fans to get in the driver's seat when it comes to managing their health by visiting the Wellness Tour Unit.

-credit: vr

"At Vision Racing, we're known for our skills on the racetrack, but our commitment to the fans extends off the track as well," said Vision Racing Owner Tony George. "Along with Lilly's continued support, we can raise awareness about diabetes and improve the health and well-being of our communities, one race at a time."

On race day, May 31st at the Milwaukee Mile, the Wellness Tour will provide free diabetes

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. behind the main grandstands at the Vision Wellness Tour mobile unit (bus). Additionally, during the 2009 season, the Wellness Tour will travel to IndyCar Series races in Fort Worth, Texas; Newton, Iowa; Richmond, Va.; and Lexington, Ohio. For more information about Vision Racing, please visit www.VisionRacing.com and for more information about diabetes, visit www.LillyDiabetes.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

About Lilly Diabetes

For more than 85 years, Lilly has been a worldwide leader in pioneering industry-leading solutions to support people living with and treating diabetes. Lilly introduced the world's first commercial insulin in 1923, and remains at the forefront of medical and delivery device innovation to manage diabetes. Lilly is also committed to providing solutions beyond therapy -- practical tools, education and support programs to help overcome barriers to success along the diabetes journey. At Lilly, the journeys of each person living with or treating diabetes inspire ours. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com.

About Vision Racing

Vision Racing is owned and operated by Tony and Laura George as well as actor Patrick Dempsey of ABC's Grey's Anatomy and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana in a 32,000 square foot facility. The team competes full-time in the IndyCar Series and is entering its fifth season of IndyCar Series competition. The team is coming off eight top-ten finishes and four additional top-five finishes including a fifth place finish in the Indianapolis 500 by Ed Carpenter and a fourth place run by Paul Tracy at Edmonton. The team features returning IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter and welcomes veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay for 2009. New for 2009 is a return to the Firestone Indy Lights Series with driver James Davison as well as a technical partnership with new FIL team Bryan Herta Autosport and driver Daniel Herrington. Vision Racing continues to proudly perpetuate the legacy of the Hulman-George family through motorsports excellence, by demonstrating the traditions and heritage of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Racing.
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Post by mlittle » Sun May 31, 2009 11:47 am

TOUGH PRACTICE & QUALIFYING FOR VISION RACING AT MILWAUKEE

WEST ALLIS, Wisc. - Vision Racing drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ed Carpenter certainly are not happy with their 18th and 19th respective starting positions for Sunday's ABC Supply Co., Inc., A.J. Foyt 225. Their collective efforts just haven't yielded much in the way of results since unloading the cars this weekend at The Milwaukee Mile.

Hunter-Reay was able to put together a four-lap qualifying average of 160.381 mph in the No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, which was slightly faster than he had been able to go in practice early in the day, but it still wasn't the speed he was looking for in the car.

While Hunter-Reay only has one start in an Indy car at The Milwaukee Mile, he has plenty of open-wheel racing experience there, including a pole and race win in 2004 driving for Herdez in the Champ Car World Series. Last year with Rahal Letterman Racing, he started 12th and finished 15th. In all, Hunter-Reay has four open-wheel starts at Milwaukee.

Most recently at the Indianapolis 500, Hunter-Reay started from the 32nd and climbed to the 25th position before making contact with the turn four wall on lap 20. He was credited with a 32nd place finish.

Driving the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Honda powered Dallara Carpenter's qualifying average came in at 160.079 mph. However, it won't be the first time Carpenter has had to charge from the back at Milwaukee or even this season.

Last weekend at Indianapolis, Carpenter drove from the 17th spot to as high as sixth and eventually finished eighth in his sixth Indianapolis 500 start. It was his second consecutive top-ten finish on the season he's looking for a third on Sunday.

Carpenter has five previous attempts at Milwaukee with his best finish coming in 2007 when he started eighth and finished seventh. Last year Carpenter had an impressive drive going at "The Mile" as he moved up steadily from his starting position of 17th and worked his way up to as high as fifth in the race and even advanced four positions in one pit stop. With just three laps remaining in the race, Carpenter was in seventh when Marco Andretti made a move to the inside of Carpenter. Andretti ended up moving up into Carpenter and both crashed hard into the wall and collected Vitor Meira to bring out only the fourth of four cautions in the race. He finished 20th.

In 2004 he started in the 14th spot with Cheever Racing and finished the race in 11th. The following year with Vision Racing he started from the 16th position and finished in the 12th spot. In 2006 he started from seventh and ran in the top 10 for much of the race, but contact with Helio Castroneves on lap 108 ended his race early and left him in 16th

Overall, Vision Racing returns to The Milwaukee Mile for the fifth time. The team's best finish came by Tomas Scheckter in 2006 when the South African finished third.

Wellness Tour stop at Milwaukee Mile- The Vision Racing Wellness Tour, supported by team sponsor Lilly USA, will make an important pit stop for a second consecutive year at the Milwaukee Mile providing racing fans with free diabetes screenings with A1c testing and risk factor assessment, along with cholesterol and blood pressure testing. The Wellness Tour mobile unit (bus) will be located behind the main grandstands and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on race day at the Milwaukee Mile.

Vision Racing team drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay, ambassadors for the Wellness Tour, are encouraging fans to get in the driver's seat when it comes to managing their health by visiting the Wellness Tour Unit.

While receiving a diabetes check-up may not be considered a typical racetrack activity, race fans may be surprised to learn just how common diabetes is and about the seriousness of its resulting complications. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects nearly 24 million Americans nationwide; nearly one-fourth, or approximately 6 million of those affected are unaware that they have the disease. Furthermore, diabetes is associated with an increased risk for a number of serious and potentially life-threatening complications, such as blindness, kidney failure and leg amputations, among others.[ii] The Vision Racing Wellness Tour aims to provide people with the education and resources they need to be aware of diabetes and other important health issues.

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Qualifying Position: 19th
Qualifying Speed: 160.079 mph
Top Speed in Practice: 156.903 mph
Overall Rank in Practice: 19th on speed chart
Number of Laps in Practice: 91

On qualifying: "I love this race track and its good to see a great and passionate crowd out here for qualifying but I just don't love the Milwaukee Mile as much today. We're really struggled but the Vision guys have been working really hard to try to catch up. We had a good race here at Milwaukee last year but since we unloaded the car this morning it has been awful. It just hasn't been responding to any changes we've made. We finally made a step forward in qualifying but it's hard to go out there and qualify well when it's been so bad and confidence in the car is lacking. It's been a rough day for the No.20 Menards Johns Manville team but we'll try to make it up in the race on Sunday."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Qualifying Position: 18th
Qualifying Speed: 160.381 mph
Top Speed in Practice: 156.903 mph
Overall Rank in Practice: 17th on speed chart
Number of Laps in Practice: 66

On qualifying: "We're working on it. It's unfortunate because we had the car a little too loose there. We've been trying just for speed but both Ed (Carpenter) and I are both having a hard time finding that speed. The car is "walking" a lot through the corner, as we call it when the car is stepping out a bit but we're working on it. We'll get a good race car put together for Sunday here at Milwaukee and put that IZOD car through towards the front in the race."
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Post by mlittle » Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:22 am

HUNTER-REAY, CARPENTER BATTLE TO FINISH AT MILWAUKEE

WEST ALLIS, Wisc. (May 31, 2009) - Vision Racing drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ed Carpenter each put their driving skills to the test in order to race to the finish in the ABC Supply Co., Inc., A.J. Foyt 225 at the treacherous Milwaukee Mile today. Ill handling race cars compounded by traffic and fading track conditions made for a tough race for the Vision Racing pilots, but perseverance, determination and a bit of aptitude got them from green flag to checkered flag this afternoon in the 12th and 16th spots, respectively.

Starting from 18th on the grid in the No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, Hunter-Reay made an impressive move at the start of the race to jump to the 14th spot. From there he climbed as high as 11th and mixed it up between 11th and 14th for the remainder of the race; all the while making adjustments to his bars, weight jack, wing angles and tire pressures.

Hunter-Reay eventually finished in the 12th position in his fifth open-wheel start at Milwaukee, but dropped from ninth to tenth in the IndyCar Series championship point standings with 102 points (59 points behind leader).

Making his sixth IndyCar Series start at Milwaukee, Carpenter drove from the 19th spot, to as high as 15th and held on to finish 16th in the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine. Like Hunter-Reay, Carpenter worked his in-car adjustments to little or no avail, but still managed to bring the car home in one piece and finish the race.

Unfortunately, the result drops Carpenter down two spots in the championship point standings from 14th to 16th with 84 total points (77 points behind leader).

IndyCar Series racing resumes in less than a week from the Texas Motor Speedway for the Bombardier LearJet 550 on Saturday, June 6th. Watch it live on VERSUS starting at 9 p.m (ET).

-credit: vr

###

Post Race Quotes: (May 31, 2009)

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No .21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 12th

Qualifying Position: 18th

On race: "I've never had to work so hard for a 12th place finish but at least we got some points and maintained the No.21 IZOD car's position in the Top 10 in Championship points. It was a really long day for the Vision team. Both Ed and I battled our cars more than other competitors on the track. My car had an aero component get damaged during the race and that made things even more unbearable. It was just so hard to handle in traffic and that's all you have here at Milwaukee really. It's been a frustrating weekend and result because we know we are better than this."

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Finishing Position: 16th

Qualifying Position: 19th

On race:

"This may have been the most frustrating race I have ever had on an oval because of how difficult the handling of our car was. It has been a very disappointing weekend for myself and the whole team. We just never improved no matter how hard we worked at it and to not have those efforts reflected a good race adds salt to the wound. I can't tell you how many moments I had out there. It was a white knuckle ride and not the one you walk away from very happy about even if you do bring it back home in one piece."
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Post by mlittle » Sat Jun 06, 2009 5:05 am

VISION RACING COMPLETES FIRST NIGHT OF PRACTICE AT TEXAS

FT. WORTH, Texas - Vision Racing drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay have completed the first practice of the weekend in preparation for the Bombardier LearJet 550k under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway. The duo were 12th and 18th fastest, respectively, out of 23 cars this evening and if the first practice was any indication, Saturday's race will be action-packed given the side-by-side driving on the 1.5-mile oval.

Driving the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Honda powered Dallara, Carpenter's fastest lap tonight came in at 213.185 mph. He completed 49 total laps in the session.

Carpenter's best finishes at Texas in 2006 and again last season when he finished ninth. His best start in seven appearances at Texas came in 2004, his rookie season at Cheever Racing, when he started seventh.

Last weekend at Milwaukee, Carpenter made his sixth start at The Milwaukee Mile and drove from the 19th spot, to as high as 15th and held on to finish 16th. Carpenter worked his in-car adjustments to little or no avail and battled poor handling all day, but still managed to bring the car home in one piece and finish the race.

Most recently, Carpenter, wife Heather, and daughter Makenna welcomed the newest member of the family to the world on June 1st. Ryder Carpenter was born to Ed and Heather checking in at 8 lbs. 1 oz., and 20 inches in length.

The Dallas, Texas born, Hunter-Reay put down a best lap of 211.990 mph in the No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine tonight. His lap count on the evening was 38 total revolutions.

Hunter-Reay made just his first start at Texas Motor Speedway last season while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing. He started the race in 10th and had a strong run going until he and Marco Andretti were involved with a heavy crash just five laps from the finish. As a result he was credited with a 20th place finish.

Most recently at Milwaukee, Hunter-Reay started from 18th on the grid, climbed as high as 11th and eventually finished in the 12th position in his fifth open-wheel start at Milwaukee.

Hunter-Reay is currently tenth in the IndyCar Series championship point standings. Unfortunately a 12th place finish at Milwaukee caused him to slip from ninth to tenth with 102 points (59 points behind leader).

Overall, Vision Racing returns to Texas Motor Speedway for the fifth time. The team's best start at the Texas came in 2006 when Tomas Scheckter started fifth while the best finish came that same year and again last year when Carpenter finished ninth.

IndyCar Series practice resumes Friday at 2 p.m. local time with qualifying being aired live on VERSUS at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Saturday's 228 lap/342 mile Bombardier LearJet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway will air live on Saturday, June 6 at 9 p.m. ET on VERSUS as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web at www.IndyCar.com.

Practice Results and Quotes: (June 4, 2009)

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

"We made some good changes to the No.20 Menards Johns Manville car tonight but it was a bit hard to gage because we could only use one set of tires. We end up battling the car and chasing the tires at the same time as a result. We took some positives steps but we need a bit more to make it better for the race and be able to run in the top-five. We do have some good things in mind for what we can do so I'm looking forward to tomorrow's practice. Tonight's practice was a bit crazy. I'm sure Brian Barnhart was stressing out up there in race control. I don't know if I'm getting older or wiser but I found myself stressing out a little myself at the end of practice when I saw a few close calls. There are guys in fast cars that don't have the experience on mile and a half ovals that need to figure out what their doing pretty quickly or they are going to cause an accident."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

"We got a good read on the No.21 IZOD William Rast car in traffic and that's the most important thing but we're not where we need to be running on our own. We do know what steps to take for Friday's practice. We ended up further down the timing charts than we'd like but we made more progress in this practice than we did in Kansas and we view that as a positive."
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Post by mlittle » Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:34 am

VISION RACING'S CARPENTER TO START TENTH AT TEXAS

FT. WORTH, Texas - Vision Racing drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified tenth and 23rd on Friday evening for Saturday Night's Bombardier LearJet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway.

Driving the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Honda powered Dallara, Carpenter's qualifying average came in at 213.435 mph which will start him from the 10th position and the outside of row five. It will be just his second top-ten finish at Texas.

His best start in seven appearances at Texas came in 2004, his rookie season at Cheever Racing, when he started seventh. Carpenter's best finishes at Texas came in 2006 and again last season when he finished ninth.

Most recently, Carpenter, wife Heather, and daughter Makenna welcomed the newest member of the family to the world on June 1st. Ryder Carpenter was born to Ed and Heather checking in at 8 lbs. 1 oz., and 20 inches in length.

The Dallas, Texas born, Hunter-Reay recorded a qualifying average speed of 210.532 mph in the No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine tonight. He will start from the 23rd spot and the inside of row 12.

Hunter-Reay made just his first start at Texas Motor Speedway last season while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing. He started the race in tenth and had a strong run going until he and Marco Andretti were involved with a heavy crash just five laps from the finish. As a result he was credited with a 20th place finish.

Hunter-Reay is currently tenth in the IndyCar Series championship point standings. Unfortunately a 12th place finish at Milwaukee caused him to slip from ninth to tenth with 102 points (59 points behind leader).

Overall, Vision Racing returns to Texas Motor Speedway for the fifth time. The team's best start at the Texas came in 2006 when Tomas Scheckter started fifth while the best finish came that same year and again last year when Carpenter finished ninth.

In additional news, Michelle Colvard, Miss Wheel Chair America 2009 will be joining Vision Racing as an honorary Crew member for the Bombardier LearJet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Houston and earned her Master's degree in Health Promotion from The University of Texas School of Public Health. Colvard was born with spina bifida and has used a wheelchair since the 6th grade - but those who know her don't see her wheelchair, or her disability.

The Vision Racing Wellness Tour, supported by team sponsor Lilly USA, will make an important pit stop for a second consecutive year at the Texas Motor Speedway providing racing fans with free diabetes screenings with A1c testing and risk factor assessment, along with cholesterol and blood pressure testing. The Wellness Tour mobile unit (bus) will be located behind the main grandstands and will be open from 1p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, race day at the Texas Motor Speedway. Carpenter and Hunter-Reay along with Miss Wheel Chair America, Michelle Colvard, will be signing autographs for fans being screened at 6:15 pm on Saturday just prior to the Bombardier LearJet 550k

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Qualifying Position: 10th
Qualifying Speed: 213.435 mph
Top Speed in Practice: 213.315 mph
Overall Rank in Practice: 12th on speed chart
Number of Laps in Practice: 69

On qualifying: "I told my engineer Jeff Britton if we could get the No.20 Menards Johns Manville car to run 213 mph that I'd be happy. We hadn't run in the 213 range on any runs in practice yet. I'm happy with our qualifying effort of 213.435 mph average so it was a pretty go run for us. It's an improvement to where we qualified from Kansas and we're trying to get better all the time."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Qualifying Position: 23rd
Qualifying Speed: 210.532 mph
Top Speed in Practice: 211.990 mph
Overall Rank in Practice: 18th on speed chart
Number of Laps in Practice: 62

On qualifying: "Frustrated is the only word I can use right now. This is not where we want to be or where we should be. We're taking a long hard look at it and hoping to get it figured out. Based on yesterday's night practice I think we'll be just fine for running in traffic in the race and we'll have to do a lot of that to make our way forward."
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Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:22 am

Texas: Vision Racing race report

CARPENTER EARNS TOP-TEN FINISH AT TEXAS

FT. WORTH, Texas (June 6, 2009) - Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter started and finished in the top-ten at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night in the Bombardier LearJet 550k, while teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay drove to a 16th place finish.

Making his eighth IndyCar Series start at Texas, Carpenter drove the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone from the tenth spot to the head of the field as he was credited leading lap 59, and eventually to a ninth place finish. It was Carpenter's fourth career-leader lap in the IndyCar Series and his third ninth place finish at Texas.

Carpenter has finished a career-best ninth at Texas for a third time ('06,'08,'09) in spite of an ill-handling racecar, lapped traffic woes, and a one-groove race. He was able to move from 16th up to 14th in the championship point standings as a result of his efforts with 106 points (93 points behind leader).

Starting from 23rd on the grid in the No. 21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, Hunter-Reay drove as high as sixth in the race and held on to a very difficult racecar to finish in the 16th spot. It was just Hunter-Reay's second start at Texas and first running finish.

Hunter-Reay remains tenth in the IndyCar Series championship point standings with 116 points (83 points behind leader).

IndyCar Series racing resumes in two weeks from the Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, June 21st.

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Finishing Position: 10th
Qualifying Position: 9th

"A top-ten finish is the only positive we can take out of the Texas race, I'm afraid. We did gain some ground in the points moving from 16th to 14th but this is the third time I've finished ninth here. I was hoping for a better result. I'm disappointed for the fans in particular because Texas is supposed to be exciting racing and unfortunately the cars are too similar now and it weakened the product. I've never seen this race turn into a one groove track before. We want to put on a good show and I'm afraid this was not it. You couldn't pass and you couldn't pass guys that were a lap down. It doesn't take much of a block and suddenly you find yourself running behind lapped cars all night long. It turned into a fuel strategy, track position, no passing race and no one wants that. Texas is usually the place you shouldn't have to be playing fuel strategy gambles. This is a place you should be able to drive from the back to the front and unfortunately it is just not that way right now."

Ryan Hunter-Reay - No .21 IZOD/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Finishing Position: 16th
Qualifying Position: 23rd

"We had big handling issues all night long. We went from push to loose to push (understeer and oversteer and back to oversteer) in each single corner and just made for a horrible combination of handling characteristics. It was a really bad combination of things happening and as the race went on, we tried to get the car to do one thing. By the end, we put so much push in the car that I was having trouble completing the corner but at least it wasn't loose and I wasn't going to wreck every lap. After that all we could do is ride around. These are the reasons but I don't want to give excuses. We are trying to get a handle on it but tonight was more difficult than it should have been."
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Post by mlittle » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:50 am

Vision Racing Ready for IOWA Corn Indy 250

* TAKING THE VISION TO IOWA: Vision Racing returns to Iowa Speedway for the third time. The team's best start at Iowa came in 2007 when Ed Carpenter started fifth. The team's best finish at Iowa came last season when A.J. Foyt IV finished fifth. Carpenter also recorded a sixth place finish in 2007.

* ON LOAN: Considered a win-win situation for all involved, Vision Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay will be taking over piloting duties of A.J. Foyt's ABC Supply entry for the remainder of the 2009 IndyCar season beginning at the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Hunter-Reay, who drove the No. 21 Vision Honda Dallara to a second place podium finish in the 2009 season opener at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida, and is currently tenth in the IndyCar Series Championship driver points standings, will have his driving services transferred to A.J. Foyt Racing as a temporary replacement for the injured Vitor Meira.

* WELLNESS TOUR IN IOWA- The Vision Racing Wellness Tour, supported by team sponsor Lilly USA, will make an important pit stop for a second consecutive year at Iowa Speedway providing racing fans with free diabetes screenings with A1c testing and risk factor assessment, along with cholesterol and blood pressure testing. The Wellness Tour mobile unit (bus) will be located behind the main grandstands and will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, race day at the Iowa Speedway.

* HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: After forming and joining the Indy Racing League in 2005, Vision Racing is celebrating its fifth season of competition in 2009. Since the team embarked upon IndyCar Series competition, eight drivers have piloted five (Nos. 2, 20, 21, 22, 90) different team entries. Those drivers have combined for an additional 44 top-10 finishes, plus 10 top-five finishes, three more podium finishes and 42 laps led. Over the previous four years the quest for the team's first victory has been top priority and Vision Racing is confident that year five will be the season where that it happens. The team's best ever finish occurred in the 2009 season opener as Ryan Hunter-Reay drove from 14th to finish second in the race. That podium finish also put Vision second in the championship point standings which was also its' the highest-ever ranking. The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be the team's 73rd IndyCar Series event since their first season in 2005.

* ON OVALS AND SUPERSPEEDWAYS: The team's best finish on an oval is third scored by Tomas Scheckter at The Milwaukee Mile in 2006 and again in 2007 by A.J. Foyt IV at Kentucky Speedway. However, the team's overall best finish came on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. in the 2009 season-opener when Ryan Hunter-Reay finished in the second position. In the team's most recent oval affair, the Bombardier LearJet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway, Carpenter started 10th, led one lap and finished ninth while Hunter-Reay started 23rd and finished in the 16th spot. The best oval finish this season was recorded by Carpenter in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 when he drove from 17th to finish eighth.

* FIND US ONLINE, ANYTIME: The 2009 season for Vision Racing includes the great social media experiment. Vision Racing has established itself in the realm of online social media and networking via accounts at Twitter.com, Facebook.com and YouTube.com this season; allowing fans, friends, followers and even members of the media the opportunity to closely follow and interact with the five-year IndyCar Series participant. In addition, RACERSITES.com is working on a redesign of VisionRacing.com which is set to launch in June 2009.

* NEW AND OLD FOR 2009: Most recently, team driver Ryan Hunter-Reay's services were transferred to A.J. Foyt Racing for the remainder of the season to drive in the place of Vitor Meira who was injured in the 2009 Indianapolis 500. In May, Lauren George, daughter of team co-owners, Tony and Laura George, was named a team co-owner as well and will have responsibility for directing the team's Firestone Indy Lights effort which also received primary sponsorship from People's Liberation, also in May. Now the team is fielding just one car in the IndyCar Series as Ed Carpenter has returned to pilot the No. 20 car for the fifth straight year. Team sponsors Menards, Johns Manville, and Lilly return with the addition of SONAX and William Rast. Personnel-wise, Keven Kukulewicz returns as team manager while the engineering staff is again headed by Jeff Britton, while engineers Nathan O'Rourke and Robert Gue return to the team as well. IndyCar Series veteran and winner Bryan Herta is again serving as a road-course consultant for the team this season. Herta and his new Firestone Indy Lights (FIL) team, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) and driver Daniel Herrington has formed a technical partnership with Vision Racing and their new FIL team with driver James Davison. It marks Vision Racing's first FIL effort since 2005.

* 2009 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS: This season's highlight to date came in the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. when Ryan Hunter-Reay started 14th and drove all the way to finish in second place. Since then, Carpenter has added three top-ten finishes at Kansas, Indianapolis and Texas.

* AS SEEN ON TV: Patrick Dempsey joined Vision Racing prior to the 2006 season, taking on a new role that has been making hearts race in a literal way as a team co-owner. Known for his scene-stealing turns in such '80s nostalgia classics such as Can't Buy Me Love and Loverboy, Patrick Dempsey continues to please America with his explosive charisma and versatile talent. Dempsey is the star of the ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy." Dempsey's no stranger to the racetrack when he's not in front of the camera. A true racer at heart, he's currently driving professionally in Grand American Cup class sports car racing with Dempsey Racing, formerly Hypersport. He raced a Ferrari F430 GT with Team Seattle in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans and also competed in the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

* A TEAM WITH A VISION: Vision Racing is owned and operated by Tony and Laura George, their daughter Lauren George and actor Patrick Dempsey of ABC's Grey's Anatomy and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana in a 32,000 square foot facility. The team competes full-time in the IndyCar Series and is entering its fifth season of IndyCar Series competition and second year of Firestone Indy Lights racing. Vision Racing continues to proudly perpetuate the legacy of the Hulman-George family through motorsports excellence, by demonstrating the traditions and heritage of the Indianapolis 500 and Indy car racing.

Ed Carpenter - No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

Birthday: March 3, 1980; Hometown: Marshall, Ill.; Residence: Indianapolis, Ind.

Finished in top-ten at Texas and earned another career-leader lap.

* AT IOWA: When the green flag fell on the 7/8-mile oval for the inaugural IndyCar Series event, Carpenter started in the fifth position. His qualifying run the previous day was a personal and team high on the season. Carpenter ran strong and by lap 72 had made his way into the second spot. However, while running fifth in a restart on lap 99, Carpenter got caught in a six car incident on the main straight. The mayhem also collected teammate, A.J. Foyt IV. Meanwhile, Carpenter's car suffered a broken front wing and right-rear toe link in the incident, but managed to soldier on. After back-to-back pit stops, Carpenter's crew rallied to install a new wing and fix the toe link to get Carpenter back on track, just one lap down from the leaders and in the eighth spot. He continued to battle, making his way back up to the fourth spot where he ran until with just three laps to go he slowed due to a loss of fuel pressure. He was unable to bring the car to the checkered flag, but still finished in the sixth position and three laps down. In 2008, Carpenter started in the ninth spot, and was running in eighth when a mechanical failure on lap 39 crashed him out of the race and left him in the 23rd spot.

* BABY ON BOARD: Just as planned, Carpenter and wife Heather (Pettigrew) welcomed their second child into the world on June 1st as the 8 lb. 1 oz., 20 inch long Ryder Carpenter arrived on his due date. Big sister, Makenna was born in October 2007, while the couple was married November 8, 2005 on the Island of St. Thomas.

* TWEET, TWEET: With the birth of his second child, son Ryder, Carpenter decided it would be the perfect time to make his debut on Twitter.com as well; joining Vision Racing's twitter efforts. You can view Carpenter's Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/edcarpenter20 and follow the team at www.twitter.com/visionracing.

* MOST RECENTLY: Making his eighth IndyCar Series start at Texas, Carpenter drove the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone from the tenth spot to the head of the field as he was credited leading lap 59, and eventually to a ninth place finish. It was Carpenter's fourth career-leader lap in the IndyCar Series and his third ninth place finish at Texas. Carpenter has finished a career-best ninth at Texas for a third time ('06,'08,'09) in spite of an ill-handling racecar, lapped traffic woes, and a one-groove race. He was able to move from 16th up to 14th in the championship point standings as a result of his efforts with 106 points (93 points behind leader).

* 2009 SEASON: This is the sixth full season in IndyCar Series competition for Carpenter and the seventh season that he has participated in overall. Carpenter is looking to build off top-ten finishes earned on the ovals of Kansas, Indianapolis and Texas. The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be Carpenter's seventh event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season and fifth consecutive oval.

* LEADER LAPS: In his fifth IndyCar Series start in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, Carpenter recorded his first laps led in an IndyCar. He led the field for three laps under caution and finished an Indianapolis 500 career-best, fifth. His most recent leader lap came this season at Texas Motor Speedway when carpenter was credited for leading one lap. He has a total of four (4) career-leader laps.

* BACK WITH MENARDS: The No. 20 Vision Racing machine again features the most recognizable car on track as it carries the day-glow yellow color of Menards for the second consecutive season. Menards returned as the primary sponsor of the No. 20 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, driven by Ed Carpenter. The Menards sponsorship also continues a long-lasting relationship between the home store retailer with Carpenter. The 28-year-old driver carried the Menards livery in 2002, with Sinden Racing in Firestone Indy Lights competition and well before that his days of dirt track racing behind the wheel of quarter midgets.

* NEW VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT: Carpenter still has the same view from the cockpit that he's always had, but fans of the driver will notice a different look coming from his cockpit this season as his helmet is carrying the distinct colors and logos of the premium jean and clothing retailer, William Rast, for the 2009 season.

* ED "CARPENTER": Carpenter and his arsenal of power tools have been busy again this past off-season as he has been knee deep in a house flipping project with a long time friend as well as occupied with rehab projects around his own home. Of course, Menards has been an essential part of Carpenter's home repair ventures. Prior to his current real estate investment, Carpenter and his "do-it-yourself" mentality crafted his home repair skills with his first home and family heirloom. The home is located in Speedway, Ind. was purchased as new in 1955 by stepfather Tony George's parents, Elmer and Mari George. Tony grew up in the home as a boy and for a time, drivers A.J. Foyt and Roger McCluskey lived in the basement.

* DOUBLE DUTY: Ed Carpenter made history in September 2003 at Chicagoland Speedway when he became the first driver to compete in a Firestone Indy Lights event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend.

* INAUGURAL BRICKYARD WINNER: Carpenter won the inaugural Firestone Indy Lights Firestone Freedom 100 in 2003 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Making him an inaugural winner at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway along with Ray Haroun (Indianapolis 500), Jeff Gordon (Brickyard 400), and Michael Schumacher (United States Grand Prix).

* BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: Carpenter graduated from 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament qualifying Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind., with a marketing degree in May 2003.

* DID YOU KNOW? Carpenter enjoys water skiing, snowboarding, hunting and cycling. His racing heroes include Al Unser Jr., A.J. Foyt, and Lance Armstrong and he has two dogs; a Rottweiler named Bentley and a Chihuahua named Rosco.

* ED AT-A-GLANCE: Carpenter is participating in his sixth season in the IndyCar Series, and his fifth with his second team in Vision Racing. The 28-year-old made his IndyCar debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003 for PDM Racing, which made him the first driver to compete in an IRL Indy Pro Series event and an IndyCar Series event on the same weekend. Carpenter, who has been with the team since it's inception in 2005, is determined to make his sixth season overall, the best for both he and the team. Last year Carpenter recorded seven top-10 finishes, two top-fives and his first leader laps.

About the Iowa Corn Indy 250: The 250 lap/218.75 mile Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway will air live on Sunday, June 21 at 1:00 p.m. on ABC, as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web at www.IndyCar.com.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

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