2013 Ed Carpenter Racing Review:
Wins: 0
Best Finish: 2nd (Fontana).
Poles: 1 (Indianapolis).
Final Championship Position: 16th (Ed Carpenter).
2014 Drivers:
Ed Carpenter
Owner-driver Ed Carpenter went winless in 2013, the first time since 2010. He did extend his streak of consecutive seasons with a podium to five after finishing runner-up to Will Power in the season finale at Fontana. Carpenter picked up his second career IndyCar pole position last year when he won pole for the Indianapolis 500. His other pole came at Kentucky in 2010. He had a career-high three top five finishes and five top tens in 2014 as he finished seven points shy of cracking the top fifteen in points while finishing fifth in the oval championship behind Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan and Power. Carpenter returns but with a limited schedule for 2014.
Number to Remember: 6. Amount of starts Carpenter is scheduled to make in 2014. All on ovals.
Prediction/Goals: A win for Carpenter would not be a surprise especially at Indianapolis where the Hoosier led a race-high thirty-seven laps in 2013. Carpenter will pick up at least four top tens in his abbreviated season. A goal for Carpenter should be to try and negotiate a sanction fee with Phoenix, Kentucky, Michigan and Richmond for IndyCar to return and expand Carpenter's 2015 schedule to ten races.
Mike Conway
Conway will drive all road and street course races in place of Carpenter. The British driver ran a part-time schedule in 2013 as he split time between IndyCar and the FIA World Endurance Championship where Conway drove in LMP2 for G-Drive Racing and won four races. Conway made seven starts in 2013, six for Dale Coyne Racing and one for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Conway won the first race at Belle Isle and finished third in the second Belle Isle race from pole position. He would pick up three top tens in his final four starts.
Number to Remember: 0. Career starts in a Chevrolet-powered car.
Prediction/Goals: Conway will pick up a few top fives and a handful of top tens but won't win a race. One thing Conway has to work on is qualifying. While he made the Fast Six three times in 2013, he started outside the top fifteen on the three occasions and has eleven career Fast Six appearances in thirty-eight career road/street course starts.
Conway and Carpenter will combine for a top ten finish in the owners' championship.
JR Hildebrand
Hildebrand had a rough start to 2013 when he was fired after five races by Panther Racing. The Californian had a fifth place finish at Long Beach but an accident on lap four of the Indianapolis 500 after starting in the top ten ended his time at Panther. He would return for his home races at Sonoma and Fontana driving for Bryan Herta Autosport. At Sonoma he finished a position ahead his former employer coming home in sixteen. At Fontana, Hildebrand worked his way to the front and was one of the top Hondas all night before his engine failed while running third with thirteen laps to go. He would finish eleventh.
Number to Remember: 4. Amount of top ten starts for Hildebrand in 41 career starts.
Prediction/Goals: Hildebrand will have a decent car underneath him but Indianapolis 500 one-offs success is hit and miss. For every Townsend Bell there is a Pippa Mann or Jay Howard. Hildebrand will be midpack all month and be one of the last cars on the lead lap or a lap down. His goal is easy: Prove me wrong and turn a one-off into a full-time ride.
Remember, the first round of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season is the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and can be seen live March 30th at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
JR Hildebrand
Hildebrand had a rough start to 2013 when he was fired after five races by Panther Racing. The Californian had a fifth place finish at Long Beach but an accident on lap four of the Indianapolis 500 after starting in the top ten ended his time at Panther. He would return for his home races at Sonoma and Fontana driving for Bryan Herta Autosport. At Sonoma he finished a position ahead his former employer coming home in sixteen. At Fontana, Hildebrand worked his way to the front and was one of the top Hondas all night before his engine failed while running third with thirteen laps to go. He would finish eleventh.
Number to Remember: 4. Amount of top ten starts for Hildebrand in 41 career starts.
Prediction/Goals: Hildebrand will have a decent car underneath him but Indianapolis 500 one-offs success is hit and miss. For every Townsend Bell there is a Pippa Mann or Jay Howard. Hildebrand will be midpack all month and be one of the last cars on the lead lap or a lap down. His goal is easy: Prove me wrong and turn a one-off into a full-time ride.
Remember, the first round of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season is the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and can be seen live March 30th at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
