Panther Racing drivers Dan Wheldon and Ed Carpenter qualified fifth and seventh, respectively, for tomorrow night’s Café do Brasil Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final IZOD IndyCar Series race of the 2010 season. This will be Carpenter’s fourth start in the collaboration between Panther and Vision Racing, and the team has had a car finish on the podium in each of his three previous starts.
Wheldon posted a two-lap average qualification effort of 211.933 mph, with Carpenter just behind with a two-lap average of 211.444 mph. In their last start together, both drivers finished on the podium at Kentucky Speedway, where Carpenter was second and Wheldon third on the final grid – the best finish amongst teammates in Panther history. Carpenter was the pole winner during that event, his first career pole position and the first pole position for Panther Racing since 2005.
In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, Wheldon will be wearing a pink helmet and pink Puma boots and gloves during tomorrow’s 200-lap event. Earlier this year Wheldon auctioned off a package during a BCRFA event that allowed the winner to choose his helmet design for the race, and earn a VIP race experience at the track with Dan and the National Guard Panther Racing team.
Dan Wheldon, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda
“I felt our qualifying run was very good, and the National Guard guys have done a great job all weekend. Obviously both myself and Panther have done very well at Homestead in the past and what’s most important to all of us right now is getting our first race win of the season together. It’s great to have a teammate out here. Ed and the Fuzzy’s Vodka team have been such a big help we always seem to do extremely well when they join us at these races. When you have teammates, it doesn’t just work because you’re teammates; you have to work well together, and that’s what we’ve been able to do with Panther. Now we both hope we can finish off the season strong together tomorrow night.”
Ed Carpenter, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Dallara Honda
“I’m slightly disappointed with qualifying but I think that some of that comes from being on the pole for at Kentucky and qualifying seventh here. After getting a pole you kind of set your expectations high and Dan got a good run and I thought that would be able to go a little quicker but I got a little greedy on the gears I ran. All and all I think that starting fifth and seventh is great for the Fuzzy’s Vodka team and we seem to have good racecars for tomorrow night when the sun goes down, so I’m excited.”
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