By Dave Lewandowski
indy500.com
Friday, November 12, 2004
The magnetism of the Indianapolis 500 -- the grand scale, speed, pageantry and history -- has drawn competitors ranging from engine designers to thoroughbred motorsports drivers since 1911.
Now Patrick Carpentier has answered its call.
Carpentier on Nov. 11 joined Red Bull Cheever Racing, where he'll drive the No. 83 Toyota-powered Dallara. The 1996 Toyota-Atlantic champion will team with Alex Barron, the 1997 Toyota-Atlantic champ who will re-acquaint himself with the No. 51 entry. Barron had five top-10 finishes last season, including a high of third at Texas Motor Speedway in June.
It is his affinity for competing on ovals -- and especially on the grandest of them all -- that played into Carpentier's decision to move from the Champ Car World Series after eight years to the IRL IndyCar® Series.
"(Racing at Indianapolis) it's something that I've wanted for quite a long time, actually," he said. "I was watching the race when I was still in (Toyota) Atlantic, back when Jacques Villeneuve and Scott Goodyear went at it. I guess Jacques won the Indy (500). It was a great race.
"Everybody always watched the race back in Canada. It's a race that I've come to see and look at many, many times. It's a track I would like to race on and in front of the giant crowd, the people. It's a different race.
"When I came into open-wheel racing, that's the year that I guess the two series went separate ways. I never had the opportunity to do it. So, for me, it's something that I've been wanting to do for quite awhile."
Carpentier, who recorded one of his five series victories on the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway oval in 2001, said the high-speed excitement of the IndyCar Series -- including the Indianapolis 500 -- will play to his strength. The 2005 IndyCar Series season will include 14 oval races, two on road courses and one on a temporary street course.
"I've always for some reason done fairly well on ovals, whether it was in Atlantic and the Sprint car," he said. "It's always the type of racing I've really enjoyed. I was watching the IRL on TV, sitting at the edge of my seat. They've had some great races this year.
"I just like the spectacle. I like the race, the way it's done. That's why I decided to come to it."
Team owner Eddie Cheever Jr., the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner, said he'll continue to explore a third entry for the 89th 500-Mile Race on May 29.
"I would like for just numerical reasons to have a third car at the Indianapolis 500, but it is going to be a car that will be a separate project so that it will not be a drain on our two primary cars," he said. ***
2005 tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 89th Indianapolis 500, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
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