Carpenter drives to final round appearance in ADRL debut
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<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/Deby706/carpenter.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy"> “This is an incredible shot in the arm for this team,” said an ecstatic Carpenter. “You really can’t ask for much more. We really got a hold of the car this weekend, and its consistency was awesome. </font>
<p> (7-7-2008) RADFORD, VA – After missing the first three races of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League’s 2008 season, Charles Carpenter knew it would be an uphill battle to break into the top 8 in points and have a chance to compete in the Battle for the Belts at the end of the year.
The Pro Mod pioneer got a running start at that uphill climb when he drove his brand new Terry Murphy-built ’55 Chevy to a final round appearance in its ADRL debut at the 2nd annual Shelor.com Motor Mile Independence Drags in Radford, VA.
“This is an incredible shot in the arm for this team,” said an ecstatic Carpenter. “You really can’t ask for much more. We really got a hold of the car this weekend, and its consistency was awesome. Paul Albino and Total Induction Tuning Solutions has this chassis performing like we have been running the car for years.”
After getting things sorted out in Friday testing, Carpenter piloted his “shoebox” ’55 to the provisional #2 spot in qualifying Friday night with a 4.04, 180 MPH pass down the ultra-smooth Motor Mile Dragway surface.
Feeling secure in his qualifying position and interested in conserving his car for raceday, Carpenter elected to sit out the final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. Though he slipped from 2nd to 7th in the final qualifying order, Carpenter remained confident in the decision.
“We are on a shoestring budget, so every run we can save is another run we can make down the road,” Carpenter said. “Plus, the remainder of Saturday was rained out, and Sunday would be a whole different day, weather-wise. It allowed us to study the data and really take our time plotting our raceday strategy.”
On Sunday, it quickly became apparent that the strategy was a successful one. Carpenter dispatched his first round opponent, Thomas Myers, with a 4.05 to Myers’ pedaling 4.08. From there, Carpenter faced fellow North Carolinian Steve Vick in the quarterfinals. Though he posted stellar laps of 3.98 and 4.00 in Friday qualifying, Vick ran into tire shake early in the run, allowing Carpenter to cruise through for the win with a 4.04 at over 182 MPH.
In the semi-finals, Carpenter went up against the impressive turbo-powered Camaro of Andy Jensen. Once again, consistency was the story as Carpenter powered to the win with another 4.04 while Jensen put together a tire shaking 4.19 effort.
That would set up a final round showdown between Carpenter and the quickest, most consistent nitrous Pro Mod on the planet: Billy Harper’s Viper. Harper, the number one qualifier, was coming off two straight ADRL wins and innumerable three-second passes since the start of the year.
“I had been working on my tune-up all day,” said Carpenter. “The air up here in the mountains is extremely tricky, so there is a balancing act that has to be done to keep the motor together and run well. I tuned it up even more for the finals, but knew it would be tough to stop Billy. His car is the most impressive nitrous car I have ever seen.”
In the finals, Carpenter nailed Harper to the tree, posting a .021 reaction time to Harper’s .086. After leading all the way past half track, Carpenter was passed by Harper’s 3.93 at almost 186 MPH to Carpenter’s career-best 4.03 at 181.
“Once we get rolling at these ADRL races, we are hard to stop,” said Carpenter. “Last year, we either lost in the first round or won the race, so it was feast or famine. This year looks to be starting out in the same way. We had an awesome weekend. The car is performing extremely well, and I ran a career best lap in the finals in this thin air. The car has a lot more potential, and the 3-second barrier is not far away for us once we get back to sea level.”
“With Pat Doherty, Custom Autosound, and all our supporters behind us, we hope to continue this success at Budds Creek in a few weeks,” Carpenter said. “Kelly Bluebaugh, Paul Albino, and everyone else that makes this deal happen will be there, so picking up where we left off will be priority number one. We just need to go one round further.”
Carpenter is actively seeking primary sponsorship for 2008. For more information about Charles Carpenter Racing and the World’s Fastest ’55 Chevy, or for a copy of the team’s 2008 Marketing Partnership Guide, visit Charles Carpenter Racing.
Photo courtesy of Roger Richards
<p style="width:310px;float:right;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/Deby706/carpenter.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy"> “This is an incredible shot in the arm for this team,” said an ecstatic Carpenter. “You really can’t ask for much more. We really got a hold of the car this weekend, and its consistency was awesome. </font>
<p> (7-7-2008) RADFORD, VA – After missing the first three races of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League’s 2008 season, Charles Carpenter knew it would be an uphill battle to break into the top 8 in points and have a chance to compete in the Battle for the Belts at the end of the year.
The Pro Mod pioneer got a running start at that uphill climb when he drove his brand new Terry Murphy-built ’55 Chevy to a final round appearance in its ADRL debut at the 2nd annual Shelor.com Motor Mile Independence Drags in Radford, VA.
“This is an incredible shot in the arm for this team,” said an ecstatic Carpenter. “You really can’t ask for much more. We really got a hold of the car this weekend, and its consistency was awesome. Paul Albino and Total Induction Tuning Solutions has this chassis performing like we have been running the car for years.”
After getting things sorted out in Friday testing, Carpenter piloted his “shoebox” ’55 to the provisional #2 spot in qualifying Friday night with a 4.04, 180 MPH pass down the ultra-smooth Motor Mile Dragway surface.
Feeling secure in his qualifying position and interested in conserving his car for raceday, Carpenter elected to sit out the final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. Though he slipped from 2nd to 7th in the final qualifying order, Carpenter remained confident in the decision.
“We are on a shoestring budget, so every run we can save is another run we can make down the road,” Carpenter said. “Plus, the remainder of Saturday was rained out, and Sunday would be a whole different day, weather-wise. It allowed us to study the data and really take our time plotting our raceday strategy.”
On Sunday, it quickly became apparent that the strategy was a successful one. Carpenter dispatched his first round opponent, Thomas Myers, with a 4.05 to Myers’ pedaling 4.08. From there, Carpenter faced fellow North Carolinian Steve Vick in the quarterfinals. Though he posted stellar laps of 3.98 and 4.00 in Friday qualifying, Vick ran into tire shake early in the run, allowing Carpenter to cruise through for the win with a 4.04 at over 182 MPH.
In the semi-finals, Carpenter went up against the impressive turbo-powered Camaro of Andy Jensen. Once again, consistency was the story as Carpenter powered to the win with another 4.04 while Jensen put together a tire shaking 4.19 effort.
That would set up a final round showdown between Carpenter and the quickest, most consistent nitrous Pro Mod on the planet: Billy Harper’s Viper. Harper, the number one qualifier, was coming off two straight ADRL wins and innumerable three-second passes since the start of the year.
“I had been working on my tune-up all day,” said Carpenter. “The air up here in the mountains is extremely tricky, so there is a balancing act that has to be done to keep the motor together and run well. I tuned it up even more for the finals, but knew it would be tough to stop Billy. His car is the most impressive nitrous car I have ever seen.”
In the finals, Carpenter nailed Harper to the tree, posting a .021 reaction time to Harper’s .086. After leading all the way past half track, Carpenter was passed by Harper’s 3.93 at almost 186 MPH to Carpenter’s career-best 4.03 at 181.
“Once we get rolling at these ADRL races, we are hard to stop,” said Carpenter. “Last year, we either lost in the first round or won the race, so it was feast or famine. This year looks to be starting out in the same way. We had an awesome weekend. The car is performing extremely well, and I ran a career best lap in the finals in this thin air. The car has a lot more potential, and the 3-second barrier is not far away for us once we get back to sea level.”
“With Pat Doherty, Custom Autosound, and all our supporters behind us, we hope to continue this success at Budds Creek in a few weeks,” Carpenter said. “Kelly Bluebaugh, Paul Albino, and everyone else that makes this deal happen will be there, so picking up where we left off will be priority number one. We just need to go one round further.”
Carpenter is actively seeking primary sponsorship for 2008. For more information about Charles Carpenter Racing and the World’s Fastest ’55 Chevy, or for a copy of the team’s 2008 Marketing Partnership Guide, visit Charles Carpenter Racing.
Photo courtesy of Roger Richards
