Carpenter wins, resets track record at Motor Mile
(7-17-2007) CHARLOTTE, NC – Charles Carpenter’s second trip to Motor Mile Dragway in as many weeks yielded better results than the first, as Carpenter piloted his ’55 Chevrolet to the Extreme Nitrous victory Saturday night. Carpenter defeated Steve Vick twice in a row to take the unique “match race” style win.
“It’s not very often you get to race at the same track two weeks in a row,” Carpenter said. “The ADRL race was our first trip to this facility, so we were excited to return and give it another shot with the data we got the previous week. The Hagans do a great job up here. The staff, facility, and track surface are all top-notch.”
The track’s location in the Appalachian Mountains presents a unique challenge, with tuning becoming more difficult than usual due to the thin air and low barometric pressure.
“We ran OK at the ADRL event, but I had some things I wanted to try in order to get the car running better, and they worked,” added Carpenter.
Those tuning changes netted Carpenter a best elapsed time of 4.094 and speed of 180.22 MPH, the first time a nitrous car has cracked the 180 MPH mark at Motor Mile. Carpenter’s speed reset his own track record posted during the ADRL Independence Drags, which was 179.93 MPH.
“We all know ET is the name of the game, but it’s pretty cool to run big speed as well,” said the Charlotte, NC based veteran. “It’s even cooler to do it in a Shoebox. This thing will run out the backdoor; it likes to dance and move around a little on top end, but I know it’s really getting it done when it starts to do that. Like John Force says, she’s talking to me.”
Carpenter has had a successful 2007 thus far, and looks to continue the momentum.
“I’ve had such a blast racing this season,” said Carpenter. “You would think this is my first time doing this. Thanks to support in so many ways from Pat Doherty, Paul Albino, Custom Autosound, Kelly Bluebaugh, my son Mike, and everyone that makes this happen, I have been able to stay out here doing what I love.”
Carpenter is still actively seeking primary sponsorship support. For more information about Charles Carpenter Racing and The World’s Fastest ’55 Chevy, or for a copy of the team’s 2007 Marketing Partnership Guide, visit Charles Carpenter Racing.
