Ed Carpenter was unable to secure his third Indianapolis 500 pole position on Sunday, but the popular American will start in the middle of the front row, and felt that his run at 231.664mph was all that he had to offer.
Racing for his own Ed Carpenter Racing team, the thirty-six-year-old oval specialist said that he was surprised to just how good his run was on Sunday, even if it was not enough to deny Scott Dixon top spot.
Carpenter believes that the car was at its optimum, and anymore trimming of downforce would have probably made his Chevrolet-powered Dallara slower.
“It was actually a better run than I thought!” admitted Carpenter. “We had a little more balance than JR (Hildebrand) going into it. I was flat, that’s all she had!
“If we trimmed any more, we would have started slowing down. I’m content. It would have been fun to have had a third pole, but at the same time, to be middle of the front row with a pair of 500 champions beside me is good. Hopefully, I can convert the front row to a win come next week.”
Carpenter is happy that the push to make the cars faster around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set to continue, and with new aero-kits being introduced in 2018, he is excited to see what kind of speeds will be possible next year around the 2.5-mile oval.
“The speeds this year are awesome!” exclaimed Carpenter. “Driving cars fast around here is what this place is all about. I’m excited to see what the 2018 car will do.
“You hear the crowds when you put a big number up, I get just as excited as they do! I think it’s awesome we’re pushing the speeds back up and I hope it continues.”
