Press Release from Michael Carpenter:
BAYTOWN, TX – After clawing his way back into contention at the end of 2009, Charles Carpenter is aiming to remain atop the American Drag Racing League Pro Nitrous points standings in 2010. That mission begins at Houston Raceway Park and this weekend’s Universal Technical Institute Dragpalooza VI, where Carpenter will combine his vast experience with an upgraded combination under the hood of his iconic ’55 Chevy to take on the incredibly tough Pro Nitrous division.
After a brief session of preseason testing, Carpenter is ready to get back to racing action.
“I’ve never been one for testing,” admitted the 37-year drag racing veteran. “I’m all about the pressure of the race environment. I’m not even that excited about qualifying usually. But when it comes time for eliminations, my whole mindset changes and I can’t think of anything but winning the next round and winning the race. Winning is everything for me.”
Carpenter hopes more winning is in the cards for 2010. After emerging victorious from his first two ADRL Pro Nitrous final round appearances, Carpenter has come up short in his last three finals, with the most recent runner-up coming at the ADRL World Finals in Dallas last October.
A win would be nice, but just about anything would be better than Carpenter’s experience at this very race a year ago. Carpenter lost control of his car near the finish line during a first round victory, crashing hard into the retaining wall and going airborne before slamming back to the ground just inside the track’s boundaries. Carpenter had a fractured vertebrae and a nearly destroyed race car, but through sheer determination and help from his supporters, he made a thunderous comeback at the end of 2009 that has him poised for a championship run in 2010.
“I’m going to go at it with the same philosophy I always have: be consistently quick and get from A to B each run,” Carpenter said. “Hopefully we can go some rounds and come out of Houston with the points lead. We’ve lead the points at various stages over the past few seasons, but this year we need to be up there when it matters, and that’s going into the Battle for the Belts at the end of the year. We’re not settling for anything less than a spot in the top 8.”
With a new 843 cubic inch powerplant and a finely tuned race car, Carpenter is in better position to compete with the quickest cars in the class than ever before.
“We’ve been underpowered throughout the last couple seasons, but this new engine should solve that issue,” Carpenter continued. “We’ve also got a good handle on what this revamped chassis wants and it’s responding to our tuning adjustments. That’s all you can really ask for. Now it’s up to me to drive the wheels off it and capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves.”