For Ed Carpenter, finding the balance between being an IndyCar team owner and driver isn’t too difficult. 

When Carpenter received a call in late 2010 from a team sponsor about starting his team, he was caught off guard. When the president of Fuzzy Vodka approached him with the idea, he knew it would be a big risk, but it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “It was definitely a serious idea,” he says.  

For the last 13 seasons, Carpenter and his team of 50 employees have been running Ed Carpenter Racing out of a shop on the west side of Indianapolis.

Carpenter says it took some time to adjust to his new role as team owner in the early years, but now he has found a balance that enables him to stay competitive on and off the track.  

As much as the cars and media changes, Carpenter says the overall auto racing business hasn’t changed much. He says the goal is to perform well on the track, keep your sponsors happy, and take care of your employees. “It’s a team effort, always.”   

Carpenter says that with his dad as a business partner, most of his focus goes into performing on the track. He says motorsport is a grind, but with his family by his side to help, he looks forward to more success.