CARPENTER RETURNS TO RACE
Tue, 2009-06-30 22:33
Nearly four months after the official start of the 2009 racing season,
Charles Carpenter is ready to start his season over again.
Since crashing his unmistakable ’55 Chevy in early March, both Carpenter himself and the car have healed at almost the same rate, and both are looking to make their return to the National Guard ADRL Pro Nitrous scene at this weekend’s ADRL Hardee’s Independence Drags III in Topeka, KS.
“I’m just now getting to the point where my back feels like it’s almost back to normal and I can get back in the driver’s seat,” said Carpenter. “Coincidentally, the car is ready to go at the same time.” Nearly four months after the official start of the 2009 racing season, Charles Carpenter is ready to start his season over again.
Since crashing his unmistakable ’55 Chevy in early March, both Carpenter himself and the car have healed at almost the same rate, and both are looking to make their return to the National Guard ADRL Pro Nitrous scene at this weekend’s ADRL Hardee’s Independence Drags III in Topeka, KS.
“I’m just now getting to the point where my back feels like it’s almost back to normal and I can get back in the driver’s seat,” said Carpenter. “Coincidentally, the car is ready to go at the same time.”
Carpenter didn’t want to make the long haul from Charlotte, NC to Topeka with an almost completely rebuilt car and no test time. Buddy Boozer’s Orangeburg Dragstrip was the perfect proving grounds for the freshened ’55 just over two weeks ago.
“I had to make sure I could handle it physically, and I knew we would have some small bugs to work out of the car,” said the 50-year-old auto repair center owner. “It felt great to get back out there. There was no pain whatsoever. The car feels just as good as it did before, and with some changes we’ve made to our combination, it’s really reacting in the front half of the track. I never made a full pass at Orangeburg, but it posted some really good short numbers. We’re encouraged by its performance and feel confident heading to Topeka.”
“It’s definitely not pretty, but that won’t matter as long as it’s fast,” Carpenter said of the patchwork appearance of the rebuilt car. “We’ll get it repainted eventually, but that’s not in the budget right now and we’ve got to make it to this race for everyone that has helped us get back out there. We can’t miss another one. Every race we miss, we’re losing ground not only in points, but in keeping up with the record-breaking performance we seem to see race after race in Pro Nitrous. You’ve got to be out there refining your program lap after lap if you hope to have any chance of being competitive.”
After 35 years, one would think Carpenter has done all the refining possible. Not so says the Pro Modified pioneer.
“I’m never satisfied when it comes to racing,” Carpenter admitted. “It’s going to take everything we’ve got to get back out there, but that’s exactly what we’re willing to give.”
Since crashing his unmistakable ’55 Chevy in early March, both Carpenter himself and the car have healed at almost the same rate, and both are looking to make their return to the National Guard ADRL Pro Nitrous scene at this weekend’s ADRL Hardee’s Independence Drags III in Topeka, KS.
“I’m just now getting to the point where my back feels like it’s almost back to normal and I can get back in the driver’s seat,” said Carpenter. “Coincidentally, the car is ready to go at the same time.” Nearly four months after the official start of the 2009 racing season, Charles Carpenter is ready to start his season over again.
Since crashing his unmistakable ’55 Chevy in early March, both Carpenter himself and the car have healed at almost the same rate, and both are looking to make their return to the National Guard ADRL Pro Nitrous scene at this weekend’s ADRL Hardee’s Independence Drags III in Topeka, KS.
“I’m just now getting to the point where my back feels like it’s almost back to normal and I can get back in the driver’s seat,” said Carpenter. “Coincidentally, the car is ready to go at the same time.”
Carpenter didn’t want to make the long haul from Charlotte, NC to Topeka with an almost completely rebuilt car and no test time. Buddy Boozer’s Orangeburg Dragstrip was the perfect proving grounds for the freshened ’55 just over two weeks ago.
“I had to make sure I could handle it physically, and I knew we would have some small bugs to work out of the car,” said the 50-year-old auto repair center owner. “It felt great to get back out there. There was no pain whatsoever. The car feels just as good as it did before, and with some changes we’ve made to our combination, it’s really reacting in the front half of the track. I never made a full pass at Orangeburg, but it posted some really good short numbers. We’re encouraged by its performance and feel confident heading to Topeka.”
“It’s definitely not pretty, but that won’t matter as long as it’s fast,” Carpenter said of the patchwork appearance of the rebuilt car. “We’ll get it repainted eventually, but that’s not in the budget right now and we’ve got to make it to this race for everyone that has helped us get back out there. We can’t miss another one. Every race we miss, we’re losing ground not only in points, but in keeping up with the record-breaking performance we seem to see race after race in Pro Nitrous. You’ve got to be out there refining your program lap after lap if you hope to have any chance of being competitive.”
After 35 years, one would think Carpenter has done all the refining possible. Not so says the Pro Modified pioneer.
“I’m never satisfied when it comes to racing,” Carpenter admitted. “It’s going to take everything we’ve got to get back out there, but that’s exactly what we’re willing to give.”
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