Ed Carpenter to driver for Sarah Fisher in 2011.
Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) and Dollar General announced today that Dollar General has renewed its support of SFR for the 2011 IZOD IndyCar (R) Series season. The schedule will include competition in nine events, consisting of both road course and oval venues.
“SFR has been a great partner for us and our brand,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “We are excited about extending our sponsorship for the upcoming racing season.”
Sarah Fisher also announced today that after 25 years in the driver’s seat, she will be stepping out of the car to focus on being a team owner. Well-known IZOD IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter
will take the wheel of the yellow, No. 67, Dollar General machine.
“This change in my career is a direction I have been thinking about very hard. The timing is perfect for the strategy of SFR in its future endeavors. To have the support of all our partners in this direction is incredible. I am glad to have the support of our partners, including Dollar General, who have led us to where we are today. I know this team has what it takes to perform and I am hoping with the decision to put Ed in the seat, that we can do just that. By stepping out of the seat, I will be able to spend more time growing this team in the right directions both on and off track.”
Carpenter, the new driver of the Dollar General No. 67, is an Indiana native who began his racing career in 1989 driving cars such as sprint cars, midgets, and silver crown cars on the short tracks of America. This background, which is very similar to SFR team owner, Sarah Fisher, was what started the friendship between Carpenter and Fisher. He has captured a pole position, two podium finishes, and has claimed 26 top-ten results thus far in his IZOD IndyCar Series career.
“Sarah is a trailblazer and remains a role model,” said Dreiling. “We are proud of her record and we wish her well as she starts her career as a full-time owner. We also look forward to cheering on Ed as he drives the Dollar General car to victory.”
“I am so honored to have to opportunity to come drive for SFR and Dollar General,” said an enthusiastic Carpenter. “I have been friends with Sarah and Andy for a long time, and am really looking forward to working with their team. Sarah and I come from such similar backgrounds; I know that it will be a joy to work with her team. Sarah has had a great career and has done an amazing job growing SFR each year. I am confident that together we can continue to improve the results not only on the track, but off of the track as well!”
SFR’s complete 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule:
Date Location Venue
Sunday, March 27 Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. 1.8-mile street course
Sunday, May 29 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval
Saturday, June 11 Texas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, June 25 Iowa Speedway .875-mile oval
Saturday, August 7 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2.25-mile road course
Saturday, August 14 New Hampshire Motor Speedway 1-mile oval
Saturday, September 4 Streets of Baltimore 2.4-mile street course Saturday, October 2 Kentucky Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, October 16 TBA TBA
About Dollar General Corporation:
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 70 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day! (R) by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 9,100 stores in 35 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.
About Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR):
Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) is an auto racing team that competes in the IZOD IndyCar(R) Series, founded by IZOD IndyCar Series veteran racer, Sarah Fisher. Fisher announced plans to become the IZOD IndyCar Series first female owner/driver and the youngest team owner on February 27, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS). The team competed in three events in 2008, grew 100 percent in 2009 to six races and competed in fifteen total events in 2010, during the team’s first season initiating a two-car effort. With backing from Dollar General, SFR has announced plans to run an abbreviated schedule in 2011 competing in nine events, with Ed Carpenter driving the No. 67. For more information, please visit Sarah Fisher Racing online at http://www.sarahfisherracing.com.
About Ed Carpenter:
The 2011 IZOD IndyCar (R) Series season marks Ed Carpenter’s eighth year in the series after making his debut at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003.Growing up with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his backyard with Laura and step-father Tony George as parents, Carpenter was no stranger to racing. Carpenter began racing at eight years old and balanced racing with education throughout much of his career. Earning a Bachelors of Science degree in marketing from Butler University in 2003, Carpenter graduated from Butler just weeks before he won the Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With a college degree under his belt, Carpenter is now able to focus on several other activities when he’s not racing. Away from the track, Carpenter follows professional football and is an Indianapolis Colts season ticket holder and an enthusiastic Butler Bulldogs supporter. The 29-year old is also an avid cyclist, water skier and enjoys working out. Before he became a regular in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Carpenter was a short track racer in the United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, sprint and Silver Crown Series. 2011 marks his first season with Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR) and Dollar General. Carpenter resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Heather, his daughter Makenna, son Ryder, and their two dogs Bentley (Rottweiler) and Roscoe (Chihuahua).
About Sarah Fisher:
At just 30 years old, Sarah Fisher has competed in nine Indianapolis 500’s, been voted “Most Popular Driver” four times in two separate Series (IndyCar and NASCAR), been awarded “Indy’s Best & Brightest Leaders Under 40” and enters her fourth season as a team owner in 2011. Fisher is the first woman to qualify fastest for a major North American open-wheel event, the fastest woman to ever qualify for the Indy 500 and is the youngest woman to compete at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms such as, LIVE! With Regis & Kelly, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Glamour, People and Forbes Magazine, to name a few. In 2008, she formed her own race team: Sarah Fisher Racing (SFR), and made her first start as a team owner in the IZOD IndyCar Series’ Indy 500. In May 2009, Fisher made her eighth start in the Indy 500, marking the most starts for a woman in the 93-year history of the race. However, Fisher is taking a different seat this year with her Indianapolis-based team as she migrates from the driver’s seat to the executive seat of team owner. For more information on Sarah Fisher, please visit http://www.sarahfisherracing.com.
