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ED CARPENTER RACING’S SUMMER OF INDYCAR COMPETITION BEGINS THIS WEEKEND AT ROAD AMERICA

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Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones Excited For REV Group Grand Prix at Legendary Elkhart Lake Road Course

INDIANAPOLIS (June 18, 2019) – Race Preview

– Ed Carpenter Racing will spend the first official weekend of summer at Road America for the 10th round of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season. Spread across 640 acres in Elkhart Lake, Wis., the legendary road course is a staple of North American road racing and is a favorite of many drivers, including ECR’s Spencer Pigot and Ed Jones. The REV Group Grand Prix will take place this Sunday, June 23.

– Last week was Ed Carpenter Racing’s first without on-track activity since early May. Pigot and Jones were scheduled to participate in a Chevrolet test at Road America last Wednesday, but forecasted rain led to the test being cancelled before teams made the trip to Wisconsin. Prior to last week, the NTT IndyCar Series had contested four races in 14 days, including the Indianapolis 500.

– At the most recent road course race, the INDYCAR Grand Prix, Jones recorded his highest finish of the season to date. He followed up his Firestone Fast 6 appearance in qualifying with a sixth-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit. From there, the road and street course driver of the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet moved to the No. 63 for the Indianapolis 500. He qualified a career-best fourth, just behind team owner and oval driver Ed Carpenter and full-time driver Pigot. Jones most recently competed in the two Detroit street races before handing the No. 20 back over to Carpenter for the oval race at Texas Motor Speedway.

– Texas marked the midpoint in the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season. Pigot qualified 6th for the 600-kilometer night race, his highest starting position on an oval outside of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For this year’s Indianapolis 500, he put forth a career-best qualifying effort. He landed his No. 21 third on the grid, starting on the outside of the front row and in between his teammates. Pigot led the “500,” then brought home a Top 10 finish in the first race of the Detroit doubleheader six days later. Like Jones, Pigot also scored his best finish of the year at the INDYCAR Grand Prix. His first Top 5 of the year came at the road course event with a fifth-place result.

– Last year’s edition of the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America saw Pigot and Jones finish in the Top 10. Both were caught behind a slow car on the opening lap, causing Pigot to fall to 15th and Jones to 17th. Within five laps, both had made up all of the positions which they had lost. The two ran near each other until the end of the 55 laps, with Pigot finishing 8th and Jones just behind in 9th. Road America is the site of Pigot’s first Indy car Top 10, which came just three races into his career with ECR back in 2016. Both of Jones’s starts at the four-mile, 14-turn road course have resulted in Top 10 finishes.

– This weekend, Pigot’s No. 21 Chevrolet will showcase the blue and white colors of longtime team partner Direct Supply. Headquartered in nearby Milwaukee, Direct Supply is committed to enhancing the lives of seniors and those who care for them. Since 1985, the company has helped Senior Living providers create amazing environments, improve care and outcomes, optimize building operations, streamline procurement and more.

– The REV Group Grand Prix will feature two practice sessions on Friday, a third practice session and knockout qualifying on Saturday and the 55-lap race on Sunday. NBC Sports Gold will have a live broadcast of all practice sessions and qualifying while NBC Sports Network will show qualifying via a tape-delay at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. The REV Group Grand Prix will be shown live on NBC, beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 23.

ED JONES, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet: “Road America should be a really good race! It’s a very fun track to drive at. The last two years, I had Top 10 finishes in both races. Chevy has also been strong there, so it’s a good track for them as well. Unfortunately, last week’s test got cancelled due to weather, but the guys have done a lot of work back in the shop to get ready. Hopefully we can hit the ground running and get a solid result!”

SPENCER PIGOT, No. 21 Direct Supply Chevrolet: “Road America is one of the best tracks that we go to all year! I’ve been racing there since I was 16 in various types of cars and it’s become one of my favorites. We had pretty good race there last year and we’ve been competitive on road courses so far in 2019. Hopefully, we can continue that trend and have a strong weekend!”

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