IndyCar: 5 drivers who should attempt the Memorial Day Double

Ed Carpenter

Ed Carpenter, 37, is not a full-time IndyCar driver, but there is a reason for that. After competing full-time in IndyCar from the 2004 season through the 2009 season and then in the 2012 season and the 2013 season as the series lone car owner and driver, Carpenter decided to drive in the oval races only.

As a result, he has not driven in a road or street course race since the second race of the Houston doubleheader in the 2013 season. At first, this move looked like it would pay off. He took the pole position for his first race in this new role, the 2014 Indianapolis 500, and he was in contention for the race win until he wrecked late.

In his next race at Texas, he won his third career IndyCar race, and he went on to rack up three top 10 finishes, including two top five finishes and one podium finish, in his final four races of the 2014 season.

However, in the 18 races since the 2014 season ended, he has finished in the top 10 just four times, and he has not finished a single race inside the top five. While this has caused many to wonder if he still has what it takes to compete at a high level in IndyCar, it may not be that big of a deal if he decided to drive in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 to attempt the Memorial Day Double.

Carpenter’s decision to focus solely on oval races following the 2013 season meant and means that he no longer has to worry about driving in road and street courses whatsoever. As a result, he would be well-prepared for what would be his first career NASCAR race.

When NASCAR drivers such as Kurt Busch and now Danica Patrick came and returned, respectively, to Indianapolis for the Indy 500, the concept of them being well-prepared for the race as a result of their extensive experience on oval tracks in NASCAR was tossed around a lot.

For Busch, it was accurate. For Patrick, who is set to drive in this year’s Indy 500 for Ed Carpenter Racing, it very well might be as well, although that will be hard to judge seeing as how she finished in the top 10 six times in seven Indy 500 starts before she left IndyCar for NASCAR to begin with.

This concept could potentially work the other way around if Carpenter were to become the first part-time or full-time IndyCar driver to attempt the Memorial Day Double during his IndyCar career. His focus on oval races and oval races only would certainly not hurt him in what would be his first career NASCAR race on the four-turn, 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway quad oval.