Ed Carpenter

Only one individual in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES handles both the responsibility of driving the race car and owning his own team: Ed Carpenter. The last NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver to come up through the rough and tumble world of USAC, he moved up what is now known as INDY NXT in 2002. Three weeks after graduating from Butler University in 2003, Carpenter became a winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he took the checkered flag at the inaugural Freedom 100. Later that year, he made his Indy car debut at Chicagoland Speedway. Kentucky Speedway was the home of Carpenter’s early successes as he won his first pole position at the oval in 2010 and followed up with his first victory in the final race of the 2011 season.

A new team came to the grid in 2012, Ed Carpenter Racing. Carpenter’s eponymous team became victorious in its first season as he again won the season finale, this time with a last-lap pass at Auto Club Speedway. He solidified his status as a hometown favorite when he scored back-to-back pole positions for the Indianapolis 500 in 2013 and 2014. Beginning in 2014, Carpenter prioritized driving in the oval events and chose a specialist to take over his No. 20 for the road and street course events. The team won three races that year, including Carpenter’s victory at Texas Motor Speedway.

In 2018, Carpenter became only the 10th driver in the 100-plus year history of the Indianapolis 500 to win three or more pole positions. He led 65 laps, most of all drivers, before a runner-up finish. He earned his most recent Top 5 finish in the 500-mile classic in 2021 with a 5th place. During the 2023 season, he reached two career milestones by competing in his 20th Indianapolis 500 and making his 200th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start. By taking the green flag in the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Carpenter moved into the Top 10 most starts of all drivers to ever compete in the race – a number that currently stands at 800.

As his team enters its 14th season in 2025, Carpenter will focus his driving efforts exclusively on the Indianapolis 500. He will compete in ECR’s third entry alongside new teammate and Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi and second-year driver Christian Rasmussen.

Carpenter is a prominent figure in the Indianapolis community alongside his wife Heather, who has a successful real estate career of her own. The couple devote much of their time to their children, Makenna (17), Ryder (15) and Cruz (11), each of whom are talented athletes. Carpenter recently completed a long-time goal of earning his pilot certificate and often flies to race events in the plane he shares with fellow aviator Rossi.