The 2007 season promises to be an exciting one for both Charles Carpenter and Pat Doherty.

 

Charles Carpenter Racing and Doherty Motorsports are back and ready to field Pro Modified’s only two-car Shoebox Chevy team. Carpenter, widely regarded as the “Father of Pro Mod”, will team up once again with New England excavator Pat Doherty in his menacing 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

 

“I think 2007 has the potential to be our best season to date,” said Carpenter. “Both cars will be starting the season with the best equipment we have ever had, and the ADRL is shaping up to become the place to be for Pro Mod this season.”

 

Carpenter and Doherty will do battle against the country’s best nitrous-assisted Pro Mods in the emerging Flowmaster American Drag Racing League’s Pro Nitrous division. The ADRL, with its top-notch venues and TV package, promises to be the best way to catch Pro Modified action in 2007 and beyond.

 

The ADRL’s no-rules format will provide the toughest competition around, but the CCR/Doherty Motorsports team will be well equipped, with both cars fielding brand new Gene Fulton-built 750+ cubic inch powerplants. “We made tremendous gains in performance in 2006, most notably toward the end of the season,” stated Carpenter. “We are looking forward to continually building on that performance as we enter ‘07, especially with the added data two cars can deliver.”

 

“Watching from the sidelines last year was tough for my team and I,” said Doherty. “We are really looking forward to getting back out there and racing with Charles again.”

 

Doherty will be re-joined by longtime crew chief Paul Albino, and for the first time he will have his son Kyle as a crewmember. “I have always admired the way Charles and his son work together on and off the track, so having my own son out there with me will only make this whole deal more special,” Doherty added.

 

The partnership between Carpenter and Doherty isn’t a new one. The duo first teamed up in 2003, and continued the relationship through 2005. When Doherty’s booming excavation business expanded to include home building, in order to ensure its success Doherty had to make the tough decision to sit the 2006 season out. His Mark Markow-built '57 Chevy has been stored in Carpenter’s Charlotte, NC shop in race-ready condition for more than a year, awaiting Doherty’s return.

 

Doherty’s venture into home building was a unique opportunity. The homes he builds are “green homes”, constructed with indoor air quality and energy efficiency as the top priorities. More information on these homes can be found at Innovative Realty’s website, http://www.innovativerlty.com/badgerhill.htm or by e-mailing Doherty directly at promod314@aol.com.

 

On Carpenter’s side, he will have his son and right-hand man Mike Carpenter back at the crew chief position for a fourth consecutive season.

 

A highly anticipated addition to the team this season will be Kelly Bluebaugh, crew chief for WFO MotorSport and 2006 PSCA Pro Street Champion Steve Paulauskis. Bluebaugh, a longtime friend of Carpenter’s, will fly in from Phoenix, AZ and bring with him his all-around mechanical experience. Carpenter is excited about Bluebaugh’s involvement: “My son and I are usually the extent of our crew. While we take pride in being able to do everything ourselves, having the extra help and knowledge Kelly brings to the table is going to be great.”

 

Another major change for Charles Carpenter Racing this season will be the absence of the “big E”, as it was affectionately known, on the door of Carpenter’s World’s Fastest ’55 Chevy. Longtime sponsor Embee Performance has elected not to return with the team in 2007, opening the door to new marketing opportunities for Carpenter and his partners entering a season brimming with potential.

 

After preseason testing, the legendary Carpenter will make his debut February 16-18 at the ADRL’s season-opening 3rd Annual Speedtech Winter Drags in Montgomery, Alabama. Doherty is scheduled to make his much anticipated return to competition at the 2nd Annual Fatheadz.com Gateway Drags in St. Louis, MO.

 

“To sum it all up, we can’t wait to get started,” said Carpenter. “Since my return to full-time competition in 2002, I haven’t felt as good about a season’s potential as I do about this one.”