Carpenter looking to end 2008 and start 2009 on a high note

Charles Carpenter will head to Texas Motorplex for this year’s ADRL LenMar World Finals with a different agenda on his mind than he did in 2007. Last year, Carpenter was solidly in the field for the Battle for the Belts championship playoff. This year, he just missed the cut for the Battle, but that won’t change his excitement for 2008’s final race.

“All things considered, we’ve had a great season,” said Carpenter. “To come out with a brand new car and run like we have is something we’re proud of. We didn’t win any races, but we got to some final rounds and set new personal bests in elapsed time and speed. We hope to lower those numbers even more this weekend.” Carpenter looking to end 2008 and start 2009 on a high note

Charles Carpenter will head to Texas Motorplex for this year’s ADRL LenMar World Finals with a different agenda on his mind than he did in 2007. Last year, Carpenter was solidly in the field for the Battle for the Belts championship playoff. This year, he just missed the cut for the Battle, but that won’t change his excitement for 2008’s final race.

“All things considered, we’ve had a great season,” said Carpenter. “To come out with a brand new car and run like we have is something we’re proud of. We didn’t win any races, but we got to some final rounds and set new personal bests in elapsed time and speed. We hope to lower those numbers even more this weekend.”

Conditions should be favorable for Carpenter to do just that.

“Texas Motorplex is a tight track, and the weather forecast is calling for cool temperatures. We have been struggling with getting the car down the track when these optimal conditions hit, but we hope to have found the problem in recent testing with Paul Albino and Total Induction Tuning Solutions,” said the 35-year racing veteran. “We can run stellar numbers during the day, but at night we struggle. If we can change that, we have the capability to dip well into the 3-second zone and go some rounds. We have to get a good start for next year.”

While he is still on the hunt for the necessary primary sponsorship funding to race at all in 2009, Carpenter made the long haul to Dallas from Charlotte, NC with help from longtime friend and sponsor, Buddy Johnson. Johnson, from nearby Bryan/College Station, TX, is the owner of Buddy’s Automotive Concepts, a name that has been on Carpenter’s ’55 Chevys for well over a decade. Buddy’s Automotive Concepts is one of the largest and most successful preowned car dealerships in central Texas.

“Buddy has been with us for a long time in an associate sponsorship role, but just as he did last year, has stepped up with a one-race primary sponsorship for the World Finals,” Carpenter explained. “We are proud to display BuddysCars.com on the side of the car again this year, and hope the added exposure is beneficial for everyone involved.”

BuddysCars.com is a complete preowned automotive website, featuring everything from information and photos of every car in the Buddy’s Automotive Concepts inventory to links for quick quotes and pre-approval for financing.

“This should be a great race,” added Carpenter. “We have a lot of exciting things happening to wrap-up 2008, but luckily some things never change, like the support of Pat Doherty and Doherty Motorsports, Custom Autosound, Total Induction Tuning Solutions, WFO Racing, Goodridge Hose and Fittings, and last but not least, Buddy’s Automotive Concepts.”