INDYCAR: Carpenter makes his own way

Scott Dixon's earned the "Iceman" moniker, but there's no denying Ed Carpenter is his equal in steely resolve.

The 35-year-old owner of Ed Carpenter Racing sat down for Season 2 of Ryan Eversley and Sean Heckman's "Dinner With Racers" in November, and credited stepfather Tony George's approach to criticism as a model he followed with his own highly scrutinized career in racing.

"When I first started, I was just out driving," said Carpenter, who grew up playing baseball and was introduced (along with his brother) to quarter midget racing by George when George married his mother and the family moved from Illinois to Indiana. "I don't remember feeling any [pressure] to be honest. As I got a little older, I didn't really feel like there was pressure to perform to a certain level at a young age.

"As I got a little older, especially starting moving up, then you get, 'well you're only here because of who you are.' That's where I think I was able to learn and be taught to not let stuff like that bother me too much. I grew up in an era where Tony brought the Brickyard 400 to the Speedway, and that came with all sorts of negative comments – positive comments, too – and then with the formation of the IRL, and all the way through reunification and everything else."

Carpenter said at his young age, he didn't fully know the magnitude of his stepdad's role as president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company. But as he got older and critics became more vocal, he saw the blueprint for forging ahead with his own career.

"I grew up in an area and in a house where, in the Indianapolis Star and other things that I was old enough to read at the point, and not-so-flattering things being said about my dad on a sometimes daily if not weekly basis," Carpenter said. "And I saw how Tony reacted, or for better description didn't react; he stood firm in his convictions and the beliefs and vision he had for what he wanted to do. That's what good leaders do; you gotta tune out all the noise ... everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Watching how Tony handled that when I was growing up I think really helped prepare me to deal with things people were going to say about me.

"And then you stick around long enough, and do enough things, make your own way, earn your own spot. And I feel good about where I am and where I came from."

With Ed Carpenter Racing now firmly established, Carpenter went through the "interesting experience" of fielding calls and emails from driving suitors, as his hope to keep Josef Newgarden turned into the Plan B of life without the highly sought-after young gun.

"We had hoped Josef was going to stay ... can't say I was totally surprised with him moving over to Team Penske.

"It's an important decision for us. We knew where we were headed with Josef and the direction we were going on. If he would have stayed our intentions for him were to be a career guy with us. I would have loved for him to have had a Scott Dixon or Helio-like career at our team. But now that that's not happening, I want to make sure we make not only a good choice for the short term, but for the long term of the team."

Despite Newgarden's departure, the kid Carpenter considers like a little brother is among his closest friends.

"Despite him not picking me and spurning me," he deadpanned, "we're still really good friends. We train together, so he's probably the person I'm closest to because we've spent so much time together."