The rumors that followed Patrick Carpentier into town for his first Indianapolis 500 proved to be only partially true. Yes, he is frustrated by his results (average finish of ninth) four races into his first Indy Racing League season, No, he isn't frustrated enough to consider bailing on his Cheever Racing team. Carpentier was his usual smiling and happy-go-lucky self Monday as he relaxed in the Cheever Racing garage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a day after breezing through rookie orientation. Upon his arrival at the track Sunday, he was faced with queries from his team about news reports out of his native Canada that had him ready to leave if the team's struggles continued through the Indy 500. "I never said I would quit after Indy," Carpentier said. "What I said was, I hope we improve and get through Indy well. But I'm not going to leave in the middle of the season." According to Carpentier, he had confided his frustrations to a friend, who then called a Canadian reporter. The resulting story left Carpentier disappointed in his friend and stuck with explaining comments that while accurate he insists were blown out of proportion. "I'm committed here; I want to make that clear," said Carpentier, who spent the past eight years in Champ Car, winning five races. "I'll just have to be more careful next time. Nobody likes to run at the back. That's all I was trying to say." Owner Eddie Cheever said he might have rankled Carpentier with suggestions for improvement but conceded the driver hasn't been the problem. "I have absolutely no issues with Patrick. The cars have not been what they should be," Cheever said. "He's with a new team. It's just going to take a while for us to understand him and for him to understand us."
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