This second installment in the 2005 IRL season countdown reflects back on Red Bull Cheever and their Canadian driver, Patrick Carpentier who made a deserved top 10. source: paddocktalk.com 2005 was always going to be a tough year for Patrick Carpentier. After reaching dizzying heights throughout his Champ Car career, a move to the IRL was going to be difficult. The move was made even more challenging by signing with the Cheever team which had struggled over previous seasons. Since Carpentier had finished third in the 2004 Champ Car season, he might have expected to do well in his first season in the IRL IndyCar series. But any hopes of challenging for the title were dashed in the opening rounds of the 2005 Championship by dominance. Dominance in the form of Dan Wheldon, Andretti-Green Racing and Honda. This combination ensured that Carpentier's Toyota powered entry would be fighting in the mid-field, and scratching for every place and point he could get. Carpentier was undeterred and fought to three top-ten finishes in the first three races. But, the races that would follow proved to be even harder. In Japan, the Canadian finished 13th, and his return to U.S. soil would not be pretty. The driver of the number 83 car was starting to show signs of frustration. In one interview before Indy, Carpentier alluded to his frustration and shortly thereafter rumors were rife surrounding his 2005 campaign. Many observers believed that Carpentier would quit Cheever Racing after the Indianapolis 500. The difficult month of May did nothing but make these rumors stronger. No amount of reassuring statements could calm them down.
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