INDIANAPOLIS -- Hes the hometown hope, the Butler University alum and die-hard Indiana Pacers fan who has put his modest, one-car program on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 ahead of powerhouse programs from Penske Racing and Andretti Autosport. Theres more, though, and it runs as deep as blood. The unflappable Ed Carpenter is also the stepson of series founder Tony George. That means his family tree has roots tracing all the way back to Tony Hulman, who bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway after World War II, and includes Mari Hulman George, who still serves as speedway chairman and on Sunday will proclaim once more, "Gentleman, start your engines!" So to say that much of Carpenters life has been lived in Gasoline Alley, where he spent his formative years, is about as fitting for him as the maxim that "haste makes waste." It also means that the Carpenter is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I started racing quarter midgets when I was 8 years old, and at that point, I was already part of the Hulman family. Thats the way its always been for me," said the 32-year-old Carpenter, whose quiet voice and disarming smile belie a fierce competitive streak. "I dont feel the pressure," he insisted moments later, as if driving home the point. "As far as the local fan base and support, its fun. I dont think that translates into pressure." Perhaps its not that Carpenter feels pressure, but that he no longer recognizes it. Hell be making his 10th start in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," but his first from the pole. And while peering eyes have been trained on him most of his life, Carpenter insists that the pressure he endures on a daily basis has never managed to overwhelm him. "I dont like to say it means more to me because Im from here," Carpenter said, "but it does mean a lot because of how much I love this place." His first memories of Indianapolis go back to 1991, when he sat in the balcony overlooking the track and watched Rick Mears qualify for the pole. Even then, Carpenter knew that he wanted to one day drive over the hallowed ground that has been in his family for decades. He proved at a young age that he could find victory lane, too, winning national championships in midgets and sprint cars. He graduated to Indy Lights and made his IndyCar debut in 2003, when he was hailed as part of the next wave of young American drivers who might someday wrestle the series back from a surge of foreign stars such as Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. But things got sidetracked along the way, as they often do in racing, and Carpenter became an after-thought. He started to bounce around to different teams, trying to find magic once more. It wasnt until 2011, when he hooked up with Sarah Fisher Racing, that he won his first IndyCar race. And last year, after founding his own team, he surprised everyone but himself when he took the checked flag at the series finale at California. "Hes really a talent, and hes been developing for a long time, and hes become a special driver," said veteran Buddy Lazier, who also has a single-car team for this years Indy 500. "Its a huge inspiration," Lazier added. "Absolutely." That success would eventually come to Carpenter didnt come as a surprise to those closest to him. Time after time, they point out that he never gets too high or low -- that he keeps an even keel in the roughest of waters, and remains grounded during the best of times. "We all look at sports and talk about sports like its the end-all, be-all, right? But when youre in it, you realize theres a lot more to life," said Butler basketball coach Brad Stevens, whos known Carpenter for about six years. "I think hes got a great perspective on it." It was that perspective that stood out to former Masters and U.S. Open champion Fuzzy Zoeller, whose spirits company sponsors the No. 20 car that Carpenter will be driving on Sunday. "He doesnt run hot and cold, like 90 per cent of athletes do. Hes very, very calm," Zoeller said. "He doesnt get too fired up, he doesnt get too down, and thats very impressive. "Its a difficult thing," Zoeller added, "because they only have one car. But hey, dreams are made, right? You have to start with something." While he insists that pressure seems to run from his shoulders like water, Carpenter admits that hell be anxious when Sunday dawns. Hes not immune to the pageantry of the Indianapolis 500, the fly over and Jim Nabors and everything else that makes it such an iconic event. This is in his blood, after all. Its part of his very fabric. Nor does he know what his emotions will be like when the green flag drops, and he leads the field of 33 cars into the first corner with nothing in front of him but pavement. But its a moment that he intends to relish. "I mean, if someone out there tells you they dont get butterflies or dont get antsy, theyre flat-out liars," Carpenter said with a smile. "Theres no way people dont walk out from driver intros and see the crowd and dont feel that. I get goose bumps just thinking about it." Mikkel Boedker Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Joe Pavelski Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. 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WASHINGTON -- A season that was going nowhere for the New York Islanders is suddenly looking less dire, thanks the teams first three-game winning streak.Shane Prince, Brock Nelson and Jason Chimera produced three goals in less than 4 1/2 minutes of the third period Thursday, and Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves, helping the Islanders beat Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 3-0 one night after a victory over Sidney Crosby and the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.If you look at all the bad bounces and late games that we kind of blew, we could have a great record right now. Its unfortunate. Its just how our seasons went, said Prince, who broke a scoreless tie at the 16:45 mark of the final period after Casey Cizikas stole the puck from Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov.To be able to string three in a row together, especially the back-to-back against two of the best teams in the league, Prince continued, its huge for us and weve got to build off it and keep it going.New York entered with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, including just one victory in eight road games.Obviously, theres still things that need to be cleaned up, Halak said, but I think we are heading in the right direction right now.Not only did he not dress for the Islanders 5-3 home win against the Penguins on Wednesday, he didnt even watch the third period, during which New York went from 3-0 ahead to tied, before pulling it out.I was trying to get a good sleep, Halak said.Hey, whatever works.He also joked that his best save Thursday came when Ovechkin put a shot off the post during a third-period power play -- part of an 0-for-6 showing for Washington with an extra man. The Capitals once-vaunted power play is 0 for 10 over the teams past two games, both losses.Whether theyre getting blocked or going over the net or wide -- sometimes, I think, when you dont have the results youre looking for, and youre used to having good success, which this grooup is, maybe you start trying to pick the corner a little bit too much rather than shooting for the second opportunity, Washingtons Matt Niskanen said.ddddddddddddYouve got to shoot it better or youve got to be at the net better or something, he said, because right now, were not getting it done.Ovechkin entered the final period with twice as many penalties called against him (two) as shots on goal (one) for the evening, and remained stuck on 199 career power-play goals.At the other end, Orlov acknowledged, I did two bad mistakes and it cost (us) the game.After his blunder led to the games opening goal, Orlov lost the puck in his own end, leading to Nelsons goal off a rebound of John Tavares shot. Exactly a minute later, former Capitals winger Chimera finished the flurry with his second goal in two games after having only one in the seasons first 21 games.We werent getting results. ... We put ourselves behind an 8-ball, Chimera said. But we saw some positive things.Game notes An apparent power-play goal by Washingtons Justin Williams at the end of the first period was disallowed when a replay showed the puck was still crossing the goal line when the clock hit 0.0. ... Capitals 2014 first-round draft pick Jakub Vrana made his NHL debut, skating on the second line and nearly scoring on his very first shift. Everything happened so quick, he said. ... It was Halaks first shutout of the season and 40th in the NHL. He led eighth-seeded Montreal to an upset of Presidents Trophy-winning Washington in the 2010 playoffs, and briefly played for the Capitals in 2014. ... Capitals F T.J. Oshie missed his fifth consecutive game with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTIslanders: Host the Red Wings on Sunday.Capitals: Visit the Lightning on Saturday.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '