Karam responds to Carpenter's criticism : 'I wouldn't change a thing'
INDIANAPOLIS -- When Sage Karam won the 2013 Indy Lights championship as a high school senior, he was considered a potential star driver from the United States who could one day make it in the Verizon IndyCar Series. He started 31st and finished ninth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 as he continued his search for a full-time opportunity in IndyCar.
His rookie season in 2015 has been rocky to say the least and he has made quite an impression as some drivers criticize his overly aggressive driving, especially Ed Carpenter, who confronted Karam on pit lane after his third-place finish. Carpenter was racing Karam for the position and believed the 20-year old driver was pushing him out of the groove and into the wall in the closing laps. Carpenter was forced to back off and Karam went on to score the first podium of his career, his second top-five finish in the last three races.
"He was just a little angry I guess with my driving," Karam said of Carpenter on Wednesday. "He pretty much just came up to me and just said I needed more respect, that I needed to grow up. He was just yelling at me and stuff.
"At the time I really wasn't having any of it. I was just a little too tired to be going back at him. I was also just pretty happy that I just got my first career podium. I wasn't really looking to go back at him.
"I figured if I did go back at him, it probably would have escalated to another level. I was chilling out, sitting there, taking in what he was saying."
For a driver that some have called extremely immature, Karam showed remarkable maturity by letting Carpenter vent without retaliating and turning it into a pit-lane brawl.
The IndyCar Series needs a villain and some believe Karam would be perfect for that role. But the controversial youngster doesn't believe it's an accurate portrayal of his personality or a description of his racing.
"I don't think I'm like a villain," Karam said. "The only thing I do is I just drive hard. I drive like a rookie I guess you could say. I drive out there like I got something to prove, because I do have something to prove. I take risks. I take every risk as a calculated risk. But I think to be the best in the sport nowadays, it's going to be the drivers who can take the risks, successfully take those risks.
"You look at the greats back in the day and stuff; they never really had a lot of friends. They've always been the ones that have taken the most risks. I think that's what I'm going to do and that's what I'm going to continue to do."
When asked if Karam would have raced Carpenter differently after watching the race and how it transpired in a thrilling finish that was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay, Karam was definitive in his response.
"In my mind, if I were to go do the race over again, I wouldn't change a thing," he said. "I think I just raced him hard. I gave him room. It's 20 laps to go in the race. I raced him like it was 20 laps to go in the race. If I did that the first 20 laps of the race, then I could see why he'd be mad.
"That's just protocol. Like I said, if I were to go do it again, I'd do the same thing."
Karam's mentor has been former IndyCar Series driver Dario Franchitti, who won four series championships and three Indianapolis 500s. Franchitti remains with Chip Ganassi Racing since he was forced into retirement after a serious crash at Houston in 2013 and has helped work with Karam through the good and the bad.
"Dario watched the replay of me and Ed those last few laps we were battling. He said he thinks I did nothing wrong," Karam said. "He's the guy who will tell me if I do something wrong. He'll be the first guy to tell me that. He's not scared to be that guy to tell me if I'm driving bad or if I need to be doing something differently.
"I haven't pleased Dario a lot this season, but there's been a select few times. He said Iowa was probably the most pleased he's been with me. About the whole Ed Carpenter situation, he just thinks that's hard racing and I shouldn't have done anything different."
Karam revealed that he offered Carpenter a chance to talk about the incident on the IndyCar Charter flight back from Iowa late Saturday night, but Carpenter returned with a less-than-complimentary response.
"I spoke to Ed Carpenter briefly after the race on the plane," Karam said. "We had open seating. He was walking on. I had an open seat next to me. He saw me, I saw him. He pretty much said he's still mad at me. I said, 'Well, you can sit next to me. I have an open seat here, we can talk about it.' He said, 'No, I have three kids I got to go take care of in the back, I don't need to take care of a fourth.'
"Instead of sitting with me, he sat with the rest of my crew. I don't know if that was smart of him to do. That's the only communication I've had with Ed, and I haven't talked to Graham Rahal (another driver that voiced displeasure over Karam's driving ability)."
In many ways, the confrontation has been good for the sport. It has generated interest in the IndyCar Series, which has enjoyed an increase in television ratings since the thrilling MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. on June 27.
That sports fans are still talking about the Iowa Corn 300 four days after the race was over is another indication of increased awareness.
"I think it's good for the series, too," Karam said. "Anytime you can get people talking about the race, it's 72 hours after the race, I think that's good for everyone. That's my job. It's my job to go out there and do my absolute best and try to help the series grow; help my brand grow. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. I'm just going out there, having fun, and I'm racing hard.
"Ed came up and talked to me, which I liked. I think that's good. That's good for the series. That's what we need. We need some drama. But I don't think anything was wrong. I don't think I drove wrong. I don't think the way he came at me was wrong and I don't think the way I handled it was wrong.
"Just a small confrontation and we're on to the next one."
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