Carpentier back in the #26 at Atlanta

When Patrick Carpentier climbed into the #26 Latitude 43 Motorsports Ford on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway the bar wasn't set very high. In fact veteran crew chief Frankie Stoddard said all the team wanted out of the 39-year-old Canadian pilot was a finish in the Top 35 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Carfax 400. Carpentier finished 29th. For Carpentier it was a tough welcome back to NASCAR Sprint Cup oval racing in the heat of August. With high track temperatures all afternoon at MIS he said it was a physical challenge. "My neck is sore, my bum is sore and my arms are sore," he said when he got out of the car at the end of the race. "I forgot just how hard these (Sprint Cup) cars are to drive and how you have to battle every lap." The chemistry between Carpentier and the team was so good in fact, that there is a possibility that the Canadian could resume a full-time Sprint Cup ride in the #26 Ford. "We have had discussions," he said. "For sure I will race in Atlanta next month. But for me it I was very impressed with how these guys operate." Stoddard said that the team has had its eye on Carpentier since last season when he was driving the #10 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports. More at Toronto Star