As a youngster growing up near Charlotte, NC, Charles Carpenter watched his brother Bobby race a 1955 Chevy at local, off-the-beaten-path dragstrips. When Bobby decided to quit racing in 1973, the then 14-year-old Charles soon convinced his big bro to turn over the keys—and a legend was born.
In the 34 years since, Carpenter has never owned or raced anything but a ’55 Shoebox, first as an IHRA class racer, then in match races and Top Sportsman and Pro Mod action at countless tracks everywhere. His current double-nickel entry features a chassis originally put together by Tommy Mauney in 1997, with a Gene Fulton-built 738 cubic incher boosted by four stages of nitrous
injection and backed up by a Lenco four-speed transmission.
One of the pioneers of nitrous-oxide-assisted horsepower and considered by many to be “The
Father of Pro Modified,” Carpenter now competes with the American Drag Racing League
(ADRL) in its hyper-competitive eighth-mile Pro Nitrous class, with wins this year at the
season opener in Houston and in August at Norwalk, OH.
Carpenter, who now lives in Harrisburg, NC, with his wife Terry, son/crew chief Michael, 24,
and daughter Katie, 21, recently sat down with MaxChevy to discuss his storied racing career.