Racing around the Sunshine State

I’m back in Indy after a week-long stint in Florida. Nothing like a little sunshine, racing and time in front of a camera to get you excited for the season to start!

2012 No. 83 Novo Nordisk car

The first stop on my tour of Florida was Orlando where I did some pre-season photo shoots and b-roll for my sponsor Novo Nordisk for their 2012 media and marketing activation. I can’t say too much yet, but I’m stoked about everything they have planned for this year! In case you aren’t following me on Twitter (and why aren’t you?! @CharlieKimball), you can see a sneak peek of the new paint scheme in the photo to the left.

There was some rain in the forecast, so our schedule was changed up a bit to make sure we got the on-track shots in the sunshine. All in all, everything went really well and I think everyone involved is pleased with the results. I can’t wait to share the final product with you guys… stay tuned!

After we wrapped up in Orlando, I was off to Daytona to cheer on the Chip Ganassi Racing drivers at the 24 Hour race. I had a ton of fun hanging out on the pit stand with my engineer Brad. I was lucky enough to wear a headset and hear what was happening over the radio—the spotters, drivers and crew members. It was awesome to listen in during the race, especially when the car was on pit lane for fueling and driver changes. I was most impressed with the crew… the fuel stints are 40 minutes apart at most so they hardly get any sleep over the 24 hour race, all while staying on their toes and keeping the car in good condition. True professionals!

Congrats to Justin Wilson for the win… it’s always great to have an IndyCar driver represented on the podium!

As you can tell, things are definitely starting to ramp up. I’ll have a few more tests this month and then before we know it, the season will start in St. Pete. 51 days and counting!