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| Visit IndyCar.com for more info! |
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
INDYCAR 36 Premieres Saturday!
If you saw me walking around the paddock at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, you may have noticed a camera crew following a few steps behind me. This weekend you'll see what they were up to on the 2013 premiere of "INDYCAR 36!" Tune in to NBC Sports Network on Saturday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. as the show goes behind-the-scenes of an IndyCar race weekend. Click here for more information.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Live from Trackside - Grand Prix of Long Beach
Sunday, April 21
5:15 p.m.
It was a little disappointing result but there were a lot of positives. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen team did a great job in pit lane. We ran up front. We had the speed and the pace to run consistently up front. We’re looking forward to taking what we learned this weekend to the Texas test and Brazil. We have a good pit lane position from qualifying for Brazil. From here, we’ll go back to qualifying consistently and staying up front.
8:00 a.m.
It's race day! It's a foggy morning here in Long Beach, but hopefully it will lift before morning warm-up at 9. Feeling good today... I think the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will be fast, and with starting in the top-10, we have a good opportunity to move up the field with a few strategic moves here and there.
Congrats to my Ganassi teammates Scott and Memo, and the No. 01 team on their GRAND-AM win at Road Atlanta yesterday! Well done.
Make sure you're following me on Twitter @racewithinsulin today for updates during the race from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR). Tune in to the Grand Prix of Long Beach at 1 p.m. (PT) on NBCSN! Thanks for the support!
Saturday, April 20
5:30 p.m.
Phew, long day! The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew worked super hard last night and I think it started to show this morning in practice. Thanks to them for all of their work, as always.
Overall, it was a pretty good day for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car. It was nice to bounce back today after shaking off some of yesterday’s difficulties. We had a couple of good sessions and finished in the top-10 both times. We have the car for it and it was good to show results. It was a really good way to pay the guys back after working late last night. It’s great to start ninth. We have a really consistent car and we'll be able to work our way up from there.
After qualifying, I went over to the IndyCar Fan Village and met some fans at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel. I even had a special visitor--my grandmother! Always nice to see family when I'm racing here in California.
I'm finishing up some engineering meetings, then headed to dinner with some family and friends. Be sure to tune in to the Grand Prix of Long Beach tomorrow at 1 p.m. Pacific on NBCSN!
9:00 a.m.
It's a beautiful morning here in Long Beach! I just had breakfast and walked over to the track. On the agenda today: morning practice and afternoon qualifying! We had some mechanical issues yesterday, but the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will be ready to go today.
Tune-in! You can find live timing and scoring for qualifying (2 p.m. PT) here, or you can watch on NBCSN at 3 p.m. PT.
If you're here at the track, be sure to come see me at the NovoLog FlexPen Tunnel (in the Lifestyle Expo) at 3:45 p.m.!
Friday, April 19
5:15 p.m.
Just finished up the autograph session here in the paddock. Long Beach always brings out a great crowd!
As far as practice this afternoon, it wasn’t an ideal start to the weekend. I think we have a pretty good car but we just have a couple mechanical things to look at. We have some things to change and try in the morning in set-up. We’ll be alright come tomorrow. We know what we need to fix.
For now, I'm spending some time at the transporter with the engineering team before dinner with some friends and family here in town.
12:25 p.m.
Not a bad first practice session. We didn't spend a lot of time on track, so we're not yet ready to gauge our times or speeds with others. Looking forward to going back out at 2:30!
10:00 a.m.
Good morning! I had a relaxing dinner last night and got some good sleep ahead of this race weekend. I just finished up a TV interview and a quick piece for INDYCAR 36. On track soon!
In case you missed it, check out this AP piece on my Dodgers experience earlier this week!
Thursday, April 18
1:30 p.m.
Just finished up with my live chat with the Long Beach Press Telegram. If you missed it, you can check out the full transcript here! My friend Charlie (who I met last year here at the race) even jumped on to ask a question! Hope to see you again soon, Charlie!
I'm headed over to get some lunch, then I'll be walking the track around 2. Taking it easy tonight and getting some rest before the on-track sessions start tomorrow. Looking forward to getting the No. 83 car on track here in Long Beach!
10 a.m.
It's not every day you get to realize one of your dreams. I was lucky enough to check one thing off of my bucket list in 2011... racing in the Indianapolis 500. Yesterday I had the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Dodgers game, and I am still speechless. There are just no words to explain how cool that was for me. In case you didn't know, I'm a huge Dodgers fan (understatement, perhaps) so I was stoked not only to be there for batting practice but also be on the field and throw the first pitch. Thanks to everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing and the Dodgers for making it happen!
I'll talk more about that later, but now I'm focused on this weekend: the Grand Prix of Long Beach! I'm really looking forward to the race here in Long Beach. It's always one of my favorite stops of the season--both because of the on-track competitiveness and because it's a race close to home for me. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team had a good weekend at Barber and we were fast at Long Beach last year. I think we know what we have to do to make a bit more progress with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car so we're on the podium this time around.
I'm hanging out before jumping on a live chat at noon, with the Long Beach Press Telegram. Want to join me? Click here to learn more!
Here's a quick race weekend run-down (all times Pacific). Live timing and scoring for all on-track sessions available here. Make sure you're following @racewithinsulin on Twitter, too!
Friday, April 19:
10:30-11:15 a.m. Practice
2:30-3:15 p.m. Practice
4-5 p.m. Autograph session (in the paddock)
Saturday, April 20:
10:40-11:25 a.m. Practice
2-3:10 p.m. Qualifying
3:45 p.m. NovoLog FlexPen Tunnel appearance (in INDYCAR Fan Village at the Lifestyle Expo)
Sunday, April 21:
9-9:30 a.m. Warm-up
1 p.m. Grand Prix of Long Beach (live on NBC Sports Network)
5:15 p.m.
It was a little disappointing result but there were a lot of positives. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen team did a great job in pit lane. We ran up front. We had the speed and the pace to run consistently up front. We’re looking forward to taking what we learned this weekend to the Texas test and Brazil. We have a good pit lane position from qualifying for Brazil. From here, we’ll go back to qualifying consistently and staying up front.
8:00 a.m.
It's race day! It's a foggy morning here in Long Beach, but hopefully it will lift before morning warm-up at 9. Feeling good today... I think the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will be fast, and with starting in the top-10, we have a good opportunity to move up the field with a few strategic moves here and there.
Congrats to my Ganassi teammates Scott and Memo, and the No. 01 team on their GRAND-AM win at Road Atlanta yesterday! Well done.
Make sure you're following me on Twitter @racewithinsulin today for updates during the race from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR). Tune in to the Grand Prix of Long Beach at 1 p.m. (PT) on NBCSN! Thanks for the support!
Saturday, April 20
5:30 p.m.
Phew, long day! The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew worked super hard last night and I think it started to show this morning in practice. Thanks to them for all of their work, as always.
Overall, it was a pretty good day for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car. It was nice to bounce back today after shaking off some of yesterday’s difficulties. We had a couple of good sessions and finished in the top-10 both times. We have the car for it and it was good to show results. It was a really good way to pay the guys back after working late last night. It’s great to start ninth. We have a really consistent car and we'll be able to work our way up from there.
 |
| Pre-qualifying |
 |
| Hanging with Grandee |
9:00 a.m.
It's a beautiful morning here in Long Beach! I just had breakfast and walked over to the track. On the agenda today: morning practice and afternoon qualifying! We had some mechanical issues yesterday, but the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will be ready to go today.
Tune-in! You can find live timing and scoring for qualifying (2 p.m. PT) here, or you can watch on NBCSN at 3 p.m. PT.
If you're here at the track, be sure to come see me at the NovoLog FlexPen Tunnel (in the Lifestyle Expo) at 3:45 p.m.!
Friday, April 19
5:15 p.m.
Just finished up the autograph session here in the paddock. Long Beach always brings out a great crowd!
As far as practice this afternoon, it wasn’t an ideal start to the weekend. I think we have a pretty good car but we just have a couple mechanical things to look at. We have some things to change and try in the morning in set-up. We’ll be alright come tomorrow. We know what we need to fix.
For now, I'm spending some time at the transporter with the engineering team before dinner with some friends and family here in town.
 |
| Afternoon practice. |
12:25 p.m.
Not a bad first practice session. We didn't spend a lot of time on track, so we're not yet ready to gauge our times or speeds with others. Looking forward to going back out at 2:30!
 |
| Via @CGRteams |
Good morning! I had a relaxing dinner last night and got some good sleep ahead of this race weekend. I just finished up a TV interview and a quick piece for INDYCAR 36. On track soon!
In case you missed it, check out this AP piece on my Dodgers experience earlier this week!
Thursday, April 18
1:30 p.m.
Just finished up with my live chat with the Long Beach Press Telegram. If you missed it, you can check out the full transcript here! My friend Charlie (who I met last year here at the race) even jumped on to ask a question! Hope to see you again soon, Charlie!
 |
| Live chatting with fans! |
10 a.m.
It's not every day you get to realize one of your dreams. I was lucky enough to check one thing off of my bucket list in 2011... racing in the Indianapolis 500. Yesterday I had the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Dodgers game, and I am still speechless. There are just no words to explain how cool that was for me. In case you didn't know, I'm a huge Dodgers fan (understatement, perhaps) so I was stoked not only to be there for batting practice but also be on the field and throw the first pitch. Thanks to everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing and the Dodgers for making it happen!
 |
| So cool! |
 |
| With Matt Kemp before my big moment. |
I'm hanging out before jumping on a live chat at noon, with the Long Beach Press Telegram. Want to join me? Click here to learn more!
Here's a quick race weekend run-down (all times Pacific). Live timing and scoring for all on-track sessions available here. Make sure you're following @racewithinsulin on Twitter, too!
Friday, April 19:
10:30-11:15 a.m. Practice
2:30-3:15 p.m. Practice
4-5 p.m. Autograph session (in the paddock)
Saturday, April 20:
10:40-11:25 a.m. Practice
2-3:10 p.m. Qualifying
3:45 p.m. NovoLog FlexPen Tunnel appearance (in INDYCAR Fan Village at the Lifestyle Expo)
Sunday, April 21:
9-9:30 a.m. Warm-up
1 p.m. Grand Prix of Long Beach (live on NBC Sports Network)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Chat with me on Thursday!
Have a question you've always wanted to ask an IZOD IndyCar Series driver? Want to know how I manage my diabetes while racing through the streets of Long Beach? Here's your chance. Thanks to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, I have the opportunity to chat with YOU this Thursday!
Click HERE to join my live chat on Thursday, April 18 at 12 p.m. Pacific. You can also send questions in advance via email to CharlieKimball@scribblelive.com.
Hope to chat with you soon!
Click HERE to join my live chat on Thursday, April 18 at 12 p.m. Pacific. You can also send questions in advance via email to CharlieKimball@scribblelive.com.
Hope to chat with you soon!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Live from Trackside - Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
Sunday, April 7
5:45 p.m.
The whole team did a great job this weekend, from the guys in the pits to the engineering staff working on race strategy. I just had to get it done on the race track. We started to see some real improvement at St. Petersburg, but didn’t really get the result we deserved. But it all came together for us today and it feels great. I'll have to talk to Novo Nordisk into letting me run the Race With Insulin paint-scheme all year! To have all the Chip Ganassi Racing Teams represent blue rims this weekend meant a lot. Jamie McMurray finished top-10 in Martinsville today and the GRAND-AM boys finished top-five yesterday. It’s been a great weekend for diabetes awareness and the whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew.
I'm just now heading out of the track to get some BBQ before taking a flight home tonight. Thanks for the support all weekend long! I appreciate it.
8:15 a.m.
Happy race day! I think it's going to be a good day for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. It's been a special weekend, both with on-track results and having the support for the Race With Insulin Unites initiative from the whole Chip Ganassi Racing organization. On that note, congrats to Steve (@Zabel311) for being named "Honorary Crew Chief" for the No. 1 Race With Insulin car, driven by my Ganassi teammate Jamie McMurray in today's NASCAR race. Good luck to Jamie and all of my Chip Ganassi Racing teammates running the blue circle wheels this weekend!
I also have some special guests from Axis Wake Research here this weekend, who I met while taking a tour of their factory late last year. They are taking a lap of Barber Motorsports Park this morning in the Honda Civic IndyCar Pace Cars, so they'll get a sense of what I'll be experiencing during the race later today.
I'm heading to chat with my engineers for a bit before the drivers meeting at 9:30. Check out warm-up at 11 a.m. Central at racecontrol.indycar.com!
Saturday, April 6
2:30 p.m.
It was a pretty good day for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team! We had a lot of traffic during the practice yesterday afternoon and this morning, and we didn't get the lap in that we wanted. But looking at the sectors, we knew the car was pretty good. In the first run, I got the gap where I needed to, got a good lap time in, and came in. I was a little surprised that the round of 12 wasn't tighter lap time-wise. To only have done a 67.2 lap time, I think the track got hotter. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was pretty good. We spent yesterday working mostly on race day setups. Come tomorrow, we have a bunch of tires on hand and we'll be in pretty good shape when the race starts.
After qualifying and the post-qualifying press conference, I headed out to the Fan Village to meet some fans at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel. We always have great support here in Barber, so thanks for coming out!
Tonight I'm headed to a dinner with local Honda dealers, and I'll get to bed early for the race tomorrow. If you're watching from home, tune in at 2 p.m. Central on NBCSN!
9:25 a.m.
Not a bad start for morning practice. We made a couple of adjustments so didn't get a lot of laps in, but I think we'll be ready for a good qualifying run later on.
7:00 a.m.
It's an early morning start for us today, with practice beginning at 8. A bit chilly but I know it'll warm up later today. I'm grabbing breakfast with my friends at Honda hospitality then a quick chat with my engineers before we head out on track.
Make sure you're following me on Twitter @racewithinsulin for more updates!
Friday, April 5
5:30 p.m.
We had a really good day. It was awesome to talk about the Race With Insulin Unites program with my teammates and show off the inverted color-scheme for this weekend as well as the blue wheels across the Ganassi cars. I think, overall, we were pretty good in practice. We had the fourth-quickest time this morning and then in practice two we got caught up with some yellows and some traffic. We have a couple of different directions with the car setup to go over tonight. I’ll think we’ll be in good shape when it comes time to qualify tomorrow morning.
I'm off to do a couple of interviews this evening before dinner. Join me in cheering on the entire Team Ganassi this weekend as we show off the blue wheels for diabetes awareness!
10:30 a.m.
The sun is trying to come out here this morning at Barber! I got here a couple of hours ago for an fun interview with Fox 6. Can you pick me out in this photo? Yes, Josef and I had a few props from the Honda H-Block and played a little joke on James.
I'm spending some time with my engineers this morning before a press conference with my Ganassi teammates and Novo Nordisk at noon.
If you get a chance, check out this piece from the Birmingham News!
Thursday, April 4
2:00 p.m.
Good news--the rain (mostly) let up for the track walk! It looks like we'll have better weather for the rest of the weekend, so we're in for a good race. Hopefully we'll be able to use what we learned in testing here at Barber last month and make even more progress.
If you haven't yet, check out this video below to learn more about the Race With Insulin Unites initiative. The whole Ganassi team has some cool stuff coming up this weekend that will showcase the program! Can't wait to see it all come together.
8:00 a.m.
I’m really looking forward to getting back to Barber Motorsports Park. We had a pretty successful open test there, made some improvements to the car, and found a good direction. Coming off St. Pete, we were encouraged by the pace and performance of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car and I know that the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is ready to take that momentum and build it into a really good result this weekend!
I'll have some guests here this weekend from Axis Wake, who won a trip to the race when I visited their factory in Tennessee last December. I hope they enjoy seeing an IndyCar race weekend from a behind-the-scenes view as much as I enjoyed taking a tour of their facility!
Heading into the track now to spend some time with my engineers before the track walk at noon. Here's a schedule of the IndyCar action this weekend. Make sure you're on my race updates e-mail list (sign up here) to get a tune-in reminder each weekend!
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
All times Central. Timing and scoring for all on-track sessions available here.
Friday, April 5:
12:45-1:45 p.m. Practice
3:45-4:30 p.m. Practice
Saturday, April 6:
8-8:30 a.m. Practice
10:25-11:35 a.m. Qualifying (on NBCSN at 4 p.m. CT)
12:15 p.m. Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the Red Diamond Fan Zone)
1-2 p.m. IndyCar driver autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
Sunday, April 7:
11-11:30 a.m. Warm-up
2 p.m. Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (live on NBCSN)
5:45 p.m.
The whole team did a great job this weekend, from the guys in the pits to the engineering staff working on race strategy. I just had to get it done on the race track. We started to see some real improvement at St. Petersburg, but didn’t really get the result we deserved. But it all came together for us today and it feels great. I'll have to talk to Novo Nordisk into letting me run the Race With Insulin paint-scheme all year! To have all the Chip Ganassi Racing Teams represent blue rims this weekend meant a lot. Jamie McMurray finished top-10 in Martinsville today and the GRAND-AM boys finished top-five yesterday. It’s been a great weekend for diabetes awareness and the whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew.
I'm just now heading out of the track to get some BBQ before taking a flight home tonight. Thanks for the support all weekend long! I appreciate it.
 |
| Pre-race on the grid. |
 |
| Post-race interviews |
Happy race day! I think it's going to be a good day for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. It's been a special weekend, both with on-track results and having the support for the Race With Insulin Unites initiative from the whole Chip Ganassi Racing organization. On that note, congrats to Steve (@Zabel311) for being named "Honorary Crew Chief" for the No. 1 Race With Insulin car, driven by my Ganassi teammate Jamie McMurray in today's NASCAR race. Good luck to Jamie and all of my Chip Ganassi Racing teammates running the blue circle wheels this weekend!
I also have some special guests from Axis Wake Research here this weekend, who I met while taking a tour of their factory late last year. They are taking a lap of Barber Motorsports Park this morning in the Honda Civic IndyCar Pace Cars, so they'll get a sense of what I'll be experiencing during the race later today.
I'm heading to chat with my engineers for a bit before the drivers meeting at 9:30. Check out warm-up at 11 a.m. Central at racecontrol.indycar.com!
 |
| No. 1 honorary crew chief! (via @EGRTeams) |
2:30 p.m.
It was a pretty good day for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team! We had a lot of traffic during the practice yesterday afternoon and this morning, and we didn't get the lap in that we wanted. But looking at the sectors, we knew the car was pretty good. In the first run, I got the gap where I needed to, got a good lap time in, and came in. I was a little surprised that the round of 12 wasn't tighter lap time-wise. To only have done a 67.2 lap time, I think the track got hotter. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was pretty good. We spent yesterday working mostly on race day setups. Come tomorrow, we have a bunch of tires on hand and we'll be in pretty good shape when the race starts.
After qualifying and the post-qualifying press conference, I headed out to the Fan Village to meet some fans at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel. We always have great support here in Barber, so thanks for coming out!
Tonight I'm headed to a dinner with local Honda dealers, and I'll get to bed early for the race tomorrow. If you're watching from home, tune in at 2 p.m. Central on NBCSN!
 |
| Pre-qualifying, via @CGRteams |
 |
| At the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel |
Not a bad start for morning practice. We made a couple of adjustments so didn't get a lot of laps in, but I think we'll be ready for a good qualifying run later on.
7:00 a.m.
It's an early morning start for us today, with practice beginning at 8. A bit chilly but I know it'll warm up later today. I'm grabbing breakfast with my friends at Honda hospitality then a quick chat with my engineers before we head out on track.
Make sure you're following me on Twitter @racewithinsulin for more updates!
Friday, April 5
5:30 p.m.
We had a really good day. It was awesome to talk about the Race With Insulin Unites program with my teammates and show off the inverted color-scheme for this weekend as well as the blue wheels across the Ganassi cars. I think, overall, we were pretty good in practice. We had the fourth-quickest time this morning and then in practice two we got caught up with some yellows and some traffic. We have a couple of different directions with the car setup to go over tonight. I’ll think we’ll be in good shape when it comes time to qualify tomorrow morning.
I'm off to do a couple of interviews this evening before dinner. Join me in cheering on the entire Team Ganassi this weekend as we show off the blue wheels for diabetes awareness!
 |
| Team Ganassi talking diabetes awareness |
 |
| Blue wheels looking good! |
 |
| Learn more at racewithinsulin.com! |
10:30 a.m.
The sun is trying to come out here this morning at Barber! I got here a couple of hours ago for an fun interview with Fox 6. Can you pick me out in this photo? Yes, Josef and I had a few props from the Honda H-Block and played a little joke on James.
 |
| What's wrong, James?! |
If you get a chance, check out this piece from the Birmingham News!
Thursday, April 4
2:00 p.m.
Good news--the rain (mostly) let up for the track walk! It looks like we'll have better weather for the rest of the weekend, so we're in for a good race. Hopefully we'll be able to use what we learned in testing here at Barber last month and make even more progress.
If you haven't yet, check out this video below to learn more about the Race With Insulin Unites initiative. The whole Ganassi team has some cool stuff coming up this weekend that will showcase the program! Can't wait to see it all come together.
8:00 a.m.
I’m really looking forward to getting back to Barber Motorsports Park. We had a pretty successful open test there, made some improvements to the car, and found a good direction. Coming off St. Pete, we were encouraged by the pace and performance of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car and I know that the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is ready to take that momentum and build it into a really good result this weekend!
I'll have some guests here this weekend from Axis Wake, who won a trip to the race when I visited their factory in Tennessee last December. I hope they enjoy seeing an IndyCar race weekend from a behind-the-scenes view as much as I enjoyed taking a tour of their facility!
Heading into the track now to spend some time with my engineers before the track walk at noon. Here's a schedule of the IndyCar action this weekend. Make sure you're on my race updates e-mail list (sign up here) to get a tune-in reminder each weekend!
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
All times Central. Timing and scoring for all on-track sessions available here.
Friday, April 5:
12:45-1:45 p.m. Practice
3:45-4:30 p.m. Practice
Saturday, April 6:
8-8:30 a.m. Practice
10:25-11:35 a.m. Qualifying (on NBCSN at 4 p.m. CT)
12:15 p.m. Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the Red Diamond Fan Zone)
1-2 p.m. IndyCar driver autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
Sunday, April 7:
11-11:30 a.m. Warm-up
2 p.m. Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (live on NBCSN)
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