Happy December, everyone! Since we are wrapping up the year and racing toward 2014 (pun intended!), I figured it's a good time to take a look back at the 2013 IndyCar season.
Firstly, I would be remiss if I didn't include the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January... as I often say, the racing drivers' motto might as well be, "Have helmet; will travel." I'm always happy to be inside a race car, and it was such a honor to race with the No. 01 team and drivers Scott, Memos, and Juan. And to win on my first Daytona outing? What an amazing experience!
As always, the IndyCar season really starts with prep during the off-season. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Team had about four test days at the track before St. Pete in March, but there were countless more hours at the shop and in the engineering office.
From the first lap out in March to our last in October, I'd have to say it was definitely a good season. Top-10 in points, 10 top-10 finishes, our first race win, a lot of other strong results (Pocono, Barber, Indy, Baltimore, Houston, Detroit, Sao Paulo), and improved qualifying sessions all contributed to a good season. What would have made it great? Probably a win at Fontana to close out the season top-eight in points. There will always be highs and lows during a race season, like coming down with a 24-hour bug the weekend of the Indy 500, then fighting back to finish ninth. Or crashing during practice at Mid-Ohio, then having the entire CGR team come together for a win. But all in all, I have no complaints and I think we were right where we wanted and needed to be in 2013.
Looking forward to the 2014 season, I know it's not going to be any easier than this year. I'm excited about the new engine package. It's going to be great to be a part of the Team Chevy program. We'll have our first test with a Chevy engine on Wednesday, and we've been working since the checkered flag at Fontana to make the most of our time away from the track. We want to be fighting for the championship from the green flag in St. Pete.
I have to thank the whole No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen team for their efforts year-round. It makes my job easier knowing I'm stepping into the best car possible, so I can get out there and race. Getting the win at Mid-Ohio was not only huge for me, but also for the team as it was the first win for a lot of the guys, too. It meant a lot to me to be part of that experience for them. I also have to thank my partners at Novo Nordisk for their support every day, both on and off the track, as well as my friends at Honda Performance Development. Sure, we'll be competitors next season but they've done so much for me over the years and I can't thank them enough.
Lastly, a big thanks to you: the fans! I appreciate your support, and I hope you've had as much watching as I've had racing this year. Onward and upward to 2014!
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.
Pre-race on the grid.
Post-race interviews
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!
No. 1 honorary crew chief! (via @EGRTeams)
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!
Pre-qualifying, via @CGRteams
At the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel
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!
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?!
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)
I just keep shaking my head and thinking, wow--did that really happen this weekend?! And of course, I keep checking the time on my new Rolex!
For the Ganassi group to be able get together with different cars, different drivers, all different walks of life and yet all from one team... We do our job in the car and in the pits, and to come away with a win is just overwhelming. Having Scott, Memos and Juan as teammates took a lot of pressure off my shoulders because I knew that I could settle in, and as long as I was smart and didn't make too many big mistakes and kept us in the race they'd put us in a position to win at the end. Overall what an incredible race! With about four hours to go, I looked up and thought, we have the whole Indy 500 left to run as far as time. It's hard on everybody--mechanics, team, drivers--but it's such an awesome event and such a great race, and just to be a part of it with these guys and learn from these guys was really special. I think it'll help me not only in this side with the roof but also without a roof later this year.
I have to thank Chip and the whole Ganassi Racing team for the opportunity to participate this weekend. A big congrats to CGR for their fifth Rolex 24 win, Scott for his record-tying fifth win at Daytona, and Memos and Juan for their third Rolex watches!
Now, it's time for me to put my focus back on the 2013 IndyCar season and work toward my first IndyCar win!
Is it September already? I feel like I’m finally coming up for air after being immersed since March, so now is a good time to reflect on the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season with the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team.
Pre-season testing at Sebring
Having the new DW12 put everyone on a level playing field in some senses. Throughout the many, many off-season tests, it was all about experimentation and finding out what works best, from the carbon brakes to the Honda engines and every little piece in between.
Coming into the season, we sat down and set some goals for the team and myself. I’m not a rookie any more, so it was important to use this year as a building period, using what we learned last season and improving on our weaknesses. Over the winter we set our sights on running inside the top-10 consistently with top-10 finishes. Looking back, I think we had our ups-and-downs, but overall I’m really pleased with the advancements we’ve made from last season.
The season started off on a high note at St. Pete with a ninth-place finish. At Long Beach, the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was really quick and we ran up front in the top-10, but unfortunately we had an issue late in the race so our results just didn’t show our hard work. Brazil was a high point for sure—the guys gave me a great car, and with good strategy and a clean track we were able to come out with a new career-best of eighth.
2012 Indy 500
The Indy 500 deserves its own paragraph because it’s just that awesome, right? The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team worked so hard all month long, and I think that paid off with our 14th qualifying position. May can sometimes be a blur of countless appearances and miles and miles of practice runs, but I honestly had a ton of fun during this year’s race. The car was quick from the start, we had good restarts, we led three laps—and to top it off, we matched a career-best finish of eighth.
Toronto 2012
From Indy, the series had a month-long road trip that proved to be a roller coaster as far as our results. We came out with our third consecutive eighth-place finish at Detroit, then had some bad luck in Texas but came out of Iowa with some momentum heading into the two Canadian races. Toronto was a race like no other for me—the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was super quick, the guys in the pits did their jobs perfectly, and I just went for it on the track. And we had our first podium, 2nd place, to show for the hard work… such a good day!
One of the low points of the season was definitely the testing incident when I fractured my hand. Missing Mid-Ohio was tough but we came back strong at Sonoma and Baltimore although with some issues, we didn’t get the results we wanted. It was nice to cap off the 2012 season with a top-10 at Fontana.
So there you have it… six top-10s, one podium, and a lot of time racing inside the top-10 positions. I know that the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is going to come back stronger next year. We’ve got this figured out, and we’re ready to go figure out the rest of our shortcomings. We’ll be stronger next year, and more importantly, faster.
As for now, I'm headed off to somewhere sunny and warm for a much-needed vacation. Yes, the phone is turning off and sunscreen is going on! Thanks to all of the IndyCar fans, the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team, my awesome Novo Nordisk support system and everyone who has helped make this another fantastic season of racing. Already counting down the days until the 2013 season...
Saturday, Sept. 15 11:00 p.m. It’s nice to finish out 2012 with a top-10 for the whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew. They deserved better than that tonight. We had a much better car but I made a mistake in the pits and it took me too long to figure it out early in the race, but I know that the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car is going to come back stronger next year. We got this figured out. We’re ready to go figure out the rest of our short-comings. We’ll be stronger next year, and more importantly, faster.
500 miles of racing... a good way to finish off the season.
Visting the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel in the afternoon.
What does a helmet look like after 500 miles? Like this!
Friday, Sept. 14 7:30 p.m.
It's hot... No other way to describe today! It made for a long day but I think we made some progress on track, so I can't complain.
I’m pretty happy with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car. It was pretty quick. Especially when the sun goes down, that’s what will really matter. With a 500-mile race, you can go front-to-back a few times, so it’s more about the racecar than it is qualifying here. The temperature is going to be so different for the race. When the sun goes down, it can drop 10 to 15 degrees and that’s going to be a factor in tomorrow’s race.
For now, I'm headed off to dinner with some Cali friends. We have a huge group coming out to the race tomorrow (more than 90 friends and family!)... Looking forward to putting on a good show for everyone.
The 2012 Honda drivers.
Practice pit stop for the No. 83 crew.
Thursday, Sept. 13 3 p.m.
Well, it's here... the last race weekend of the 2012 IndyCar season. I'm looking forward to showing what we can do with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car here at Fontana, and hopefully we'll finish off the season on a high note! Make sure you come by the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel on Saturday if you're at the track!
I started out the day with a Twitter chat with fans via @NBCSN (NBC Sports Network). Check out a recap here. Through @racewithinsulin, I'll be their "Twitter reporter" for the race weekend at Fontana (@ACSupdates)... providing a "behind-the-scenes" look at the INDYCAR World Championships. Be sure to follow to see some fun pics and video!
Here's a quick run-down of this weekend's schedule (all times local/Pacific). As always, live timing and scoring for all sessions is available here.
Friday:
10:45 am-12:15 pm Practice
2:15-3:45 pm Qualifying
5:45-6:30 pm Practice
Saturday:
1:45 pm Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
2:30-3:30 pm IndyCar Autograph Session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
4:30 pm NBC Sports Network coverage begins (local listings here)
5:45 pm "Drivers, start your engines!"
Sunday, Sept. 2 6:11 p.m.
It was a really great run for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car all day. The car was quick and the guys in the pit lane did an awesome job. The team not only made the right strategy calls to keep me on slicks when it was damp but also the second stop they did a really good job. It’s a shame to have something behind me go wrong around lap 65 but we proved we have the speed all weekend. We’ll carry that on to Fontana, finish the year out with a really good result and head to 2013 looking to come back stronger than ever.
On the grid during pre-race.
9:15 a.m.
Happy race day! I feel really good about the race today. We were so close to getting into the Firestone Fast Six during qualifying yesterday, and I know the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car is quick. We'll work on getting things set during this morning's practice then work our way up the field later today.
Saturday, Sept. 1 4:30 p.m.
It was a really good qualifying session today. It was a little busy in both groups I ran in. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was quick. With as limited practice time we got, it felt really good to get a nice lap in like that. The race will be good tomorrow. We’ll use some new strategy and some new reds to move forward.
I'm having dinner with some of my friends from Novo Nordisk tonight... They have quite a few guests coming to the race tomorrow (more than 400, to be exact!), so I'm excited to show what we can do on track!
A rainy morning start.
Pit stop practice for the No. 83 crew.
8:07 a.m.
I can't believe it's already September... This season has flown by! Time flies when you're having fun, right?
It was great to be back in the top-10 during the afternoon practice yesterday. Now the challenge is finding that little bit of extra speed for qualifying. I know the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is working super hard to get it done, so I'll be working just as hard for a good qualifying spot here in Baltimore.
Friday, Aug. 31 5:30 p.m.
It was a good start to the weekend. It was nice to see the track and the series come up with a solution that works for a little bit of practice today. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car is pretty good. I think the weekend is looking up. We’ll see how tomorrow goes. I think that qualifying is going to be pretty important here, even though there are some passing opportunities.
Thursday, Aug. 30 12:30 p.m.
It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Baltimore! I've finished up with my media interviews this morning, and I'm off to the track to meet with my engineers and do a quick track walk after lunch. We're actually staying right inside the circuit, so I can basically roll out of bed and into the car!
Here's a virtual lap of the track, courtesy of IndyCar.com. Can't wait to get the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car out there tomorrow!
Wednesday, Aug. 29 3:00 p.m.
I'm really looking forward to racing here in Baltimore with the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. Not only was the racing exciting last year, but so was the entire atmosphere of the event. The fans made it a special and fun inaugural event, and I have no doubt it will be even better this year. Novo Nordisk has a ton of guests coming out, so I'm excited to put on a good show for them. We had a really good run at Baltimore last year, running inside the top-10 before an incident caused us to lose a couple of laps. With the track changes and experience, I think the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car will be racing up front again this weekend.
I arrived in town a bit early for a Novo Nordisk dinner this evening, where I'll be presenting about my racing program. Always fun to meet the field reps and share my story! Tomorrow morning I'll be on WBFF FOX and WMAR-TV ABC here in Baltimore before starting my race weekend prep at the track.
Here's my race weekend schedule for those attending and those following along at home...
Friday, Aug. 31:
9:30-10:30 am Practice
1-1:45 pm Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
2:45-3:45 pm Practice
Saturday, Sept. 1:
9-10 am Practice
12:05-1:20 pm Qualifying (on NBC Sports Network at 6 pm ET)
2:30-3:30 pm IndyCar Autograph Session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
Sunday, Sept. 2:
9:45-10:15 am Warm Up
2:30 pm Grand Prix of Baltimore (live on NBC Sports Network) Timing and scoring for all on-track sessions available here.
Sunday, Aug. 26 9:30 p.m.
It was a really good day for the No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. The car was really quick. We just have to get qualifying figured out. I have to find those two-tenths to get into the top-12 because the fact that we drove to the top-10, shows we have the pace. The guys in the pit lane today were awesome. The fact that we had to change the gear-stack in the end there in the middle of a race just shows that there’s a lot of credit to them. We’ll go back and figure out what went wrong and be stronger in these last two races.
Met some of the Little Leaguers from Petaluma!
Speaking to Honda dealer guests up on the hill of Turn 2
Pre-race at Sonoma... more photos at CharlieKimball.com!
I'm just hanging out at SFO right now, waiting for my red-eye flight back to Indy with a bunch of my fellow IndyCar travelers. On the way to the airport, I made a detour to In-N-Out Burger with some of my closest Cali friends... it's just one of those "must-stops" on any trip to the Best Coast!
Saturday, Aug. 25 4:30 p.m.
Not an ideal qualifying session for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car, but we’re really close. Just a couple of 10th’s would have put us inside the top-12 of qualifying. We were just on the wrong side of that 10. As a team, the whole Novo Nordisk crew did a great job. Tomorrow, we have a really strong car for the race. We’ll just have to maximize strategy and opportunities as they come up and move forward throughout the day.
2:00 p.m.
It's not quite time for qualifying yet, but I've already had an eventful day! First up was an appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel, where I met some IndyCar fans and really great people with diabetes.
Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel
And then I just had the chance to meet Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tyler Clary! It was such an awesome experience... I got to see and hold his Olympic medal, but I can't even imagine how it would feel to actually win one. I suppose you could say it's like winning the Indianapolis 500, right? Thanks for stopping by, Tyler!
Just chatting it up with an Olympic gold medalist.
Tyler with me and Graham.
Friday, Aug. 24 8:30 p.m.
Just finished up a nice dinner with some of my family members... one of the benefits of a "home" race here on the Best Coast for sure!
Unfortunately we only got about five laps on track today during practice after a spin early on in the session. It’s obviously disappointing to start off practice like that. I overestimated the track grip a little bit and spun off, and we weren’t able to get back out today. Our teammates are quick so we should be in good shape for tomorrow’s practice and more importantly tomorrow’s qualifying.
On a better note, check out these two stories from the media luncheon yesterday, via the Napa Valley Register and ABC News 10 (video!).
Thursday, Aug. 23 10:00 a.m.
Hello from California! I just arrived in Sacramento and am heading to a media luncheon soon. Even though home is actually hours away, I always feel like I'm coming "home" for the West Coast races. I have some good friends and family coming out this weekend, so I look forward to putting on a good show for them (and all of you, of course)!
Below is a race weekend schedule (all times local/PT). Follow along with live timing and scoring for all sessions here.
Friday, Aug. 24:
2:50-4:05 pm Practice
Saturday, Aug. 25:
9:30-10:15 am Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel appearance (in Fan Village)
10:50-11:50 am Practice
2:30-3:45 pm Qualifying
4:45-5:45 pm IndyCar driver autograph session (in Fan Village)
Sunday, Aug. 26:
9-9:30 am Warm up
12:30 pm Pre-race
1 pm Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma (live on NBC Sports Network)
What a weekend. I can't say that I enjoyed not being on track, but I think I made the most of it and am even more motivated to get out there at Sonoma! Thanks to Novo Nordisk and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team for the support this past week.
Chatting with media on Friday.
I watched Friday's practice from turn 5. Mid-Ohio has so many great spectator locations. Of course I'd much rather be driving, but it was cool to see the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car on track with my own eyes. Looks great out there for sure! The helmet colors looked a little off though...
This morning I met Little League groups from Mansfield and Lexington on behalf of Honda. Just like racing, a lot of what they do to win takes a team effort so I think they enjoyed seeing and hearing how everything comes together for us before we even get out on track. I'm a huge baseball fan, so it was cool for me to meet some future major league players!
Talking to the Little Leaguers
Future baseball stars!
I watched the race from the No. 83 pit stand, so I was able to keep an eye on the Ganassi cars from the vantage point of the engineers. Nice job by Giorgio, who finished in 14th place. And congrats to Dixie and the No. 9 crew on the win today! Well-deserved. Now, I'm headed home for some rest. Thanks for all of the support!
I’m very disappointed to miss out on the Mid-Ohio race weekend. We had such a good race there last year and I was really looking forward to another shot at the podium. However, I trust the medical professionals at INDYCAR, and we’re making sure I’m back to 100 percent for Sonoma. We’re lucky to have Giorgio in the seat of the No. 83 car while I’m healing up, and I’ll be there this weekend to help him and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. Even though I won’t be in the cockpit, I will do everything I can to drive the whole No. 83 car program forward for this season and the future. I have to thank Novo Nordisk and the whole Chip Ganassi Racing team for being supportive this past week.
For more information, check out the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing site here. Thanks to everyone for the support!
Monday, July 9 11:38 a.m.
Wow, what a race. It was a great day for the whole team!
I know that there were only 25 of us out there, but the amount of times I passed people there felt like there were about 50 cars, so a lot of credit to the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew. The No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car was quick and all I had to do was turn and make a couple of moves when they were there. That last restart got pretty busy, but at the end of the day we came home with a clean result and all credit to Ryan. They worked the strategy, started up front and stayed there. I think today, ‘conservative’ was maximum attack. When you’re going for it, the thing was sideways everywhere. You really had to push. What they did on the repaving made for great racing. I don’t know about everybody in the stands, but I sure had a lot of fun in the cockpit. And I can’t wait to get back, not only here next year, but to Edmonton in two weeks.
Thanks for all of the support and messages! Much appreciated. Now, the work starts for Edmonton!
Sunday, July 8 9:45 a.m.
We had an early start to the day, but I was excited to get on track for sure. It was bright and sunny for warm-up, and I felt really good about the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car. We tried a few different things, did a few hot pit stops, and finished up P5. I think the car is even better than in Sao Paulo or Detroit, so I feel comfortable going into the race later today.
For now I'm about to meet with the team to discuss race strategy, then I have a meet and greet with the Novo Nordisk Canada folks before pre-race.
Tune into the Honda Indy Toronto on ABC at 12:30 p.m. ET!
Saturday, July 7 5:30 p.m.
Just finished up with the autograph session. I think it was a really good qualifying session. We made progress all weekend. The No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car was pretty quick. Even though we qualified 15th, we’ll start at least 13th with the grid penalties. We have some good tires for the race. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew will work the strategy in the pits and hopefully I can make some moves on-track so we’ll be in the top-10 tomorrow.
11:25 a.m.
We had a pretty good practice session this morning in Toronto. It started raining on the way to the circuit, but it held up for the most part during practice. The sun came out about halfway through the session, so the track started to dry quickly and we got some fast laps in. I'm feeling good about the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car for qualifying! Follow along live at 1:05 p.m. ET at http://racecontrol.indycar.com.
Friday, July 6 3:41 p.m.
It was a really good first day here at Toronto. The Honda Indy is always a fun event and it’s great to see the Canadian fans out. I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car is good shape. We missed a little bit on new tires in the second session as the track rubbered in. I think the whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew is working really hard, having good pit stops, and having a lot of fun today. It’s great to be here in Toronto and the fans are really good to have.
10:20 a.m.
I had a great dinner with friends last night here in downtown Toronto... always one of my favorite places to visit. There were already tons of fans out this morning when I walked into the paddock! First on the agenda today is an engineering meeting with my team before practice at 11. It's already pretty hot out here, but I'm really looking forward to being back in the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car!
Thursday, July 5 5:00 p.m.
Hello from Toronto! I hope you all (or y'all, as my good friend would say) had a fun 4th of July holiday. I arrived in town this morning and headed to Novo Nordisk's Canadian headquarters for a meet and greet with their employees. One thing I love about Novo Nordisk is that no matter where you go, their enthusiasm for their work is always high! Thanks to them for having me.
I just finished up with the track walk and a bit of time with my engineers. Headed to have dinner before getting some rest for tomorrow's sessions!
Here's a quick rundown of the race weekend (all times Eastern):
Friday:
11:05 a.m.-12:05 p.m. Practice
1:55 p.m.-2:55 p.m. Practice
Saturday:
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Practice
1:05 p.m.-2:25 p.m. Qualifying
4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. Autograph session (at Victory Circle)
Sunday:
8 a.m.-8:20 a.m. Warmup
12:30 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto (live on ABC)
Timing and scoring available for all sessions here.
Saturday, June 23 12:12 a.m.
It was a fun night overall. I learned more in the second half of tonight’s race than all of the short ovals we’ve done all year. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys. I was working my marks. They rocked it in pit lane. There was one stop where we went by four or five guys in pit lane. They kept making the car better and giving me more and more speed in pit lane. I was learning in traffic. In the end there, we just brought it home, knocking on the door of a top-10, which is good to build some momentum heading into this string of road courses.
Friday, June 22 8:43 p.m. I think it was as a good heat race. It was nice to get the position at the start of the race and then settle into my rhythm, work on my line, work on my drive style and get comfortable with racing here at Iowa Speedway. We have some improvements to make tonight to the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car but I have no doubt that the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will give me a great race car for the show. With a couple of grid-penalties, I think we will start within the top-15 and be good to go for tomorrow night.
11:34 a.m.
Well, we've still got some work to do after our first practice session. But we did improve with the adjustments we made, so I'm confident in our race car. We have one more practice session before the heat races this evening. Wondering how the heat races will work? Click here to find out from IndyCar.com.
8:45 a.m.
Good morning from a sunny Iowa Speedway! Ready to get back in the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car and see what we can do here today. Here's a quick run-down of the weekend schedule (all times Central):
Friday:
10-10:45 a.m. Practice
2:30-3:15 p.m. Practice
6:15-7:45 p.m. Heat races
Saturday:
3:45-4:30 p.m. Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel booth appearance (at the IndyCar Fan Village)
4:30-5:30 p.m. IndyCar autograph session
9 p.m. Iowa Corn Indy 250 (live on NBC Sports Network)
Live timing and scoring is available here. Don't forget to tune in to INDYCAR 36 on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET!
Thursday, June 21 10:00 a.m.
Started my race weekend a little early again. I arrived on Wednesday for a JDRF event and a dinner with Novo Nordisk associates in Mason City, IA. Today I'm on promo duty for IndyCar... interviews and appearances for a PR advance!
Tomorrow morning we'll be on track for our first practice of the weekend. I'm looking forward to getting back on track at Iowa Speedway. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team recently had a really productive test day there, and I think the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car will be quick again once we hit the track on Friday. I'm confident that the experience I've gained on the ovals at the last few races will help us come out with a better result this weekend.
Saturday, June 16 4:30 p.m.
Well, it was a challenging race like it always is here at the Milwaukee Mile, but all credit goes to the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. The guys did a good job in the pits, and they kept making the car better for me on the track. We got a little unlucky with one of those yellows and went a lap down. It was a good result as far as positive momentum, building back up and getting a clean finish. Now we'll focus on getting the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car ready for next weekend in Iowa!
8:00 a.m.
It's race day at the Milwaukee Mile! A little cloudy this morning but the sun's trying to peek out. Should stay dry for the race.
I have a live TV shot, drivers meeting and autograph session this morning before suiting up for the race. Like I said last night, I think we have a good race car so if we stay focused, we could come out with a good result later today.
Friday, June 15 6:15 p.m.
Well, we didn't have the best luck with qualifying today. We qualified 21st but we'll start 18th tomorrow, due to the grid penalties taken into account.
We worked really hard on the race car all day and focused mostly on race set up. I know we have a really good race car. So if we stay smart, stay clean and make good pit stops there’s no reason we can’t be in top-15, and with a little bit of luck we’ll be in the top-10 tomorrow.
From the spotters' stand.
11:40 a.m.
We had a pretty good first session on track. We're mostly working on race setup and were able to make a lot of changes during practice. We still have another practice before qualifying, but we'll be focusing on race setup again for the most part, and work on qualifying if we get the chance. We're last to qualify... Which could be good or bad! We'll have to wait and see.
Practice at The Mile
8:30 a.m.
Just arrived at the Mile for the day. It looks like it'll be a warm, sunny day... hopefully we have a lot of fans coming out to enjoy practice and qualifying (and, of course, the zip line and ferris wheel)!
Here's my schedule for the weekend (all times local/Central). You can follow along with timing and scoring here.
Friday:
10-11 a.m. Practice
1:15-2:15 p.m. Practice
4-5:15 p.m. Qualifying
5:45-6:30 p.m. Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel appearance (IndyCar Fan Village, infield)
Saturday:
9:15-10:15 a.m. IndyCar drivers autograph session (IndyCar Fan Village, infield)
12 p.m. Race! (Live on ABC)
Thursday, June 14 9:26 a.m.
Hitting the road this morning for the drive from Indy to Milwaukee. Any road trip playlist suggestions?
Congrats to the Milwaukee IndyFest grandstand ticket winner Allen! Thanks to everyone who shared a memory of their dad on my Facebook wall. And happy Father's Day weekend to all of the dads out there! Make sure you're following me on Twitter (@racewithinsulin)... there's another giveaway coming your way soon, this time for race credentials.
After a rough end to my race in Texas, I'm looking forward to getting back on track. I love the challenge that the Milwaukee Mile presents to IndyCar teams and drivers. Without a lot of banking, there's not a lot of room for error. And it creates some of the best racing all season. Passing is always challenging and the racing is so intense, which makes it fun for us on track. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will be working hard this weekend to add to our top-10 finishes and gain back some championship points.
.JPG)
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