We have a great #AskInsider chat this week! @RaceWithInsulin will be answering YOUR questions Thurs 8/15 @ 11am! Submit Q's now!
— Paddock Insider (@PaddockInsider) August 12, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Ask me (almost) anything!
I'm the featured guest on this week's #AskInsider chat with Paddock Insider! Have a question for me? Tweet to @PaddockInsider and use the #AskInsider hashtag, and then I'll answer your questions on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET! Bonus--those who ask questions that are used for the chat will receive a prize.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Read all about it!
There I was, having my morning coffee, flipping through the newspaper, and I came upon this:
So cool! It's not every day you have a full-page ad in USA Today! Major thanks to my friends at Novo Nordisk... I'm stoked they are as excited for my first IndyCar win (especially while representing the diabetes community as a driver with type 1) as I am! I couldn't ask for better partners.
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| Page 5A of USA Today |
I'm honored to see so much media coverage on the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team's win, too.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Relive victory at Mid-Ohio!
Kimball Scores His First IndyCar Win at Mid-Ohio
Via NovoNordiskChipGanassiRacing.com
LEXINGTON, Ohio (August 5, 2013) – Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing (NNCGR) driver Charlie Kimball took home the first win of his IZOD IndyCar Series career in Round 14 in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
For the start of the 90-lap race, the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team lined up from the inside of row three in fifth position. Kimball immediately showed strength on the 2.258-mile road course and battled around the No. 25 car to nab the fourth spot by the second lap. While other frontrunners chose a two-stop pit strategy focused on fuel-conservation for the 90-lap race, the No. 83 team strategized for a three-stop approach. Kimball spent the initial stages of the race holding fourth position until called to pit lane for his first stop on lap 19 to take another set of alternate tires and fuel. With a quick pit stop, the No. 83 car exited pit lane in sixth and worked its way up to fourth before the leading cars went to pit lane for their initial stops where Kimball rotated to first position. Shortly after taking the lead, the No. 83 team reported to Kimball that he was posting good lap times as he produced his fastest run of the race on lap 34.
Nearing the halfway mark of the caution-free race, the team called Kimball to pit lane for his second of three stops from first position to take its only set of primary tires. Exiting pit lane in second, the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car would spend only six laps out of the lead before retaining it following a pit stop from the No. 77, in first position.
Kimball made his third and final pit stop on lap 65 and took his final set of alternate tires. With 18-laps remaining, the race-leading No. 77 car, working a similar race-strategy as the No. 83, made its final pit stop and resumed in first position. As the two cars made their way to the end of the Mid-Ohio back straight, Kimball used push-to-pass to get around the No. 77 in the entry of turn five for the lead. Kimball held on to the lead for the remaining 17 laps until crossing the finish line with a 5.533-second lead for the first win of his IZOD IndyCar Series career.
With the win, Kimball moved from 11th into a tie for seventh in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 325 markers, -128 points behind leader Helio Castroneves.
With Honda teams posting a one-two-three finish at Mid-Ohio, they are now tied with Chevrolet in the manufacturer point standings (105 points).
Up next, Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing will compete in Round 15 of the IZOD IndyCar Series with the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma in Sonoma, California, on Sunday, August 25 (4:00pm ET on NBC Sports Network).
NOTES
- Saturday’s qualifying session marked the first time all three Chip Ganassi Racing entries made it to the Firestone Fast Six at the same time (Scott Dixon – third, Dario Franchitti – sixth).
- The win marks Chip Ganassi Racing Teams 156th win overall.
- It was Chip Ganassi Racing Teams fourth win in a row in the series this season, and fifth consecutive victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
- Kimball led for just over half of the 90-lap race (46 laps in total). Prior to this result, Kimball had led 15 laps in his entire IZOD IndyCar career.
- Kimball has now been in the top-10 of IZOD IndyCar Series point standings four times this season and has spent five of the 14 rounds there in 2013.
- This was Kimball’s first time returning to race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course since 2011, as he fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand in a testing incident prior to the race in 2012.
Via IndyCar.com: Kimball becomes fourth first-time winner of '13
Kimball becomes fourth first-time winner of '13
Aug. 4, 2013, via IndyCar.com
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| Photo courtesy of IndyCar.com. |
LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Charlie Kimball sized up Simon Pagenaud's No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car on the backstretch, darted to the inside entering the Esses and easily completed the pass on Lap 73.
It proved to be the decisive move of the 90-lap Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and of the Camarillo, Calif., native's IZOD IndyCar Series career.
Kimball, driving the Honda-powered No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chip Ganassi Racing car, earned his first victory in the series and gave Chip Ganassi Racing its fifth consecutive win at the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course.
Kimball is the ninth different winner in 14 races this season and the fourth first-time winner. In the previous five seasons, there were five total first-time winners. Four different teams were represented in the top five.
“It’s nice when the team gives you such a great car," said Kimball, who started fifth. "All I needed to do was to hit the lap times they needed me to. For a while they were saying 67.5s (seconds per lap) and I threw down a couple 67.1s. They said, 'OK, see if you can do a 66.' We just kept pushing the limit."
Kimball led a field-high 46 laps in the caution-free race (the first since Mid-Ohio last year). Through his previous 44 starts, he lead a total of 15 laps (12 this season).
Kimball, who pitted for the third and final time on Lap 65, caught the front-running Pagenaud on the long backstretch on Lap 73 seconds after Pagenaud exited pit lane for his final service stop. On cold tires, he couldn't hold off the charging Kimball.
"Simon was on a similar strategy," added Kimball, the only licensed IndyCar driver with type 1 diabetes. "I caught traffic at just some of the wrong times, so that meant that he came out of pit lane ahead of us. But we had the momentum to take the lead and make the pass for what turned out to be the win.”
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Live from Trackside - Honda Indy 200
Sunday, August 4
8:30 p.m.
Wow. It's hard to even describe the race today and my first IndyCar win with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing. I'm just so happy for the team, so thankful for all of the support, and so glad to have that first win under my belt!
This weekend was a total team effort. I crashed in practice yesterday morning, and the entire team pitched in to prepare my backup car so that we could qualify near the front. Then, it was a team call to split our race strategies, to hedge our bets among the three CGR cars. It’s nice when the team gives you such a great car. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was quick! All I needed to do was to hit the lap times they needed me to. For a while they were saying 67.5s, and I threw down a couple 67.1-second lap times. They said, “Okay, see if you can do a 66.” We just kept pushing the limit. Simon was on a similar strategy. I caught traffic at some of the wrong times, so that meant that he came out of pit lane ahead of us. But, we had the momentum to take the lead and make the pass for what turned out to be the win. The team made the call and then all I had to do was drop the hammer. Once out in front after the last stop, I just had to run clean to the finish. The car handled great and the Honda engine was strong all day long. What a fantastic day!
More later... After the podium ceremony, it was straight off to a press conference and satellite media tour. I'm ready for some food and hopefully some rest! Thanks again for all of the support!
10:15 a.m.
Good morning... it's race day! The weather is beautiful today, so I'm sure we'll get a great crowd here for the race. I had a relaxing evening here at the track and am feeling good for today's race.
I'm heading out to warm-up soon, then I'll be over at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel at 12:30 p.m. in the INDYCAR Fan Village. Hope to see you there.
Tune in to the Honda Indy 200 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and follow me on Twitter @racewithinsulin for updates from my Pit Lane Reporter!
Saturday, August 3
4:10 p.m.
Unfortunately this morning we just got caught out by the track conditions, and had a little dampness under the bridge. But it was great to bounce back and get a top-five starting spot. Today was a great effort by all the Chip Ganassi Racing guys! There were as many red shirts from the Target side in the garage, as there were orange shirts. They gave me the easy job of driving the racecar. While they changed the backup, all I had to do was go out and drive it. The boys deserved it. We had a really good car all week, starting at the test and during yesterday's practice.
I'm looking forward to starting from P5 tomorrow! For now, I'm headed to the IndyCar autograph session then it will be a pretty laid-back night, just dinner and lots of rest for the race. Thanks for the support everyone!
9:30 a.m.
Good morning! I enjoyed my time with the Team USA Scholarship candidates last night. An impressive bunch of young drivers for sure!
We have one more practice session before qualifying later today. I think we're just going to keep working on improving the changes we've made so far this week and focus on preparing for a good qualifying run. It rained overnight, but it looks like we're in the clear until this evening. We'll see if weather plays a factor at all today.
Be sure to check out INDYCAR Race Control for live timing and scoring during qualifying at 2 p.m. ET, and watch the broadcast on NBCSN at 5 p.m. ET.
Friday, August 2
12:30 p.m.
Just grabbing lunch and debriefing with engineers before our next practice session at 3:30. We're pretty happy with the car, so we've just been making small changes here and there. We'll keep watching the weather to see how it changes the track later today.
9:40 a.m.
Good morning from Mid-Ohio! It's a slightly overcast, almost chilly morning here at the track, but it looks like the rain will stay away until later this evening. Since we had a good deal of running time on Wednesday, we'll just continue to make improvements on the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car as the track and weather conditions change. It's definitely a balance versus grip issue here so we'll use today's practice sessions to hopefully get that where we want it.
Later this evening, I'll be one of the judges for the 2013 Team USA Scholarship, which provides opportunities for young American drivers to compete internationally and gain valuable experience along the way. It's always great to meet the up-and-coming talent... keeps me on my toes, too!
Thursday, August 1
9:00 a.m.
I had a pretty good test session in the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car here at Mid-Ohio yesterday. We finished in the top-10 on the chart, got in a lot of laps but most importantly got a good feel for the track. It's been great to recharge these past couple of weekends, but the team and I were more than ready to get back to work. With my injury last year and having to sit out, it was nice to have the extra day in the car for the test to sort out what works best as far as my driving style and getting the most out of the car through the course. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team gave me a great car at Toronto and I have no doubt we'll be quick again this weekend. We're just one point out of the top-10 in championship standings, so I think with a good result we can get back to where we want to be.
Today I'm headed to Honda R&D's center in Ohio. I always look forward to appearances with Honda because we always get to learn about all of the technology, engineering and science behind the engines that power our IndyCars. Even if we're not at an IndyCar engine-specific factory, I know the research taken from every part of Honda's many divisions comes together to benefit the product that shows up at the track. And of course, what Honda learns at the race track goes back to develop consumer vehicles, performance models and more. So cool!
Here's a schedule for those at the track and those watching from home (all times Eastern):
Friday, Aug. 2
11-11:45 a.m. Practice
3:30-4:15 p.m. Practice
Saturday, Aug. 3
10:30-11:15 a.m. Practice
2-3:10 p.m. Qualifying (delayed broadcast at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Network)
4:30-5:30 p.m. Autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
Sunday, Aug. 4
11-11:30 a.m. Warm Up
12:30 p.m. Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
3 p.m. Honda Indy 200 (live on NBC Sports Network)
Check INDYCAR Race Control for live timing and scoring during on-track sessions. Follow @RaceWithInsulin on Twitter for updates from my "Pit Lane Reporter" all weekend!
8:30 p.m.
Wow. It's hard to even describe the race today and my first IndyCar win with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing. I'm just so happy for the team, so thankful for all of the support, and so glad to have that first win under my belt!
This weekend was a total team effort. I crashed in practice yesterday morning, and the entire team pitched in to prepare my backup car so that we could qualify near the front. Then, it was a team call to split our race strategies, to hedge our bets among the three CGR cars. It’s nice when the team gives you such a great car. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was quick! All I needed to do was to hit the lap times they needed me to. For a while they were saying 67.5s, and I threw down a couple 67.1-second lap times. They said, “Okay, see if you can do a 66.” We just kept pushing the limit. Simon was on a similar strategy. I caught traffic at some of the wrong times, so that meant that he came out of pit lane ahead of us. But, we had the momentum to take the lead and make the pass for what turned out to be the win. The team made the call and then all I had to do was drop the hammer. Once out in front after the last stop, I just had to run clean to the finish. The car handled great and the Honda engine was strong all day long. What a fantastic day!
More later... After the podium ceremony, it was straight off to a press conference and satellite media tour. I'm ready for some food and hopefully some rest! Thanks again for all of the support!
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| Time to celebrate! Photo courtesy of LAT Photography. |
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| Nice piece of hardware! Photo courtesy of LAT Photography. |
Good morning... it's race day! The weather is beautiful today, so I'm sure we'll get a great crowd here for the race. I had a relaxing evening here at the track and am feeling good for today's race.
I'm heading out to warm-up soon, then I'll be over at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel at 12:30 p.m. in the INDYCAR Fan Village. Hope to see you there.
Tune in to the Honda Indy 200 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and follow me on Twitter @racewithinsulin for updates from my Pit Lane Reporter!
Saturday, August 3
4:10 p.m.
Unfortunately this morning we just got caught out by the track conditions, and had a little dampness under the bridge. But it was great to bounce back and get a top-five starting spot. Today was a great effort by all the Chip Ganassi Racing guys! There were as many red shirts from the Target side in the garage, as there were orange shirts. They gave me the easy job of driving the racecar. While they changed the backup, all I had to do was go out and drive it. The boys deserved it. We had a really good car all week, starting at the test and during yesterday's practice.
I'm looking forward to starting from P5 tomorrow! For now, I'm headed to the IndyCar autograph session then it will be a pretty laid-back night, just dinner and lots of rest for the race. Thanks for the support everyone!
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| Qualifying at Mid-Ohio |
Good morning! I enjoyed my time with the Team USA Scholarship candidates last night. An impressive bunch of young drivers for sure!
We have one more practice session before qualifying later today. I think we're just going to keep working on improving the changes we've made so far this week and focus on preparing for a good qualifying run. It rained overnight, but it looks like we're in the clear until this evening. We'll see if weather plays a factor at all today.
Be sure to check out INDYCAR Race Control for live timing and scoring during qualifying at 2 p.m. ET, and watch the broadcast on NBCSN at 5 p.m. ET.
Friday, August 2
5:30 p.m.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with today's practice sessions. The car is really good. We focused on making improvements from the open test on Wednesday to today and we’ve seen some positive changes. The No. 83 guys have been really good and quick on the changes, so even though we had a few red flags today, we were able to run as many laps as we wanted to. We’re taking care of sets of tires for the race weekend, as its looking like it’s going to be a three-stop, four-set race on Sunday so we have to keep that in mind all the way through practice.
12:30 p.m.
Just grabbing lunch and debriefing with engineers before our next practice session at 3:30. We're pretty happy with the car, so we've just been making small changes here and there. We'll keep watching the weather to see how it changes the track later today.
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| After an install lap. |
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| Leaving pit lane. |
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| Practice pit stop for the No. 83 crew. |
Good morning from Mid-Ohio! It's a slightly overcast, almost chilly morning here at the track, but it looks like the rain will stay away until later this evening. Since we had a good deal of running time on Wednesday, we'll just continue to make improvements on the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car as the track and weather conditions change. It's definitely a balance versus grip issue here so we'll use today's practice sessions to hopefully get that where we want it.
Later this evening, I'll be one of the judges for the 2013 Team USA Scholarship, which provides opportunities for young American drivers to compete internationally and gain valuable experience along the way. It's always great to meet the up-and-coming talent... keeps me on my toes, too!
Thursday, August 1
9:00 a.m.
I had a pretty good test session in the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car here at Mid-Ohio yesterday. We finished in the top-10 on the chart, got in a lot of laps but most importantly got a good feel for the track. It's been great to recharge these past couple of weekends, but the team and I were more than ready to get back to work. With my injury last year and having to sit out, it was nice to have the extra day in the car for the test to sort out what works best as far as my driving style and getting the most out of the car through the course. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team gave me a great car at Toronto and I have no doubt we'll be quick again this weekend. We're just one point out of the top-10 in championship standings, so I think with a good result we can get back to where we want to be.
Today I'm headed to Honda R&D's center in Ohio. I always look forward to appearances with Honda because we always get to learn about all of the technology, engineering and science behind the engines that power our IndyCars. Even if we're not at an IndyCar engine-specific factory, I know the research taken from every part of Honda's many divisions comes together to benefit the product that shows up at the track. And of course, what Honda learns at the race track goes back to develop consumer vehicles, performance models and more. So cool!
Here's a schedule for those at the track and those watching from home (all times Eastern):
Friday, Aug. 2
11-11:45 a.m. Practice
3:30-4:15 p.m. Practice
Saturday, Aug. 3
10:30-11:15 a.m. Practice
2-3:10 p.m. Qualifying (delayed broadcast at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Network)
4:30-5:30 p.m. Autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
Sunday, Aug. 4
11-11:30 a.m. Warm Up
12:30 p.m. Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
3 p.m. Honda Indy 200 (live on NBC Sports Network)
Check INDYCAR Race Control for live timing and scoring during on-track sessions. Follow @RaceWithInsulin on Twitter for updates from my "Pit Lane Reporter" all weekend!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Mid-Ohio, here we come!
After a two week break, I am more than ready to be back at a race track! I had a great vacation on the lake, getting a lot of use out of my Axis A22 boat, relaxing and spending time with friends. This past weekend I went out to California for the Citrus Classic Balloon Festival, an annual event near my hometown. I helped judge the car show, but I also got to see the balloons go up... so cool! Yesterday I spent the day at an American Diabetes Association camp in Illinois on behalf of Novo Nordisk. I always have a blast at these events. It's a great chance to meet kids with diabetes who are just looking to have fun like everyone else, without having to worry about any of the challenges associated with the condition. Hopefully I'm able to help them out a bit. Plus, I'm still a big kid at heart so I try to join in on the camp fun too!
Later today I'll leave for Mid-Ohio and the Honda Indy 200. We've got a lot going on this week before we even officially start the race weekend, so I hope you can join us for a few of the events! The IndyCar test day is open to race ticket holders tomorrow, Wednesday, July 31 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Bring a picnic, invite a few friends and watch from the Keyhole or the infield!
After the test, meet me at the start/finish line for the American Diabetes Association Community Walk to Stop Diabetes at 7 p.m. I'm really excited to participate on behalf of Drive4Diabetes.com, along with their developmental drivers who I'll help coach this season. After the lap around the track (sorry, just walking--no driving!), you'll have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes guided tour of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. They are also offering special race ticket discounts to walk participants so come out early for good deals!
As always, you can check my online appearance calendar for more info! Thanks for your support.
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| My A22 and the pups! |
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| Citrus Classic... what a view! |
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| The balloons are almost up & away! |
After the test, meet me at the start/finish line for the American Diabetes Association Community Walk to Stop Diabetes at 7 p.m. I'm really excited to participate on behalf of Drive4Diabetes.com, along with their developmental drivers who I'll help coach this season. After the lap around the track (sorry, just walking--no driving!), you'll have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes guided tour of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. They are also offering special race ticket discounts to walk participants so come out early for good deals!
As always, you can check my online appearance calendar for more info! Thanks for your support.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
It's Turbo Day!
In case you haven't heard, today is opening day for Turbo! I had the chance to see the premiere in Toronto last week and let me tell you, I loved it! It was funny and so well done--the attention to detail on recreating the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was fantastic! Have you seen it yet? What did you think?
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Live from Trackside - Honda Indy Toronto
Sunday, July 14
12:30 p.m.
It's race day... number two! Another shot for the podium. We made some changes this morning in warm-up, and I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car will be fast in the race today. Hopefully the fans enjoy the standing start today!
Just finished up with a drivers meeting and am hanging with my engineers until race time. Before the race, Milos Raonic (the highest ranked Canadian tennis player in history) is coming by for a tour of the transporter and paddock. Can't wait to catch up with him again!
Tune in to Honda Indy Toronto's race 2 today at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network!
Saturday, July 13
5:20 p.m.
I feel badly for the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch team today. We had a really good car; we just got caught up in other peoples wrecks. It’s the first time we haven’t seen the checkered flag all year, which is a pretty good run. The car was great and we have to make the most of it here, but we learned a lot. I think we can make the car better for tomorrow, and I think for tomorrow’s race we have every chance of moving forward again.
After engineering meetings, tonight will be pretty low-key.. I'll just get a good meal and get rested for tomorrow. Thanks for watching and for the support!
12:15 p.m.
It's race day! And of course with the doubleheader, it's qualifying day (again)!
This morning’s qualifying session we qualified the same spot as yesterday, so we’ll start each leg of the doubleheader races from the eighth row in P16. I’m much happier with the car... the crew did a great job of making it better overnight. The No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car handled better this morning and we had a lot more confidence in it. Everyone else seemed to take the same step, so it’s still really competitive. We’ll just focus on what we need to do in the race. This afternoon's standing start will be extremely interesting.
Friday, July 12
8:30 p.m.
It was pretty slick out there for qualifying. There was only about an hour and a half of practice with IndyCars out there so there wasn't a lot of rubber down yet on the track. The track is really busy today with other series; it’s just hasn’t put any grip down yet. The guys were able to get a lap time out of it, and we were within a couple tenths of transferring, so we’re making some progress. Having Dario be the quickest in that group and being able to look at his data and to make it better will be good, not just for tomorrow, but also for the future. I think we’ll be in good shape come race time tomorrow. With the standing start, there’s more chance for trouble being in the back so you have to keep a head up for sure but I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car here in Canada is going to be good, we just have to get a clean start in the race.
On the plus side, I had a great dinner tonight with some guests from Novo Nordisk--always a good time and enjoyed the chance to catch up with them! Now it's time for some rest for race one. Tune in tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network!
1 p.m.
Just grabbing a bite to eat after practice and before qualifying! I had a great time last night at the Turbo movie premiere with IndyCar. It is so well done--and so funny! You will love it whether you're 8-years-old, or 48!
During this morning's practice, we made a good deal of changes to the No. 83 car. We didn't get a chance to really get some good laps in but I think we'll be in good shape for qualifying.
Thursday, July 11
11:30 a.m.
After a busy yet exciting couple of days in Washington, D.C. for the JDRF Children's Congress, I'm here in Toronto for the race weekend. This morning I visited the Novo Nordisk Canada office and had a great time meeting their employees. Hope to see a lot of them out at the track!
I can't wait to get started here at the Honda Indy Toronto. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team had a great race last year, with our first podium finish, and we're coming in with a good deal of momentum from our second place at Pocono. I think the whole Ganassi organization is really gelling, apparent from last weekend's podium sweep, and if we continue to build on that we'll have even more success through this second half of the IndyCar season. We'll work hard this week to see what we can do to get set for Toronto's street circuit, with the additional challenges of the double-header and standing starts to consider. We're focused on getting the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car on the podium not once but twice this weekend!
Here's a race weekend schedule for you (all times Eastern):
Friday, July 12
10:25-11:55 a.m. Practice
2:15-3:25 p.m. Qualifying #1 (on NBC Sports Network at 5:30 p.m. ET)
4:30-5:30 p.m. IndyCar autograph session
Saturday, July 13
10:35-11:05 a.m. Qualifying #2
3 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto Race #1 (live on NBC Sports Network)
Sunday, July 14
10:50-11:20 a.m. Warm-up
3 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto Race #2 (live on NBC Sports Network)
You can find live timing for all sessions here. Don't forget to follow @racewithinsulin on Twitter for on-track updates from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR)!
6:00 p.m.
What a great day for the NovoRapid FlexTouch car. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys did a great job in strategy and a great job in pit lane. All I had to do was drive, again, just like Pocono last weekend. They gave me a great car. We didn’t have the greatest of starts but we stuck with our strategy, we stuck with the fuel mileage and all we had to do was get spots while they were there. The No. 83 Honda was great. It was pretty tough out there today with the amount of marbles on the track. It was a hot day, so for a doubleheader it was hard work but we’re already looking forward to heading to Mid-Ohio for the next round.
Thanks for all of the support!
12:30 p.m.
It's race day... number two! Another shot for the podium. We made some changes this morning in warm-up, and I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car will be fast in the race today. Hopefully the fans enjoy the standing start today!
Just finished up with a drivers meeting and am hanging with my engineers until race time. Before the race, Milos Raonic (the highest ranked Canadian tennis player in history) is coming by for a tour of the transporter and paddock. Can't wait to catch up with him again!
Tune in to Honda Indy Toronto's race 2 today at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network!
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| Morning warm-up |
5:20 p.m.
I feel badly for the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch team today. We had a really good car; we just got caught up in other peoples wrecks. It’s the first time we haven’t seen the checkered flag all year, which is a pretty good run. The car was great and we have to make the most of it here, but we learned a lot. I think we can make the car better for tomorrow, and I think for tomorrow’s race we have every chance of moving forward again.
After engineering meetings, tonight will be pretty low-key.. I'll just get a good meal and get rested for tomorrow. Thanks for watching and for the support!
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| Race #1 |
It's race day! And of course with the doubleheader, it's qualifying day (again)!
This morning’s qualifying session we qualified the same spot as yesterday, so we’ll start each leg of the doubleheader races from the eighth row in P16. I’m much happier with the car... the crew did a great job of making it better overnight. The No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car handled better this morning and we had a lot more confidence in it. Everyone else seemed to take the same step, so it’s still really competitive. We’ll just focus on what we need to do in the race. This afternoon's standing start will be extremely interesting.
Friday, July 12
8:30 p.m.
It was pretty slick out there for qualifying. There was only about an hour and a half of practice with IndyCars out there so there wasn't a lot of rubber down yet on the track. The track is really busy today with other series; it’s just hasn’t put any grip down yet. The guys were able to get a lap time out of it, and we were within a couple tenths of transferring, so we’re making some progress. Having Dario be the quickest in that group and being able to look at his data and to make it better will be good, not just for tomorrow, but also for the future. I think we’ll be in good shape come race time tomorrow. With the standing start, there’s more chance for trouble being in the back so you have to keep a head up for sure but I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car here in Canada is going to be good, we just have to get a clean start in the race.
On the plus side, I had a great dinner tonight with some guests from Novo Nordisk--always a good time and enjoyed the chance to catch up with them! Now it's time for some rest for race one. Tune in tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network!
1 p.m.
Just grabbing a bite to eat after practice and before qualifying! I had a great time last night at the Turbo movie premiere with IndyCar. It is so well done--and so funny! You will love it whether you're 8-years-old, or 48!
During this morning's practice, we made a good deal of changes to the No. 83 car. We didn't get a chance to really get some good laps in but I think we'll be in good shape for qualifying.
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| Heading out on track for the first session. |
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| Practice pit stop. |
11:30 a.m.
After a busy yet exciting couple of days in Washington, D.C. for the JDRF Children's Congress, I'm here in Toronto for the race weekend. This morning I visited the Novo Nordisk Canada office and had a great time meeting their employees. Hope to see a lot of them out at the track!
I can't wait to get started here at the Honda Indy Toronto. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team had a great race last year, with our first podium finish, and we're coming in with a good deal of momentum from our second place at Pocono. I think the whole Ganassi organization is really gelling, apparent from last weekend's podium sweep, and if we continue to build on that we'll have even more success through this second half of the IndyCar season. We'll work hard this week to see what we can do to get set for Toronto's street circuit, with the additional challenges of the double-header and standing starts to consider. We're focused on getting the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car on the podium not once but twice this weekend!
Here's a race weekend schedule for you (all times Eastern):
Friday, July 12
10:25-11:55 a.m. Practice
2:15-3:25 p.m. Qualifying #1 (on NBC Sports Network at 5:30 p.m. ET)
4:30-5:30 p.m. IndyCar autograph session
Saturday, July 13
10:35-11:05 a.m. Qualifying #2
3 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto Race #1 (live on NBC Sports Network)
Sunday, July 14
10:50-11:20 a.m. Warm-up
3 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto Race #2 (live on NBC Sports Network)
You can find live timing for all sessions here. Don't forget to follow @racewithinsulin on Twitter for on-track updates from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR)!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Live from JDRF's Children's Congress!
Hello from our nation's capital! Yes, I'm in Washington, D.C. this week for the JDRF Children's Congress on behalf of Novo Nordisk. It's definitely an honor to represent the diabetes and IndyCar communities. I'll be speaking as part of the "Role Models in Diabetes" town hall at 10 a.m. Eastern today... and you can watch the live stream via YouTube! Click here or on the video below to start the video once it goes live.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Live from Trackside - Pocono INDYCAR 400
Sunday, July 7
8:30 p.m.
What a day! It was really cool to be a part of the Ganassi podium sweep and finish second with so many Novo Nordisk employees in attendance! Definitely a historic day... Team Target's 100th win, Honda's 200th win, and Scott's 30th win. Congrats to him and Dario for the well-deserved result today! Both Thursday at the test as well as yesterday, we really focused on our race car. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team, the whole Chip Ganassi Racing crew as evidenced by 1-2-3, was focusing on race day, knowing that’s when it mattered. So throughout today, the guys made it better on each pit stop and the car just got quicker and quicker. A lot of credit to Honda--they gave us the fuel mileage and speed today. Thanks to the Chip Ganassi Racing teams for their hard work this weekend. Let's do it again in Toronto!
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| Great pit stops by the No. 83 crew! |
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| Post-race interview with ABC/ESPN. |
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| Post-race press conference with teammate Dario. |
8:10 a.m.
Good morning... It's race day! I had a relaxing evening last night, just grilled out and enjoyed time with friends at the motorcoach before an early bedtime. I'm headed over to the IndyCar autograph session then a meet and greet with the Novo Nordisk group before team pre-race meetings. With Novo Nordisk's main office located in New Jersey, this is somewhat of a "home race" for them... A lot of support (and orange shirts) here today! Can't thank them enough for coming out and seeing me race.
Be sure to tune in to the Pocono INDYCAR 400 at noon Eastern on ABC!
Saturday, July 6
3:10 p.m.
The car was pretty good today in morning practice. We spent a lot of time working on the race car and getting enough miles in so we could mileage-out the engine and put a fresh one in for warm-up tonight and the race tomorrow. Overall, I think we’re reasonably happy with our qualifying effort. The car slid a little bit in Turn 3 on my first timed-lap, so I think that cost us a little speed heading into the second lap. We’ll see where we end up in the starting line-up and have a good 400-mile race tomorrow.
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| First practice session... ready to go! |
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| Evening practice... hot stops for the No. 83 team. |
8:30 a.m.
Good morning! Hope you all had a great Independence Day. It's been a good couple of days here at Pocono so far. We were pretty pleased with the test on Thursday. We ran a lot of laps, finished in the top half of the speed chart but still have a bit of work to do.
Yesterday we took some downtime before heading to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball game for a media advance. It was pretty cool to watch them warm up and then throw the first pitch. I also met some new IndyCar fans... Even a family that came out here from Ohio for the race weekend!
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| Hanging with the RailRider's mascot! |
I'm looking forward to getting back on track this morning for the start of the actual race weekend. It's such a fun (and yes, tricky) track... We're just about flat out the whole way. It'll be a great race for the fans on Sunday for sure!
Here's a quick rundown of the race weekend schedule (all times Eastern). Timing for all sessions is available at http://racecontrol.indycar.com.
Saturday, July 6
10-11 a.m. Practice
1:15-2:45 p.m. Qualifying
4:15 p.m. Appearance at Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
5:30-6 p.m. Practice
Sunday, July 7
8:30-9:30 a.m. IndyCar autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
12 p.m. Pocono INDYCAR 400 on ABC
10:30 a.m.
Hello from Pennsylvania! We arrived this morning on the team charter and are heading to the track now. We have an open test here tomorrow before the race weekend officially begins on Saturday. If you're in the area for the 4th of July, be sure to come out and watch! It's free, and you can bring your own picnic (as long as you bring enough goodies for all of us...)! Check out all of the details here.
I'm really excited to race at Pocono. Everyone says it will be a great challenge for the IndyCars. I think the speeds will be close to Indianapolis which is always a lot of fun. It's great to be going back to another superspeedway. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team has been building some momentum through the middle of the summer, having just hit the halfway point of the season. We're really starting to find our feet and regain some of the early success we've had this season with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car. It was really nice to having a test day to work with the Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates last week at Sebring and I think we've found some things that will help us as we move toward Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma.
Today I have a few media phone interviews then a full day of engineering meetings. Off to work!
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