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!

My A22 and the pups!

Citrus Classic... what a view!

The balloons are almost up & away!

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.

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?

Live from Trackside - Honda Indy Toronto

Sunday, July 14

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!

Morning warm-up

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!

Race #1

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.

Heading out on track for the first session.

Practice pit stop.

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)!

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.

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!

Great pit stops by the No. 83 crew!

Post-race interview with ABC/ESPN.

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.

First practice session... ready to go!

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!

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

Wednesday, July 3
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!

The 5 Senses of IndyCar

I frequently get the question, "So what's it like driving an IndyCar?" Let me tell you... it's not an easy one to answer. Honda has captured what we see, smell, hear, touch and even taste while out on the race track. Check it out!

Live from Trackside - Iowa Corn Indy 250

Sunday, June 23

5:15 p.m.

Overall, today was pretty good for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew did a great job all day in the pits and made the car better every stop, so that the last half of the race I was able to really go racing.  It felt good. We were able to make up some spots and just keep making the car better along the way. We were able to build some momentum today and come out of this race smarter so we’ll be ready to carry that momentum to Pocono.

First pit stop.

Last stop--lap 205.

9:30 a.m.

It's race day! And a rainy one so far. Just made a dash from the car to the transporter. A warm-up lap, if you'd like to call it that! 

The No. 83 guys were here late last night working hard on the car, so we're looking forward to seeing what we can do in the race. I'll be working on finding the best line early on and using what I learned yesterday during the heat races to move up the field. 

Hope to see you at the IndyCar autograph session at 10:30 and the Novo Nordisk Tunnel at 11:30, both in the Fan Village! 

Saturday, June 22

8:07 p.m.

Tonight’s heat race wasn’t exactly ideal. We tried to go for it a little bit on the start and got chopped a little bit. We have some work to do tonight to be ready for tomorrow, but I have learned a lot. There were a couple hairy moments with as hot as it is and the wind blowing like it is. The car was sliding around a little bit but we’ll make it better for tomorrow and we’ll go racing. It looks like we'll start from 17th, so we'll make up spots from there.

1:15 p.m.
We had a decent practice session earlier today; we were happy with the progress we made throughout the session and I think the No. 83 car will be quick for the heat races later on.

We're on track next at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) for qualifying. Check out this RACER article on the physical demands here at Iowa Speedway... featuring an interview with my engineer Brad!

Getting set for practice.

Looking over data while No. 83 crew makes changes.

Leaving pit lane at Iowa Speedway.

9:30 a.m.

Good morning! It's already a bit and humid day here in Newton for practice and the heat races... Gives a literal sense of "heat" to the heat races later today for sure! 

I had a great dinner last night and took a nice walk around Newton. Today I'm back in race mode and am in engineering meetings until our first practice at 10:45. Check racecontrol.indycar.com for live timing and follow @racewithinsulin on Twitter for more updates!

Need a refresher on how the heat races will work? Check out IndyCar.com's article here.

Friday, June 21
12:05 p.m.
I had a great time at the Novo Nordisk event last night in Mason City! Thanks to everyone who came out. We hope to see you here at the track this weekend.

Today is set-up day which means I get to spend a lot of time with my engineers going over data from last year and getting mentally prepped for the race weekend ahead. But first, it's time for lunch!

Thursday, June 20
2:00 p.m.
Hello from Iowa! I just arrived from Indy for an appearance later on today with Novo Nordisk. If you're in the Mason City area, come see me!

I'm really looking forward to getting back on track at Iowa Speedway. Last year we had a pretty good race weekend, running inside the top-10 with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car getting better and better every lap. With the short ovals like this, it's all about navigating through traffic while keeping a good pace and making moves where you can. I think the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is ready to get back out there and start building some momentum for the second half of the IndyCar season.

Here's a race weekend schedule so you can follow along (all times Central):
Saturday, June 22
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Practice
3:00 - 3:45 p.m.  Qualifying
5:45 - 7:15 p.m.  Heat Races (live broadcast via IndyCar.com & INDYCAR 13 app)
Sunday, June 23
10:30 a.m.  IndyCar driver autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
11:30 a.m.  Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
1:30 p.m.  Iowa Corn Indy 250 - Live on ABC
Timing available for all on-track sessions available via Race Control.

Halfway: Improvements and Opportunities

After the checkered flag at the Milwaukee Mile, the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series hit its halfway point. Eight races down, eight to go. Never enough for sure! The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team has made a lot of progress over the first half of this year... four top-10 finishes, a solid result at the Indianapolis 500, stronger qualifying efforts, and an overall better team confidence. There are definitely still plenty of areas where we're looking to improve such as consistency with qualifying, taking bolder yet smart opportunities on track, and recovering quickly from missteps.

So, what's next? We're all working hard toward the podium and getting back into the top-10 in championship points. And that started as soon as I stepped out of the car on Saturday. On to Iowa!

Starting off the season in sunny St. Pete.
(Photo copyright LAT Photo USA)

Team effort at Barber--and a 4th place finish for the No. 83 team.
(Photo copyright LAT Photo USA)

Blue wheels for diabetes awareness at Long Beach.
(Photo copyright LAT Photo USA)

Getting suited up in Sao Paulo.

"Quiet" moments (in front of thousands) before the Indy 500 with crew chief Mark.
(Photo copyright LAT Photo USA)

Deja vu -- a few laughs with the No. 83 team before race 2 at Detroit.

Under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway.

Checking data during practice in Milwaukee. Always looking to improve.

Want to see more photos? Click here.

Live from Trackside - Milwaukee IndyFest

Saturday, June 15

6:15 p.m.

There are definitely a lot of lessons to be learned that we’ll take from today, finishing up 17th after a rough race. We just have to figure out what they are and make the most of them moving forward. We’re looking forward to making our way to Iowa so we can make the changes and we’ll go racing.

Pre-race at The Mile.

Pit stop.

11 a.m.
It's race day! It's a bit overcast at the moment here at the Milwaukee Mile. It rained earlier this morning but it looks like we might get lucky and have a dry track for the race later on today.

Because of engine changes, we'll actually start P21. I think with good strategy, pit stops and a consistent car, we'll be able to move up and get a good result out of this weekend. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is always working hard, so I know we'll be ready to go at the green flag.

I just got out of the drivers meeting and I'm headed to meet with my engineers before the autograph session at noon. Be sure to tune into the Milwaukee IndyFest on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. Central. Follow me on Twitter @racewithinsulin for updates from my Pit Lane Reporter, too!

Friday, June 14
6:00 p.m.
Overall, today’s been pretty good. We had a pretty good qualifying run, and we spent a lot of time focusing on the race car today in practice. It wasn’t great but we made a lot of progress with it and I think we’re in really good shape heading into tomorrow. I know the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys will do a really great job in the pit lane, both in our strategy and in our pit stops, so we’re in a good position to go racing tomorrow starting from P22.

Off to dinner with some great friends from Novo Nordisk!

Practice pit stop.

Making changes during practice.

Checking data during a yellow.

9:05 a.m.

It's a beautiful morning here at the Milwaukee Mile! Yesterday evening I did a video shoot for NBC Sports Network on the track's tight pit lane space, airing during their coverage this weekend. After that, I had a great time catching up with family and ate some amazing pizza (try Balistreris if you're in town)!

I just finished up with a media availability. One of the reporters asked about what I would do if I go back to college, and I said "something cool like math or science." In a room full of journalists and English majors, I got quite a few blank stares!

We'll have two practice sessions, at 10 and 1, before qualifying at 4:15 (Central). Check racecontrol.indycar.com for live timing and scoring, and catch NBC Sports Network's coverage of qualifying at 7 pm Eastern.

Shooting a piece for NBC Sports Network on Thursday.

Thursday, June 13
1:45 p.m.
Hello from the historic Milwaukee Mile! I got to the track about an hour ago, after taking some time to relax this morning before the No. 83 team arrived from Indy. The event with Novo Nordisk last night went really well--they had tons of people come out to the health fair, despite the rain, and I think the kids had a good time. I also got to see a family that is really special to me who live up here in Wisconsin, the Heaths. They always brighten my day!

On another note, it was tough to hear the news of losing Jason Leffler last night. This sport we all love so much can be so cruel. I'll definitely be thinking of his family today.

On today's agenda is time with my engineers and crew, a video shoot for NBC Sports Network, then dinner with family at a really great local pizza place. Can't wait to get on track tomorrow!

Wednesday, June 12
11:00 a.m.
My race weekend is starting bit early... I'm driving up to Milwaukee in a bit for an appearance with Novo Nordisk and JDRF later today. If you're in the area, I hope to see you at 7 p.m. tonight at the State Fair Park! Details are here.

I'm looking forward to going back to the Milwaukee Mile this weekend. Last year we didn't have the best luck on yellows and pit strategy, but the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car was fast and I think with another good qualifying effort we can race up front again. The Mile is just one of those tracks where anything can happen, and it's always a great show for the fans too. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will be ready to go for a good result!

Here's a race weekend schedule (all times local/Central):
Friday, June 14
10-11 a.m.  Practice
1-2 p.m.  Practice
2:30 p.m.  Appearance at Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel (in INDYCAR Fan Village)
4:15-5:30 p.m.  Qualifying (broadcast on NBC Sports Network at 6 p.m. Central)
Saturday, June 15
12-1 p.m.  IndyCar driver autograph session (in INDYCAR Fan Village)
3-6 p.m.  Milwaukee IndyFest race (broadcast live on NBC Sports Network)
Catch live timing and scoring for all on-track sessions here.

Follow my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR) on Twitter @racewithinsulin for updates during on-track sessions too!

Live from Trackside - Firestone 550

Saturday, June 8

10:15 p.m.

It’s a little disappointing for the No. 83 team tonight because we had a great car and the crew did a really great job in the pits. I have no complaints with where we are, we just didn’t quite catch the yellows. We have had a lot of races where strategy and yellows have worked to our advantage, but tonight it just didn’t quite work out. We had a really good car, we just struggled a little bit with stuff out of our control. That’s fine. We’ll focus on the fact that we had a really good car. There was a stint we went past the car leading and drove away. I think it bodes well for the future, so I’m looking forward to going to Milwaukee next week since we had a really good test there and we’ll go racing.

Pre-race

Pit stop by the No. 83 crew

1:30 p.m.

It's race day! Just arrived at Texas Motor Speedway after a good nights rest and a good lunch. Beautiful weather so far... I think it will be a nice evening for the fans. 

This afternoon I have a couple of appearances and an autograph session before I jump in the car for the race. We'll have a good start from 8th, but as we know anything can happen here. It will be interesting to see how the cars handle toward the end of each stint to tonight. 

Be sure to tune in today at 8:30 pm Eastern live on ABC, and follow me on Twitter (@racewithinsulin) for updates during the race from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR)! 

Friday, June 7

4:30 p.m.

I’m reasonably happy with qualifying today. We spent the whole hour and a half of practice working on the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car for the race tomorrow night, when it really counts. So, we kind of knew what we had but weren’t exactly sure. Overall, I’m pretty happy with that. We can continue to work on the race car tonight and be in good shape for tomorrow, starting from P8.

For now, I'm headed into an engineering meeting then hanging with fans at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel in the INDYCAR Fan Village at 5:30 pm. We'll go back out for a half-hour practice under the lights at 6:45. 

Practice 

Pre-qualifying

Thursday, June 6
10:30 a.m.
Just landed here at DFW and am heading into the track. Looks like we'll have some pretty decent weather this weekend... any time the temps are under 95 degrees at Texas Motor Speedway, it will be a good weekend for those of us in firesuits!

Coming off of two recent top-10 finishes, the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team has some good momentum going as we head to Texas this weekend. Texas Motor Speedway is always a challenging track for us drivers, but that's what makes it a great race for fans. Last year we had a good race car but unfortunately just got caught up with issues in traffic. I think the No. 83 car will be fast again, and hopefully we can continue moving up the field to gain some more points toward the championship.

If you haven't yet, check out this piece on my engineer Brad on the Texas Motor Speedway site!

Here's your race weekend schedule (all times local/Central):
Friday, June 7
12:30-1:45 pm  Practice
3:30-5 pm  Qualifying
5:30 pm  Appearance at the Novo Nordisk FlexPen Tunnel in the INDYCAR Fan Village
6:45-7:15 pm  Practice
Saturday, June 8
3-4 pm  IndyCar autograph session in the INDYCAR Fan Village
7:30 pm  Firestone 550 race, live on ABC
Timing and scoring for all on-track session available here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @racewithinsulin for updates from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR)!