The best alternative to boating on the water? A boat show!

Thanks to our friend the Groundhog, it seems as though we've got at least six more weeks of winter before we can get back out on the water. Thankfully, I'll get my "boat fix" in a couple of weeks at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show! I'll be hanging out with the Mid-Indiana Marine and Axis Wake folks, and I hope to see you there too! I might even have some hats and goodies to sign and give away.

Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show
Indiana State Fairgrounds
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2-4 p.m.
Mid-Indiana Marine booth #402
For ticket information, please click here.

#ThrowbackThursday - Race With Insulin edition

Happy #ThrowbackThursday! Today's post comes from Feb. 15, 2013 when Novo Nordisk, Chip Ganassi Racing and I announced a special Race With Insulin Unites initiative. It was really cool to see the support for the diabetes community from the entire CGR team--IndyCar, NASCAR and GRAND-AM. We followed up the announcement in April with all CGR cars sporting the blue circle wheels! 

To learn more about Race With Insulin, click here.

Learn more here. Photo via LAT USA Photography.

#ThrowbackThursday - Media Edition

It's Thursday, so you know what that means... #ThrowbackThursday time!

Today's post is from 2008, my first season back at the race track after being diagnosed with diabetes. I signed with Prema Powerteam to compete in the Formula 3 Euro Series and went on to secure a podium finish at the opening round of the season, held at Hockenheimring. The photo below is the press conference following the podium ceremonies. That experience definitely helped me realized that with the right prep and support, I can perform just as well with diabetes as without!

Click here to read my press release.

Out of the office and ready for some sun!

If you were to email me within the next week, you'd likely get my out of office auto reply! I'm headed south today for fun in the sunshine, sand and water. It's been a tough winter here in Indy, so I'm definitely thankful for the chance to thaw out and recharge my solar batteries before the IndyCar season starts back up. I know as soon as I get back from vacation, I'll be itching to get back into the No. 83 car for testing at Fontana and Sonoma in a couple of weeks!

Where is your favorite place to vacation? Or do you prefer to relax near home and lay low?

A stop in Phoenix and the Motor City

2014 is definitely up and rolling! After the Sebring test, I spent a few days at home in Indy before going to Phoenix for an appearance with Novo Nordisk. It's true--there's nothing I'd rather do than race cars, but it's also great to have the opportunity to speak in front of engaged groups like last Thursday!

From Phoenix, I went straight to the frozen tundra currently known as Detroit for a few appearances and media events with Team Chevy and the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, along with Juan Pablo Montoya. In the morning we made a few stops at local TV and radio stations then toured the Shinola factory. That was super cool! For someone like me who enjoys all things engineering, being able to see how they create and put together the watches was awesome. After the tour, they gave me my very own Shinola watch--massive thanks to them!

FOX2 with Montoya. (photo via @DetroitGP)

Very intricate job! (photo via @DetroitGP)

Thanks Shinola for this beauty--love the colors!

We headed to the North American International Auto Show for the afternoon, and wow, I could have spent all day just wandering around! It was really fun to meet fans and chat with Team Chevy reps on stage, surrounded by all of their impressive machines.

At the auto show with Montoya. (photo via @DetroitGP)

When I returned home to Indy, I was greeted by a brand new plaque from the USF2000 Championship! I'm really honored to be a part of their Hall of Fame. I have a lot of good memories from my 2003 season with them.

Hall of Fame-r!

Stay warm, everyone!

Are you a VIP? You can be, at Wheels & Wings!

I'll be hanging out at Wheels & Wings on Saturday, Feb. 8, and I want to see YOU there too! The event benefits Nine13sports and Flight1, two non-profit organizations that support and provide some pretty cool opportunities for youth here in central Indiana. And... they gave me three pairs of VIP tickets to give away. Awesome!

When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 8-11 p.m. (VIP access at 7 p.m.)
Where: Speak Easy, 5255 Winthrop Ave., Indianapolis
What: A night of  a night of celebrating the wheels and wings that support youth across central Indiana. Live music, silent auction, drinks served by Sun King Brewing, and more.

How to win: 
1. Follow me on Twitter (@CharlieKimball).
2. I'll send out three tweets about the event, at different times/days... just retweet one of my messages!
3. I'll pick a random retweet-er on Friday, Jan. 24, Monday, Jan. 27 and Wednesday, Jan. 29. Each winner will receive a pair of VIP tickets to the event.
Fine print: You have to be 21 years or older and already plan to be in the Indy area on Feb. 8 to win. 

Good luck!

Click here for more info!

Visit me at the auto show in Detroit with Team Chevy!

I'll be dressed in my finest "bowtie" (or perhaps just a new team shirt) for my first Team Chevy public appearance this Friday! Come see me at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit at the Chevrolet display and WXYZ stage. I'm joining fellow IndyCar driver Juan Pablo Montoya, as well as Cadillac Racing World Challenge drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim, for a full day of media and fun. Details are below... hope to see you there!

Friday, January 24
North American International Auto Show
Cobo Center
One Washington Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48226
Tickets and additional information available here.
Click here for a show map.

11 a.m. - 12 p.m.  Autograph session at the Chevrolet display.
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.  Q&A and autograph session with Team Chevy at the WXYZ stage (Michigan Hall).

Testing, testing, 1-2-3...

Happy Monday! We're fresh off a test day at Sebring on Friday, our first as a four car team. It went pretty well for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team, as well as the Chip Ganassi Racing teams as a whole. I think we really fed off each other, and the day went reasonably flawlessly as far as on-track mechanical stuff. It’s nice to really get into the meat of it with the Chevy. The little bit of running we did before Christmas was an introduction and now we can dig our teeth into it, start to work on the car and get a direction to head before we get towards any more serious pre-season stuff. I’m pretty happy with the day. I’m really happy with how we worked as a team. I think that bodes well for us as the season gets going!

I can’t go without saying how much we appreciated having Dario around actually for additional perspective. He is very good at that, and it was super helpful.

This week I'm back in the gym before heading off to Phoenix for an appearance with Novo Nordisk, then I'm up to Detroit for a couple of appearances with Team Chevy on Friday! Looking forward to it!

First test of the year... check!

#ThrowbackThursday - A look back at the blog

This week's #ThrowbackThursday is a look back at a blog post from January 2011. One thing I like about blogging is the fact that I can relive a part of the past; some parts that I remember clearly, some that I may have forgotten until the words spark my memory.

I chose this specific post because it reminded me of how things are both the same and so different than just three years ago! Today I arrived in Sebring for the No. 83 team's test of the year but unlike my first test in 2011, I now have one IndyCar win, more confidence and a good deal of experience as I head out on track tomorrow. Not to get all mushy, but it's great to look back and look ahead to more success!

CLICK HERE to read my #ThrowbackThursday blog post from Jan. 31, 2011.

#ThrowbackThursday - "caption this" edition!

What were my engineer Brad and I talking about during the St. Petersburg race weekend in 2011? Tell me on my Facebook page here!

Photo via LAT USA Photography