Check out my brand new website!

New season, new website! Yes, you aren't imagining it... CharlieKimball.com was recently redesigned by the talented guys at UnCommon Thinking. As part of the redesign, my blog and news page have moved HERE. Be sure to update your bookmarks as this blog will no longer be updated. 

Stop by the new CharlieKimball.com and take a look! While you're there, sign up to receive my race updates via email. You can still follow me on Twitter (@racewithinsulin and @CharlieKimball) and on Facebook.

Thanks for the continued support!

Live from Trackside – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Saturday, March 29
3:40 p.m.
IndyCar just sent out an update... if the weather cooperates, we'll qualify at 5 p.m. Eastern. Thanks to all of the fans here in St. Pete for sticking it out with us! And thanks to those at home for following along. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car will be ready to go!

Post-weather delay prep.

2:10 p.m.
Well, we are definitely on a weather delay here in St. Pete. We've had some severe weather alerts in the area so fans and teams have taken cover while we wait it out. Firestone tires are the best in the business, but I'm not sure even their rain tires would help us out too much right now! Assuming we don't get to qualify today, tomorrow's race will be set by the 2013 entrant points. So, we'd start 10th. For now, the delay gives us more time with the engineers and team.

If you haven't done so already, be sure to read this piece from today's Tampa Bay Times on the relationship between drivers and engineers.  Thanks to Jim for talking to me and my engineer Brad!

11:45 a.m.
Unfortunately we didn't quite have the right setup for morning practice but I think with Ryan topping the chart, we'll have some good data to look at and learn from before qualifying. The weather is a big unknown at the moment--the forecast is showing rain and storms for this afternoon, so we'll have to adjust as the time comes.

Check out live timing and scoring HERE for qualifying at 2 p.m. Eastern. I'm in Group 2 for Round 1.

Where'd the sun go?

8:30 a.m.

Starting out day two well-rested and ready to go for qualifying! We'll be in group two along with Dixon, so we'll be able to work together there a bit. Hopefully with the rain the track comes back grip-wise. As we get closer to qualifying later today, we'll be paying close attention to the weather forecast and see how that plays out. For qualifying we'll work to max the alternate tires and make the most of what we have.

Follow along all day via Race Control at IndyCar.com!

Friday, March 28

4:00 p.m.
We had a really good first day. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car made a lot of progress and we got some great data from our teammates. I have full confidence that we’ll come back tomorrow strong.

For now, I have a pretty open afternoon which means more time in the engineering office!

Waiting on pit lane before the green flag.

Heading back out on track!

12:45 p.m.
Grabbing a quick lunch before we head back out!

We didn't quite get everything accomplished that we wanted to in practice 1, but I'm confident moving forward that we'll be making gains in practice 2. We came back and looked at the data for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car, as well as the 8, 9 and 10 cars, so we have some good information to go on. We'll go out for this next session looking to move up the time sheet and learn for qualifying tomorrow.

Be sure to follow @racewithinsulin on Twitter--my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR) is updating for me while I'm on the track!

Getting set for practice.

Coming in after a run.

All done--ready to debrief.

Chatting with engineers Brad and Kate.

9:20 a.m.
Good morning! Just about to get going here in St. Pete. After a few interviews yesterday afternoon, my engineer and I took a walk around the track to get some visuals for this weekend. We had a good meeting this morning, going over procedures and protocols for this season. All in all, I think we're in good shape!

Live timing and scoring for both practice sessions (10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern) is available at IndyCar.com. Enjoy!

No. 83 car on the setup pad.

Thursday, March 27
1:00 p.m.
Good afternoon from St. Petersburg! I made a visit to WTSP-TV Studio 10 this morning to chat with host Jerome Ritchey. He closely follows IndyCar racing so he’s always a lot of fun to talk to before we get the race weekend started. To check out the segment, click here.

After a quick breakfast, I’ve been spending time at the track with my engineers before the track walk later today. We always say it's a long off-season, but with it being such a tough winter in Indy, I'm more than ready to be back at a race track. That said, the whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team worked really hard throughout the off-season at the shop, in the gym, in the engineering office, to get us ready. With the additions of Ryan and Tony, we have just that much more experience and data to draw from, along with Scott's championship-winning team. It's been great working with Team Chevy in just the few tests we've had so far, and I think we can only build from here. I've had my ups and downs here at St. Pete, but we've always had the speed. We'll work on getting the right setup for qualifying from the start, and I know the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car will be fast during the race.

Thanks for the support throughout the off-season! Can’t wait to meet you at the track this season. Don’t forget to follow @racewithinsulin on Twitter… my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR) is back for updates during on-track sessions!

Here’s our race weekend schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, March 28
10-10:45 a.m. Practice
2-2:45 p.m. Practice
Saturday, March 29
10-10:45 a.m. Practice
2-3:10 p.m. Qualifying
4:30-5:30 p.m. Autograph session (in the INDYCAR Fan Village)
Sunday, March 30
9:45-10:15 a.m. Warm-up
3 p.m. Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race (live on ABC)

All sessions and the race are broadcast by IMS Radio Network in conjunction with live timing and scoring HERE and via the INDYCAR 14 app. The IMS Radio Network race broadcast also is on member stations, Sirius 209 and XM 209.

Attention fans in Tampa Bay: Tune in!

My race weekend is starting bright and early tomorrow… I’ll be heading to the WTSP Studio 10 studios for a segment with my good friend (and big IndyCar follower) Jerome Ritchey. I’ll be talking to him about the start of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season, all of the fun things I’m doing with Novo Nordisk this year, and of course the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. I’ve even got a special surprise for Jerome this year. Let’s just say he should brush up on his tire-changing skills!

Tune in to WTSP-TV (CBS) at 9 a.m. Eastern to catch us live! Online video for those in other areas will be available in the afternoon.

Barber showers bring Team Chevy powers

The Verizon IndyCar Series open test went well earlier this week. It was a little unfortunate about the weather being damp and cool and to not get as much running as we would have liked, but we still made the most of it and definitely took some steps forward.

We'll get four Chevy V6 twin turbos to use all season. Race engine number one was in the car at the open test and it ran great (more about their 2014 engines here). We are really excited to be a part of Team Chevy. While at Barber, I got a chance to hear a little about what Chevy Performance has coming down the pipeline in the coming years, both in their street cars and their race programs. We're enjoying working with Ilmor, Pratt and Miller as well as Chevrolet Racing.

We may have missed getting the best lap time when the track was at its best, as it was cool and damp toward the end of the day, but overall the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen team is excited about heading into St. Pete... I know the whole Chip Ganassi Racing team is ready to go!

The season opener is coming up quickly and I'm not complaining one bit! To hear more about the upcoming season, listen to last night's interview with Drafting the Circuits here.

Practice at Barber on Tuesday - Photo via INDYCAR

Testing at Barber Motorsports Park - Photo via INDYCAR

No. 83 team prepping the car on Tuesday - Photo via @CGRteams

Chris Berube of Chevrolet Racing showing off the 2014 race engine - Photo via IndyCar.com

And our #NameMyAxis winner is...

Congrats to Britany Kirshman Speas, the grand prize winner of the #NameMyAxis contest! Her boat name entry, "Open Wheel Escape," was selected last week as a semi-finalist for my new Axis A24, and with 62% of the fan votes, she is now the grand prize winner!

Thanks to the fans who submitted more than 100 entries, and thanks to the 250-plus fans who voted for the finalists! I appreciate the support and hope you enjoyed the contest. More fun to come this season!

Name My Axis!

Wednesday, March 12
UPDATE! 
Wow, I can't believe we received more than 100 entries! Thanks to all who submitted ideas for #NameMyAxis. I've selected four names... click below to vote for your favorite! And congrats to our four finalists: Nancy E. (Axis & Allies), Colene E. (Bittersweet Apex), Britany K. (Wheel Escape), and Mark T. (Tangerine Dream). The grand prize winner will be announced next Wednesday, March 19!

Wednesday, March 5

We're about 15 days away from the first day of spring... just that much closer to getting my brand new Axis A24 out on the water. But first, it needs a name and I'd like your help!

Want to win? Here's how it works:

1. Submit your entry via Facebook HERE by Tuesday, March 11 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
2. I will hand select four entries as finalists and announce on Wednesday, March 12 at noon Eastern.
3. Fans will vote on the four finalists' entries by Tuesday, March 18 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern... the name with the most votes will be announced as the grand prize winner on Wednesday, March 19 at noon Eastern!

Tell 'em what they've won, Johnny! 

• Four finalists will win signed a signed No. 83 1:64 diecast car.
• One grand prize winner will receive a bag of swag from Axis, a signed Charlie Kimball hat, and a signed helmet visor worn at the 2013 Grand Prix of Alabama (fourth place finish and all-around fun race).

Need some inspiration? Want to learn more about the Axis A24? Check it out here!

And now... #NameMyAxis is green, green, green! Submit your entries HERE now!

Fine print:

• You must be at least 13 years of age to enter and win (sorry--Facebook's rules).
• You may submit more than one entry but that does not necessarily increase your odds for winning. 
• We have the right to remove any public entries that are inappropriate or offensive... just keep it clean!
• This contest is not supported by or associated with my sponsors, Chip Ganassi Racing, or Novo Nordisk Inc.

Sparkles and connections

It's back down in the 20s here in Indy, so I thought it's a good time as any to "think warm" and talk boating! Last Saturday I hung out at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show with Mid-Indiana Marine and Axis Wake. As always, the folks at Mid-Indiana and Axis put on a really impressive display. I'm biased, but I think the best was to see this sparkly-orange Axis A24 when I arrived. Yes, I'll be taking this one out on the water this summer!

Being at the show with all of the beautiful boats made me really anxious to get on the water, so I'm already deep in planning a trip with friends for this summer!

Can't wait to get in the water!

Isn't she pretty?!

The boat show was really busy, and it was great to meet a lot of IndyCar fans and make some new connections. Thanks to the family wearing No. 83 shirts for stopping by! I even met a fellow type 1 named Britney. It always amazes me just how small all of my worlds are--from racing, to hobbies like boating, to the diabetes community--and how we're all connected!

Speaking of being connected, be sure you're following me on Twitter @racewithinsulin and on Facebook for updates from the track soon. This Saturday marks the first day of March which means it's almost time to go racing! Hope to see you at the track this season.

#ThrowbackThursday - birthday edition

I didn't strain too hard this #ThrowbackThursday... just throwin' it back to the 2013 Indianapolis 500! And since today is my birthday, I can take it easy, right?! Thanks for all of the messages on Twitter and Facebook. I appreciate it! Any advice as I enter the last year of my 20s? I think 29 is a good age to kiss the bricks!

May 26, 2013

#ICMediaDay 2014

It's that time of the pre-season again, when all of the drivers come out of hiding to participate in IndyCar's annual media day. We put on our new firesuits and our best smiles for the camera. This year we're in Orlando for the day... no complaints from me, as it's at least 40 degrees warmer than it has been at home in Indy!

Follow along today on Twitter with the hashtag #ICMediaDay, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter all season long for more updates at @racewithinsulin!

UPDATE!
We had a very productive day in Orlando--thanks to all of the members of the media for coming out. You can check out my full press transcript here via my friends at PaddockTalk.com.

Tweets about "#ICMediaDay"

A little IndyCar love

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm back in Indy after a trip out west for a couple of test days with the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team, Team Chevy, and my three teammates. We started in Fontana at Auto Club Speedway on Monday and I took my first laps around an oval with the Chevy engine. It's definitely different than what I was used to, but working with the other guys helped and we finished with a race-ready setup. After Fontana, I had a check-up appointment with my doctor then headed up north. On Wednesday we had a very successful test (after the fog cleared, of course) at Sonoma Raceway. The team had a long list of items to check off so we all worked together to get it done. We ended up with a pretty good pace to round out our time in Cali.

I came home to some fan mail, including this awesome drawing and letter from a young man named Caleb. Thanks Caleb! I'll hang this on my wall.

"Caleb & Mommy meeting Charlie"

Since it's Valentine's Day and I love IndyCar fans, I've got a few things to give away over on my Facebook page! Head on over to share this photo to win!

Have a great weekend, everyone!