Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Iowa Advance Notes
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[/media-credit]Race: Iowa Corn Indy 250 (Saturday June 23 at 10:00 PM ET, NBC Sports Network)
Track: Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile oval)
Location: Newton, IA
NOTES/NEWS
Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Charlie Kimball and Graham Rahal.
Team Manager Mitch Davis on Iowa: “The racing at Iowa Speedway is great for the fans. Competing at night under the lights at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 is one of the most exciting races of the IZOD IndyCar Series season for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. Charlie and the team tested at Iowa last week and are looking forward to a very competitive weekend. The new Heat Races will give us a chance to tune our car for the race.”
The Heat is On: In a departure from single-car qualifications, three heat races will be held June 22 to set the starting grid for the 250-lap race. Qualification groups will be determined by lap times recorded by entries in the second (45-minute) practice session earlier in the day (3:30 p.m. ET). Qualifications are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. Race one, will consist of the even-numbered positions, starting with the 10th-quickest practice time, and determine the even-numbered positions in the starting field from 10th down. Race two, will consist of the odd-numbered positions, starting with the ninth-quickest practice time, and determine the odd-numbered positions in the starting field from ninth down. Race three will consist of drivers ranked one through eight from the practice. Results of race three will determine the first four rows, with the winner taking the pole position.
Break it Down: Pursuant to input from IZOD IndyCar Series drivers and team engineers, INDYCAR has directed a maximum rear flap angle of 37 degrees with no wicker allowed for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. The rule will reduce downforce available by about eight-to-nine percent.
Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 63 points, closing in on Chevrolet with 69. Lotus remains third with 32 points.
There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently re-launched an updated mobile application, which is one of the first for the high-velocity world of racing. The application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of CGRT. The unique mobile application conveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS), IZOD IndyCar Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports CarSeries. Click here to visit the iTunes Application store and download the CGRT mobile app.
CHARLIE KIMBALL AND THE NO. 83 NOVO NORDISK TEAM
Follow Charlie on Twitter: Follow @racewithinsulin for updates as the driver of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPenHonda completes his sophomore year with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Living in the Fast Lane with Diabetes: Follow Kimball’s live blog at www.CharlieKimball.com for race weekend schedules, post-practice thoughts, race day preparations, and behind-the-scenes photos.
INDYCAR 36 Follows Charlie: The sixth episode of the show “IndyCar 36” will feature Kimball and the Novo Nordisk team and will debut in Iowa as the lead-in to the Iowa Corn Indy 250 race coverage at 7:30pm ET on Saturday, June, 23. The NBC Sports Network original series “IndyCar 36”, produced by IMS Productions, gives viewers an all-access pass into the life of a world-class driver in the middle of race season. The “IndyCar 36” cameras follow a driver for 36 hours during a race weekend providing a behind-the-scenes look at the on and off-track activities of the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series. The programs are a must watch for any racing fan to understand the high-pressure environment of professional racing, even before the starting positions are earned and victory laps are completed.
Kimball Honored with Jefferson Award: Kimball was chosen as one of three winners of the 2012 Jefferson Award – the Top Professional Athlete Award for Excellence in Service and Philanthropy. The Jefferson Awards are a national prize for public service that was co-founded 40 years ago by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The awards are presented on two levels: national and local, beginning in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities. Individuals that have been honored with the award in the past include; Payton Manning, Sandra Day O’Connor and Colin Powell. This year, additional honorees included; General David Petreaus, Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., retired NHL athlete, Pat Lafontaine, and retired Hall of Fame Bills quarterback, Jim Kelly. Each year, 10 athletes are recognized with the award but only two or three are honored in-person as winning recipients. Recipients of the 2012 Jefferson Awards accepted their honors last Tuesday in Washington during a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and at an evening celebration at Constitution Hall, where honorees were provided a medal and a certificate. Learn more about the Jefferson Awards: http://www.jeffersonawards.org/
Kimball on the Jefferson Awards: “It was an absolute honor to receive the Jefferson Award as recognition for my work with Novo Nordisk in the diabetes community. To be included in such an inspirational group of people is truly special. I am very blessed to be able to do what I love and at the same time inspire people to overcome obstacles and live their dreams.”
Kimball Behind-the-Scenes:Kimball and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew are featured in a 60-second national television spot, which began running during the week of February 27 and will continue to air for several months. In addition, Novo Nordisk will be running videos about NovoLog FlexPen featuring Kimball and the NNCGR team at track-side events throughout the season.
Welcome to the Team: Novo Nordisk recently expanded its motorsports initiatives to include an official partnership with INDYCAR as the official diabetes care sponsor of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Novo Nordisk entered the sport in 2009 as the primary sponsor of Kimball in Firestone Indy Lights and advanced to the IZOD IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011, where Kimball became the first licensed INDYCAR driver with diabetes to finish the Indianapolis 500.
Milwaukee Recap: Kimball finished 17th in the Milwaukee IndyFest at The Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin. The finish came in his 25th career IZOD IndyCar Series start and his second at The Milwaukee Mile. The Novo Nordisk team started the race from 18th and withstood incidents that caused five cautions totaling 51 laps on the one-mile oval. Kimball would battle for position on the traffic-filled oval, running as high as fifth-position in the final 52 laps of the 225-lap race. He would spend 57 laps in the top-16 but made his final pit stop on lap 175. He fought for position in the final stages of the race and finished in 17th position.
In the Points: Following Milwaukee, Kimball moves from 14th position to 15th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 145 markers, -129 points behind points leader Will Power.
A Perfect 10: Kimball has top-10 finishes in four of the eight IZOD IndyCar Series races this season, which already doubles his previously tally of two top-10 results in 2011.
Iowa Rewind: Kimball started the 250-lap race from 21st and maintained a steady pace until the first caution came out on lap 29. The No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car came in for its first scheduled pit stop under the yellow, but the No.12 car exited their pit box early and made contact with Kimball, causing damage to aerodynamic pieces and the radiator. The Novo Nordisk team repaired the No. 83 car, allowing Kimball to make his way back out on the 0.875-mile oval on lap 98. The Novo Nordisk team deemed the damage too severe and ended their race under the lights on lap 133, which resulted in a 22nd-place finish.
Oval Stats: Kimball has 10 starts at oval tracks in his IZOD IndyCar career. In those 10 starts he has accumulated two top-10s, five top-15 finishes and led three laps. He has an average start of 18.7 and an average finish of 16.9.
Kimball on Iowa: “I’m looking forward to going back to 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.”
About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 14 championships and 147 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and four Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.
For more information log onto chipganassiracing.com
