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[/media-credit]Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Texas Advance Notes
Race: Firestone 550, Saturday June 9 (8:00 PM ET, NBC Sports Network)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5 mile oval)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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 Texas: “Racing at the Texas Motor Speedway is always a great show. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is looking forward to some great side-by-side racing. Charlie has had three top-10 finishes in the last three events and we are getting close to a win. The track at Texas Motor Speedway is a great place to showcase the Honda V6 Twin-Turbo.”
Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 42, closing in on Chevrolet with 48. Lotus remains third with 24 points. Honda-powered drivers have led 330 laps this season, while Chevrolet drivers have led a total of 126 laps. Race lap leaders for Honda include Scott Dixon (196), Takuma Sato (58), Dario Franchitti (29), Simon Pagenaud (26), Justin Wilson (15), Charlie Kimball (3), Alex Tagliani (2) and Graham Rahal (1).
Don’t Mess With Texas: Honda has won eight times in 12 IZOD IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, both as the single engine supplier to the series and against other engine manufacturers.
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 applicationconveys 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 FlexPen Honda completes his sophomore year with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
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 will follow a driver for thirty-six 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.
Belle Isle Recap: Kimball matched his career-best finish of eighth in the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. He previously matched the career-best finish at both the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and at the Indianapolis 500, making Belle Isle the third consecutive race he has hit his career-best finish of eighth. The finish came in his 23rd career IZOD IndyCar Series start and his first-ever start on the Streets of Belle Isle. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team started from 21st position and worked the No.83 NovoLog FlexPen car into the top-10 within the first 28 laps. Due to deteriorating track conditions, the race was red flagged 45 laps into the 90-lap event for track repair. After a two-hour delay, the race was resumed for 15 laps, taking the race to a final 60-lap distance. Coming out of the delay, Kimball would advance three positions from 11th to eighth within the first five laps.
Heating Up: The “Heat Index” measures the advancement of drivers in each IZOD IndyCar Series race. Last weekend, at Belle Isle, Kimball was one of four drivers to advance 12 positions relative to their starting spot. In moving up those 12 positions, Kimball matched his career-best finish of eighth for the third consecutive race at a track he was competing on for the first time.
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.
Social Media History: Throughout the month of May, Kimball served as the first-ever Twitter reporter for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As IMS’ only Twitter reporter for the month, Kimball offered fans an exclusive, all-access pass to the Indianapolis 500 from a driver’s perspective. The driver of the No.83 answered fanquestions and shared behind-the-scenes photos for a peek into the life of a driver. Kimball’s Twitter reporter duties for the Indy 500 are over, but it’s not too late to follow him at: @racewithinsulin.
Kimball Behind-the-Scenes: Kimball and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew is 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.
In the Points: Following Belle Isle, Kimball moved from 15th position to 11th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 120 markers, -112 points behind the leader.
A Perfect 10: Kimball has scored top-10 finishes in four of the six IZOD IndyCar Series races this season, which is already double the total of top-10 finishes he had in his whole rookie season last year.
Oval Strength: After giving Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda a sweep of the fastest laps during the IZOD IndyCar Series open test at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the season, Kimball scored his best finish on an oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as leading laps for the first time in his IndyCar Series career.
Texas History: Last season Kimball completed his first doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway finishing 30th and 23rd-place in the two races. Kimball started 17th in the first of the 114-lap two-race event on the 1.5-mile oval, marking the best qualifying result of the season for the IZOD IndyCar Series rookie. During the first race, the No.83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen car would maintain a steady pace inside of the top-25 until contact with another car would cause Kimball to hit the wall and end his run in the initial duel. The Firestone Twin 275s halftime show highlighted a random draw to determine the starting grid for the second duel which put Kimball eighth in the line-up. Kimball took the green flag for the finale and would find a solid, consistent line in the No. 83 car while lacking radio communication to his Novo Nordisk team. The 114-lap sprint would end without any cautions allowing Kimball to cross the finish line in 23rd-place.
Career at Texas: The Firestone 550 will mark Kimball’s third start at Texas Motor Speedway. His best finish of 23rd came at the Firestone Twin 275s in 2011.
Kimball on Texas: “I’m looking forward to going back to Texas Motor Speedway for the race this weekend. We had a really good test there, before the Indianapolis 500, and we’re building momentum this season. Every race we’ve seen the checkered flag we’ve finished within the top-10 so we plan on keeping the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car up front. After being in the top-10, now I’m ready for the top-five. From there it’s easy to make the next step to the podium and eventually a race win, but we have to stay smart. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team is working hard and we’ll carry that positive energy on to 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
