Charlie Kimball looks to carry momentum to Long Beach this weekend
Last year, Charlie Kimball completed the IndyCar season with one podium finish – second at Toronto, and six top 10s in 15 races. After their season, Kimball and team went and did their homework, doing an intensive self-evaluation on the team.
“From driver, to management, to engineering, to mechanics,” he said. “And we all came up with ideas and started to put those in practice. We went testing before the Christmas break, and then coming out of Christmas and coming out of the winter, when we went to the open test at Barber, we went with a pretty decent car and continued to make it better, so that the momentum carrying from Barber into Long Beach is better than it’s ever been.
“We’re really proud of the progress we’ve made as a team, and I think that there’s no reason why we can’t continue to build positive results through the rest of the season.”
The result of the successful Barber test marked a fourth place finish for Kimball in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama two weeks ago. Kimball is now looking to take that momentum forward to Long Beach this weekend, a track in which he has now failed well at in his two starts due to mechanical issues.
“You have to take the positives, learn from the mistakes, and move forward,” he said. “The first practice at Long Beach, anything we did at Barber is irrelevant, as far as where we are on the timesheet. We have to take that, forget that and move forward. But also understand when we get, hopefully, into the Fast Six again in qualifying and racing up front when we learn from the strategy and weaknesses we’ve shown at Barber. I’ve learned about how to race up front a little bit better. So I think you take those lessons, remember them, and apply them, and that’s how you build that momentum.”
He added that in building momentum and continuing to run up front, you get comfortable with running up front in getting to know those from runners better and understanding risk vs. reward.
Kimball went on to say that he is more so looking back on the previous street-course event of the season at St. Petersburg where he finished 12th. He feels they were quicker than 12th, but had to work on some things. Therefore, he feels he can take the knowledge that he learned with running up front at Barber and apply that while growing stronger on the street courses as a driver.
Ganassi Racing went from a four car team to a three car team for 2013 and that has benefited Kimball. He says that it allows him to have a better opportunity to learn from his teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.
“Between sessions, if you have four‑car data to look at or only three‑car data, you have the same amount of time,” he said. “So to be able to pull highlights from Scott and from Dario, and have a little more time to talk to them individually, the communication has been a little easier definitely starting the season. I think the more that the 83 team is able to run up front, the more we’re contributing back to the 9 and 10 cars.”
However, with that said, he is looking forward to having Ryan Briscoe as a fourth teammate for the Indianapolis 500 in May.
“To have somebody of that caliber, to have last year’s pole sitter, the guy who won the race, and the guy who finished second last year to learn from, it’s definitely ‑‑ Chip Ganassi has built a very strong stable heading into the Month of May,” Kimball commented.
In his experience with working with Dixon and Franchitti so far, he says it’s not just one thing that they’ve taught him – but looking at how a team can work together to get better.
“I think that’s what Chip Ganassi Racing does best,” he said. “It’s got great people with all the tools that we need to go in, and sometimes you don’t know how best to use those tools. And watching Scott and Dario, they are masters at making the most of whatever the situation is.”
Kimball also recognizes that his time is now and he needs to perform.
“It’s my third year,” he said. “I’m not a rookie. I’m not a sophomore anymore. We have the experience as a group. We have the capability to run up front. So it’s time we did that.”
Talking Rear-Ends with Penske Racing and Hendrick Motorsports
This past weekend, Penske Racing was found in violation of NASCAR’s rear-end suspension policy. As per the report on SPEED during NASCAR Raceday, NASCAR did not approve of the way both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano’s rear-ends were bolted in. Reports since have stated that the rear-end housings were attached in a fashion that they might shift the rear-ends of the cars into yaw during competition.
Well this was something was allowed last year with the previous car, NASCAR wrote a new rule in the rulebook this year to prevent teams from doing that with the Generation Six car.
Section 20-12 of the rulebook states, “All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond normal rotation or suspension travel.”
As a result, both the No. 2 and No. 22 teams were assessed the following penalties as per NASCAR’s press release:
- Crew chief Paul Wolfe has been fined $100,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (including the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
- Car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and team manager Travis Geisler (serves as team manager for both the No. 2 and No. 22 cars) have been suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (including the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
- The loss of 25 championship driver (Brad Keselowski) and 25 championship owner (Roger Penske) points.
- Crew chief Todd Gordon has been fined $100,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (including the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
- Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley have been suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (including the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
- The loss of 25 championship driver (Joey Logano) and 25 championship owner (Walt Czarnecki) points.
Penske Racing has stated that they will appeal the penalties.
This entire scenario reminds us of what happened last year with Hendrick Motorsports with regards to the C-Posts of the car.
During last year’s pre-Daytona 500 qualifying inspection, NASCAR did not agree with the shape of the c-posts and requested that they be changed. The C-post is a piece of paneling towards the back of the car that connects the roof to the rear quarterpanel. The team modified the piece to gain an aerodynamic advantage.
As a result, Hendrick Motorsports was assessed penalties, which included a six week suspension for both crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, plus probation till May 9th. They also fined Knaus $100,000 while taking away 25 driver points from Johnson and 25 owner points from his owner, Jeff Gordon. In comparing to the penalties for Penske Racing, seems that NASCAR is being consistent for once.
Now, Hendrick Motorsports appealed the penalties and got the suspensions removed. Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook erased the 25 owner point penalty assessed to car owner Jeff Gordon, the 25 driver point penalty assessed to Jimmie Johnson, the six week suspension to crew chief Chad Knaus and the six week suspension to car chief Ron Malec.
However, there’s a difference in the penalties, besides the fact that they do with different parts of the car. Hendrick Motorsports was assessed their penalties during pre-qualifying inspection while Penske Racing was assessed their penalties during pre-race inspection. That means that both cars had passed pre-qualifying inspection without any problems. Was there a change in the rear of the cars over the course of the weekend? Hmm, that is yet to be seen.
If this is something that Penske Racing has done within the grey areas, expect the penalty to be changed. However, if this is something that is right against the rule, then expect the penalties to stay.
Though why bring up Hendrick Motorsports in talking of these penalties to Penske Racing? Funny you should ask ‘ol mighty one.
Last year following a race at Michigan International Speedway, Brad Keselowski made some choice comments about the rear suspension of the Hendrick Motorsports cars. Keselowski said that his team hadn’t tried to change rear-end setups because “there’s a question to the interpretation that as of right now it’s legal. We have not felt comfortable enough to risk that name and reputation that (team owner) Roger (Penske) has over those parts and pieces. Others have, which is their prerogative. I’m not going to slam them for it. But it’s living in a gray area.”
“Obviously, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who doesn’t believe the Hendrick cars were one of those groups, but I respect them and their ability to do those things and be innovators accordingly,” he added that. “So it’s our challenge to find that little bit of speed and have that true understanding of all the rules that it entails in that particular department, and that’s something that we’re watching. That’s what my comments were meant to say.”
He also said that Penske Racing doesn’t want to work in those gray areas, at that time. Hmm, isn’t it interesting to see the shoe placed on the other foot in the fact that Penske is pushing the envelope?
To add to that, following the race on Sunday and the penalties, Brad Keselowski had some comments to say towards NASCAR and their inspection policy.
“I have one good thing to thing to say and that was my team and the effort they put in today in fighting back with the absolute (expletive) that’s been the last seven days in this garage area,” Keselowski said. “The things I’ve seen over the last seven days have me questioning everything I believe in. I’m not happy about it. I don’t have anything positive to say and I probably should just leave it at that.
Keselowski added in that interview that he feels targeted. Could someone had found out about what they were doing and talked to NASCAR about it?
After Keselowski’s comments last year, Johnson’s car was one of the car selected as the “random” car to take back to the R&D center a lot for further inspection. Could someone had turned the shoe on the other foot? Anything is possible, right?
Though one other thing to consider is Keselowski says he doesn’t agree with the inspection process. Well, it’s the same process that all other 42 cars go through and they are subject to the same procedures that his car goes under. How is that feeling targeted?
Just food for thought :)
