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IndyCar - Kimball Race Preview


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St. Pete, Mar. 20, 2012: Team Manager Mitch Davis on St. Pete: “We’ve been working really hard over the winter. We’ve got new cars, we’ve got two young drivers who got very little testing last year and we’re really excited because we’ve tested probably 1,200-1,800 miles with both drivers on oval and road courses. We’re looking forward to this year and the start of the St. Pete race because it sets us up for the rest of the year. Whatever happens in St. Pete as far as practice, qualifying and the race go, it sets us up for the rest of the year as far as points and how we’re going to perform. We’ll all know how even or how much better we are, than some of our competition.”

There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently launched one of the first mobile applications for the high-velocity world of racing. This new 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 Car Series.

Racking Them Up: Team owner Chip Ganassi and CGRT had another monumental season in 2011 by increasing their number of Championships to 14. TELMEX drivers Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas earned their third championship together in the GRAND-AM Series (2008, 2010, 2011) and the fifth GRAND-AM championship for CGRT (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011). Teammate Franchitti earned his third consecutive championship for Team Target in the IZOD IndyCar Series. It marked Ganassi’s ninth championship (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and Franchitti’s fourth (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011) in Indy car racing.

Hall-of-Famer: Ganassi joined a list of motorsports elite as a finalist for the 2012 Class for the Motorsports Hall of Fame. Other finalists included veteran driver and official, Wally Dallenbach, American auto racing owner Carl Haas and two-time Indianapolis 500 Winner Arie Luyendyk. Other names considered by the Voting Panel were Pat Patrick who served as the first president of CART, 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan and two-time CART Champion Zanardi.

Most Influential: Complex Magazine recently announced Ganassi as one of the “50 Most Influential People in the Auto Industry.” Ganassi’s history-making 2011 season aided in securing a rank of 17th on Complex Magazine’s automotive industry list. “If a single race team manages to win the Daytona 500, Indy 500, Brickyard 400, and 24 Hours of Daytona in one year, it means that a rare alignment of just about everything has happened. Racing history is being made, and these sorts of teams' influence tend to trickle down and subtly shape the entire industry,” said Complex Magazine of Ganassi.

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.

Multi-Year Novo Nordisk Sponsorship: In 2011, Novo Nordisk and Chip Ganassi Racing announced that the two organizations entered into a multi-year extension of their partnership. Novo Nordisk will remain the primary sponsor of the No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing entry, driven by Kimball in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Sebring Open Test Recap: Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing and Kimball completed their two-day Open Test, March 8-9 at Sebring International Raceway, finishing 16th out of 27 cars in combined results. Kimball completed 133 laps with the best time of 52.732 seconds on the 1.65-mile road course.

Kimball on Sebring: “It was good to get out and judge ourselves against the rest of the field at the open test. The whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew has worked really hard over the winter, getting the new cars up to speed and figuring out all of the unique characteristics of the new car, the new engine and the new brakes. All in all, it went really well, we made a lot of progress and learned a lot. I think that by the time we get to St. Pete for the first race, the No. 83 Novolog Flexpen car will be quick and, almost more importantly, consistent.”

Points Standings: Kimball finished 19th in the overall IZOD IndyCar Series point standings for the 2011 season, 340 points behind overall leader Dario Franchitti.

Kimball on St. Pete: “The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi team is really excited to get to St. Pete. I've had a lot more time testing the car this off-season than last, and I think we've made some progress on the new car in the last few sessions. I look forward to getting back in the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car in St. Petersburg for the first race of the season."

Kimball Behind-the-Scenes: Kimball and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew will be featured in a 60-second national television spot, which began running during the week of February 27th and will continue through May 6th. In addition, Novo Nordisk will be running videos about NovoLog FlexPen featuring Kimball and the NNCGR team at track-side events throughout the season.

 
 
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