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Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Texas Advance Notes

Race: Firestone Twin 275s Saturday, June 11 (8:00 PM ET, VERSUS)

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 Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball.

Team Manager Mitch Davis on Texas: “We’re going to Texas with a lot of momentum. Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing and Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing had great runs at the Indianapolis 500. Graham and Charlie are both excited for the new two-race format at Texas Motor Speedway. They can run flat out and there’s a lot of opportunity for passing; cars will run three-wide at this track, so I think the fans are going to get a real show.”

Charlie Kimball and the No. 83 Novo Nordisk Team

Follow Charlie on Twitter: Follow @racewithinsulin for updates as the driver of the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda completes his rookie year with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Drive the Switch: Kimball kicked off Drive the Switch, a national campaign for Novo Nordisk on options for insulin delivery on March 23 in Tampa, FL. Fans can check out the Drive the Switch booth located in the outside midway between gates five and six at Texas Motor Speedway and sign a replica of the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda Dallara. Kimball will be signing autographs at the Drive the Switch booth on Friday, June 10 from 5:30 – 6:00 pm CDT.

Inspiring Athletes: On Thursday, June 9, Kimball will name LPGA golfer Kelli Kuehne, who has also overcome Type 1 diabetes to excel in professional sports, as his honorary pit crew member for the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway.

Rookie Race: Kimball currently sits third in the IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year points championship just 35 points behind the leader.

Indianapolis 500 Recap: Kimball started his first 500-mile race from 28th and would cross the finish line in 13th-place as the second highest-finishing rookie.

“It was a very successful effort at my first Indianapolis 500. Top-15 is what we were shooting for. That last stint, we went on an alternate fuel strategy, trying to make a gain. I went a lap down there at the end. The No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen car was amazing. All day, we didn’t miss a beat in the pits. The whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. When I was wrong on the marks, they’d get it right. When I was short, they’d get it right. They covered a lot for me. I have to appreciate them for that. It was a big effort all day. We brought home a 13th.”

Blog About It: Keep up with Kimball’s progress as an IICS rookie in his season-long blog with SPEEDTV.com and BaltimoreSun.com.

2011 STATS

Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Pts. Pos./(Prev)
Charlie Kimball 5 0 0 0 1 19/21

CAREER STATS

Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s
Charlie Kimball (Rookie) 5 0 0 0 1

TEAM ROSTERS

Mitch Davis – Team Manager

No. 83 (IndyCar)
Crew Chief (Air Jack): Mark Sampson Race Strategist: Mitch Davis
Engineer: Brad Goldberg Gear Box (L/F): Jerry Bouchard
Assistant Engineer: Luke Goldenstien Rear End (R/F): Josh Junge
Tires/Transport Driver: Mark Easley Front End/Fueler: Brad Wright
Spotter: Mike Burrell Front End (R/R): Mike Soboleski
Rear End: Glen Scott Composite/Body (L/R): Jeremy Washburn

About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams

Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with sponsor, Target. Today, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams includes two entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, four in the IZOD IndyCar Series and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Cars Series. Overall his teams have 12 championships and 138 victories, including three 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.

- Chip Ganassi Racing, Press Release