Sunday, June 14
7:10 p.m.
It’s a little frustrating that the incident with the No. 4 car cut my tire and sent me to the back of the field. Overall the pace of the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch Chevrolet was really quick. I think we for sure had at least one of the top-five fastest laps of the race. I have to give a lot of credit to the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew guys – they did a great job. It was challenging conditions and a lot going on for them in the middle of the race with so many stops right there in a row.

Finishing 20th obviously wasn’t how we wanted to leave today, but we’ll just put this one behind us and get back at it for the MAVTV 500 in Fontana in a few weeks.

On the grid and ready to go.

On the grid and ready to go.

 

Pit stop for the No. 83.

Pit stop for the No. 83.

12:45 p.m.
We had a pretty good warmup session earlier. The team started out on Firestone rain tires to get a feel for the track conditions and that setup, but it was dry throughout for the first half of the session so we switched over to primaries. It did start raining so we got a bit of practice under slightly wet conditions. We made a couple of changes on pit lane and ended up P6.

Also, a quick note for those watching from home… due to the weather forecast, the green flag has been moved to 3:08 p.m. Eastern and NBC Sports Network will begin their broadcast an hour early at 2 p.m. Eastern. Be sure to tune in so you don’t miss any of the action!

Waiting for warmup to go green.

Waiting for warmup to go green.

Great to see Caleb (a fellow member of the cool kids--type 1--club)!

Great to see Caleb (a fellow member of the cool kids–type 1–club)!

9:15 a.m.
Good morning… it’s race day! It started to sprinkle just as I was walking into the paddock this morning. It looks like it will be a wet one for us again. It’s like deja vu this season! We’re planning for two pit stops but it’s always an unknown with cautions and rain. Either way, I know the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team will have a fast car ready for me at the green flag!

I’m off to the drivers’ meeting then we’ll have warm-up at 11 a.m. Eastern (live via Race Control). Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. Eastern for the Honda Indy Toronto!

Race day prep!

Race day prep!

Saturday, June 13
5:05 p.m.
It’s a little disappointing to qualify P15, especially with how choppy our round was with the yellow flags and the car in the run-off. Overall I feel good about the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch car for tomorrow’s race. We’ll have to keep an eye on the weather to see if it’s going to shower or not – that might change a little bit of what we do in the warm-up.

I think my engineers and I have a good direction for tomorrow’s race, and I have a lot of confidence in the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew in pit lane to make sure that we have good stops.

Waiting for the start of qualifying.

Waiting for the start of qualifying.

12:15 p.m.
After a cloudy and chilly morning, the sun came out during practice 3. We were able to take advantage of the full session, making changes and adjustments to the car. Unfortunately we lost our fast lap toward the end due to a red flag, but I think the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch car will be ready to go for qualifying.

We’ll be in group 1, so be sure to check out INDYCAR Race Control at 2:30 p.m. Eastern for live timing and scoring. NBCSN will have the broadcast for you later at 5 p.m. Eastern.

I’m going to have lunch then head off to the autograph session soon. Hope to see you there!

In pit lane during practice 3.

In pit lane during practice 3.

A couple of changes for the No. 83.

A couple of changes for the No. 83.

Friday, June 12
3:30 p.m.
Overall I was pretty happy with the first practice this morning. The No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch Chevrolet is definitely in the window, and the track is changing almost lap to lap. As green as a street circuit like this is, it rubbers up every time you go through a corner. I think the car handled really well out there with the changing conditions, so I’m optimistic heading into tomorrow.

With the rain before and during session 2, we lost that track time. We had some things we wanted to work on this afternoon, but we’ll just have to make sure we work it in to the morning practice and get the car where it needs to be for qualifying.

I’m off to a dinner with friends from Novo Nordisk this evening. Thanks to all of the fans for coming out to the track today–great showing for a Friday!

Ready for practice 1.

Ready for practice 1.

Photo via INDYCAR.

Photo via INDYCAR.

Thursday, June 11
10:30 a.m.
Good morning from Toronto! I got into town early yesterday for an event at Novo Nordisk’s Canadian headquarters. They had some guests with JDRF on site for a fun lunch. It was great to meet so many new IndyCar fans!

The team arrived not too long ago, so I’m about to head to the track for setup day. I’ll have some time with my engineers before the track walk this afternoon. The weather is a bit more mild than it has been in past years (and we are here earlier in the summer than usual, too) so we’ll see how that affects our setups.

I always look forward to coming back here to the Honda Indy Toronto every season. It’s a tough, tight course but one that tends to suit my driving style. The Canadian fans always come out and really make it a great event, too. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team has had some good results on the streets of Toronto in the past, including a podium, so I think with the right strategy and a stronger qualifying session we’ll have more success this weekend. After a really competitive race in Texas, we’ll be looking to build on that momentum and get the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch car running up front again.

Click here for the full race weekend schedule, and be sure to follow my Pit Lane Reporter on Twitter @RaceWithInsulin for more updates from the track!

Photo via INDYCAR

Photo via INDYCAR

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