LEXINGTON, OHIO (AP) - Charile Kimball’s No. 83 will be ready to race at the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, thanks in large part to a group effort by the entire Chip Ganassi Racing team.
Kimball was cruising through practice on Saturday morning when he lost control coming out of Turn 1. He lifted over curb trying to zoom left and slid all the way to the tire barrier, which propelled him up into the air before dropping him back to the ground.
Kimball was unhurt, but his car was an orange-and-blue mess when it was towed back to the garage.
Amazingly, in the span of three hours, crew members from all three Chip Ganassi Racing teams managed to get Kimball’s backup in good enough shape to let him qualify fifth behind pole-sitter Ryan Hunter-Reay
“There were as many red shirts from the Target side of the garage as orange shirts,” Kimball said. “They gave me the easy job of driving the racecar.”
Kimball said the dampness left by a series of rain showers on Friday night left the track slicker than usual and he didn’t adjust properly. He kept trying to peek in the garage while the crew was working on his replacement car, but the crew members weren’t having any of it.
“They kept kicking me out of the garage, telling me to get out of the way,” Kimball said. “All I had to do while they changed the backup and got the car ready for me was … drive it.”
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