At 26, he already has a world of perspective.
Granted, he's not in the younger sect of the racing world, considering that teenagers often find themselves on the sport's biggest stage.
But even in a decade of racing, Charlie Kimball has found the true meaning of what he does on the track, and how that truly can be more mind than matter.
"For a long time in my racing, I was very self-sentric," admitted Kimball, who now runs for Ganassi Racing in the Izod IndyCar Series. "It was a lot about my car, my driving."
One usual race in 2007 and a diagnosis changed that for good.
Indeed Kimball has shown up this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in hopes of qualifying and competiting intensely for its marquee 500 mile race. This time, however, its not as paramount as it might have been had he showed up ten year ago.
"I have a chance to do what I love while also having the chance to inspire people," said Kimball, who races with Diabetes.
While a common ailment that 25.8 million people have in the United States, per the American Diabetes Association, Kimball is unique in the racing world. If he qualifies for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500, Kimball is believed to be the first driver to start the race who had diabetes while doing so.
"As far as I've been able to tell, at this level, I'm setting the precedent for drivers with Diabetes," said Kimball, while also adding on more responsibilites that winning or losing.
This has been a challenge for the driver since 2007, when a doctors visit for a skin rash led Kimball to ask why he felt he needed more water during races. When Kimball weighed in for the doctor, he had lost 25 pounds in seven day due to abnormal blood glucose levels.
Immediately Kimball began treatment but continued his aggressive racing schedule in Europe a number of open wheel series. He arrived in the Indy Lights Series in 2009, where the once "win-at-all-cost" driver now carried with him dual missions.
"To be able to use my racecar as a vehicle to inspire people and open doors and tear down walls and roadblocks for people with diabetes," said Kimball-and its not just cliche.
Kimball says that at a number of Izod IndyCar Series races in 2011, fans who also suffer from Diabetes have come up to him and talked about how they handle the day-to-day treaments.
"It's not uncommon, especially this month in Indianapolis to have five, six, ten guys, people during the day to come up and say 'Oh, you know, my mom has Diabetes, your such an inspiration,'" said Kimball. "My ten-year-old daughter, can you sign an autograph card for her because she wants to be a ballerina, she wants to be an astronaut.
"Seeing you, she thinks you can do that."
For Kimball to do so, its a mixture of preparation and a mix of new modern advances. The drivers says he works with a nutritionalist along with an endocrinologist to get his body ready in the offseason.
On days he races, he injects insulin by using a product that is a main sponsor for his car-Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen. He also watches what he eats and drinks and watches his blood glucose level to make sure it is normal.
"Part of what makes that possible are the modern insulins, like Levemira and NovoLog," said Kimball-but he takes no risks when he gets into the machine.
On Kimball's arm is a glucose monitor which relays information to a readout which he velcros on to the steering wheel in the car.
"So on my dash I've got blood glucose, oil pressure, water temperature, speed, lap time, car data, body data right together," said Kimball.
Yet these chances are not easily visable to anyone in the car, and further helps to show that Kimball can fit in to the racing world as a diabetic. Its something that has caught the eye of team owner Chip Ganassi, who has never seen Kimball's Diabetes hold him back.
"With the flex pen and things like that, I don't know it exists," said Ganassi of Kimball. "We're very fortunate."
For the record, Kimball has never had a Diabetes problem or reaction in the car and believes he won't, whether at the Indianapolis 500 or somewhere else.
