By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer
Age: 31
Years in IndyCar: 6
Wins: 1
Podiums: 6
Laps led: 109
2016 Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
2017 Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
After a 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season that gave Charlie Kimball his highest amount of points scored ever, Kimball will be looking to up the ante and get into the winners circle again in 2017.
Kimball had two fifth place finishes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May in the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 and the rest of the season was peppered with top 10 finishes.
He also had a career-best start of second at the IMS road race.
The 32-year-old only had five finishes outside the top 10 and only two results outside the top 12 en route to a ninth-place finish in the points.
The numbers show that Kimball was the most consistent driver throughout the season. The No. 83 car wheeled its way across the finish line to complete the most of any driver in 2016 with 2,066 laps completed out of a possible 2,070.
However, the last half of the season saw some controversy with the Tresiba-sponsored driver. Kimball was involved in a couple of clashes at the penultimate round of the championship at Watkins Glen with Graham Rahal and Will Power. The incident with Power all but confirmed Power’s teammate Simon Pagenaud as the 2016 IndyCar champion.
After a consistent 2016 season, Kimball has a lot to build on as he heads into his seventh IndyCar season with Chip Ganassi Racing.
The team is switching back to Honda in 2017 after racing with Chevrolet power since 2014.
Consistent finishes are what can win championships and Kimball proved he can do that last year. The first thing that Kimball must do in order to be a contender is to win another race. His lone IndyCar win came 56 races ago at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2013.
If a win can be had, that could push Kimball over the hump and propel him to another career best year.
