SPEEDWAY — Charlie Kimball says Oct. 16, 2007 is a day that he will remember as long as he lives.

That was the day that the race car driver, now 25, was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, making him the only licensed driver with diabetes in the history of the Indy Racing League.

Kimball, however, didn’t let his diagnosis slow him down. In fact, the next year, he went on to claim a podium finish during his first race back.

“It gave me confidence in being able to do the job right,” he said. “Now all I have to worry about is going fast.”

Some modifications have been made to his car and racing suit to help him continue to concentrate on going fast. He has a continuous glucose monitor mounted on the steering wheel, to let him know what his blood sugar numbers are while he’s racing. He also has a special helmet system that can give him a sip of orange juice if his levels get too low while racing.

“I can focus on driving and winning,” Kimball said. “In my car, I know what my blood sugar is. The unfortunate thing about racing is that you can’t call a time out. Some drivers do have drink bottles for hydration, but for me, it’s critical.”

Kimball resides in Brownsburg, though he’s originally from Southern California and has also lived in Europe.

“Home will always be Southern California,” he said. “That’s where both my parents are from, and it’s got a small town feel. And this is where I am at the moment. It’s a neat area. I’m enjoying being in the Midwest. It’s neat to be based here where the whole region gets into (racing).”

Before deciding whether to pursue racing as a career, he had also been accepted to Stanford University, an opportunity that he turned down to put his full efforts into racing.

“All through high school, my mom said ‘Bs don’t race,’ she always wanted to make sure I had a good education,” he said. “I was accepted to the engineering department at Stanford.”

The racing gene, as well as engineering, runs in his family. His father, who farms 120 acres of avocados in Southern California, was a race car engineer and helped design the car that won the ‘81 and ‘82 Indy 500.

Kimball spent a few years in Europe, deciding if racing would become his career or a hobby. He did well in Europe, being the first American in 13 years to win a British Formula 3 race, back in 2005. Then, in 2006, he was the first American to win an F3 Euroseries race.

In 2009, he returned to America as part of the Firestone Indy Lights series, finishing 10th overall. With three races down so far this season, Kimball is ranked second in points and looking for a championship win during the Firestone Freedom 100 May 28 at the speedway.

He was in Europe when he initially went to the doctor’s office and was diagnosed in 2007.

“I went to the doctor for a skin rash, and the doctor asked if I had any other questions and I told him that I had been kinda thirsty lately,” he said. “I stepped on the scale and I’d lost 25 pounds in a week. I was skin and bones, very dehydrated, very unhealthy. The doctor said, ‘I think you have diabetes.’”

Kimball said he initially thought he could just take a pill and be fine. Now he knows it’s much more complicated than that. He works with Dr. Anne Peters, the head of diabetes at USC Medical Center.

“I thought I knew what I was doing,” he said. “But she’s been teaching me and giving me the tools to allow me to continue racing.”

Kimball said Peters contacted Novo Nordisk, a company dedicated to diabetes care, to set up a meeting with them about Kimball.

“They are more than just a sponsor,” he said. “It’s a partnership in the truest sense of the word. I speak and tell my story.”

He also uses their FlexPen, which gives him the ability to get insulin injections when he needs them, without having to have refrigerated insulin, needles, or syringes.

Kimball attends American Diabetes Association expos all over the country, telling his story to others dealing with the disease.

“I’m living proof that diabetes doesn’t have to slow you down,” he said. “I’m trying to change the perception. I’m still racing a car at 200 mph. You can do it. It’s not easy, but you can.”

With Kimball’s team of doctors, nutritionist, and diabetes educators — three ladies he refers to as “Charlie’s Angels” — he has his diabetes well maintained.

“It’s a fight against this thing day in and day out,” he said. “It’s a labor of love. My doctors, they care about me so much. If they said I couldn’t race, I’d go insane, so that would be bad for my health.”

Kimball’s goal is to win the Freedom 100 race May 28 and then move up to the Indy car series next year.

“I try to be a voice about diabetes,” he said. “It keeps me busy. It’s not a piece of cake. It’s hard work and I have a great opportunity to do what I love and help educate about diabetes. I can’t wait to be the first driver with diabetes to be in the Indy 500 and then to be the first to win the Indy 500.”

Fans can follow Kimball on Twitter at www.twitter.com/racewithinsulin.

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com