Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd were a marriage of IndyCar and Hollywood, which made for many a photo op. However, the two high profile personalities are calling it quits after 12 years.
Franchitti and Judd had been together for a total of 14 years and there are no children between the two. The split seems amicable after this tweet plus Judd said to People Magazine, “We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity and respect we have always enjoyed.”
Successful duo started thousands of miles apart
Franchitti is originally from Scotland where he was born and raised near Edinburgh, the countries capital. Judd was born in California but lived most of her young life in Kentucky. The two live in Franklin, Tennessee, which is just outside of Nashville. Franklin is home to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip along with numerous other celebrities, many of whom are in the music industry.
The 39 year old Franchitti is a very successful racecar driver, including victories in three Indy 500's to go along with four IndyCar series championships. The 44 year old Judd is an accomplished actress with many leading roles in major films; but, having been an activist for many years, she has recently considered entering the political arena.
As many IndyCar fans are aware of, Judd had been a steady visual presence at most of Franchitti’s races throughout the years. Her often emotional outbursts were never far from the camera lens as she always seemed to be front-and-center for Franchitti’s exploits in motorsports.
Bigger ambitions?
Judd, a Democrat, has been rumored for some time (source: Indianapolis Star) as a possible challenger in Kentucky for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. More recently, it was stated that she was “taking a close look” at running for office. Judd’s political ambitions may be the impetus for the separation as this story in the New York Magazine suggests.
During a time when we just learned that Danica Patrick has a new flame in rookie rival Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (see related articles), interest about the personal lives of racecar drivers appears to be the norm as we head into the upcoming season.
The racing schedule can’t happen soon enough.
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