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Five questions with: Dario Franchitti
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Dario Franchitti was part of the ‘open wheel revolution’ that was supposed to take NASCAR to a whole new level.
It didn’t quite work out, at least for Franchitti.
When the former Indy 500 and IndyCar series champion announced that he would switch to stockcars with Chip Ganassi Racing, he joined the likes of former open wheel drivers Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Junior, Scott Speed, Jacques Villeneuve, and Patrick Carpentier.
The results for Franchitti were mixed however as they have been for most of the former open wheelers. The Scotsman made 10 starts in NASCAR’s top tier series, failed to qualify for two events and never finished higher then 22nd. In the second tier Nationwide series, he made a total of 18 starts over the course of two years and although he finished fifth at Watkins Glen in August, that was after he had missed six races while he recovered from a broken ankle suffered at Talladega in April.
Shortly after he returned, team owner Chip Ganassi announced that the Sprint Cup team was being shut down for lack of sponsorship. It wasn’t long after that Franchitti said he would be returning to open wheel racing joining Scott Dixon in a Chip Ganassi owned car.
How would you sum up your overall NASCAR experience?
DARIO FRANCHITTI: I think the first part of the season was very, very tough. I was just starting to get the hang of it when I broke my ankle. I think we had some good performances, if not results, with the car at Pocono, Michigan and Loudon. We were running very well there. Then we had the news of the 41 car being shut down. Then subsequently our Nationwide program, I think we've done very well there.
What was it like for you on the day of the Indianapolis 500 this year?
DARIO FRANCHITTI: I kind of downplayed it. People asked me that question. I was like, 'No, no, it's no big deal.' I was fairly focused on trying to turn things around down in Sprint Cup. I was still recovering from a broken ankle.
When I watched the race, saw all the things that happened there, watched Scott (Dixon) just do that amazing job and win the thing, I definitely missed being there.
Was there one specific thing that made you choose IndyCar over Sprint Cup racing?
DARIO FRANCHITTI: As I said, it was something Chip and I talked about. I'm not going to get into all the details. But it wasn't a straight one or the other. We definitely talked about a possibility of me being in the 41 car.
But there's not too many times you get that chance to come back. Like I say, I really got excited by the schedule of next year. To be in a team with Scott, I know how difficult the team has been to beat in the past, and it's going to be a lot of fun to be part of that going forward.
At this point last year your focus was on stock car racing. A year later you're back in IndyCar, how odd does that feel?
DARIO FRANCHITTI: Completely surreal (laughter). It's a crazy situation right now. At this time last year, even before the NASCAR deal came up, I felt my head wouldn't be on the job in '08 in IndyCars. That's one of the reasons I didn't come back. Then I was lucky enough to get the opportunity with Chip in NASCAR. Do I feel I'm going to have my head in the game next year? Absolutely. Otherwise I wouldn't do it. I'm really looking forward to it.
Are there any regrets?
DARIO FRANCHITTI: Absolutely no regrets. A lot of it I've really enjoyed. It's something I might do again in the future. Who knows. But, again, like I said before, the opportunity to do this deal and to get to do the IndyCar Series again and race at Indianapolis, all the other places, it was too good to miss.
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