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George Dario Marino Franchitti (born 19 May 1973 in Bathgatemarker, West Lothianmarker) is a Scottishmarker racing driver of Italian descent. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is also a former NASCAR driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, competing until mid-2008 when his team shut down. Franchitti returned to the IndyCar Series for the 2009 season, driving the #10 Target Honda/Dallara for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

He also competed in the American Le Mans Series for Andretti Green Racing with his brother Marino and former IndyCar Series teammate Bryan Herta. He won the 2007 BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year award.

Career history

Early career

Franchitti began his racing career in karting. Allan McNish credited a large part of the start given to himself, Franchitti and David Coulthard as being down to David Leslie senior and junior. Franchitti won the Karting Scottish Junior Championship in 1984, the British Junior Championships in 1985 and 1986 and the Scottish senior title in 1988. He progressed to Formula Vauxhall Junior where he won the championship with four victories in 1991.

He moved up to Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1992, where he joined Paul Stewart Racing. In his first year, he finished fourth in the overall championship, and was named the McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year. Staying with the team for the next season, he won the championship in 1993.

He graduated to the British Formula Three Championship in 1994, where he finished fourth and won one race in his first year. However, he was not retained for 1995 which was his final year in single-seaters in Europe.

Instead, Franchitti was contracted by AMG Racing to drive a works Mercedes C-Class in the German Touring Car Championship and the related International Touring Car Championship, where he finished fifth and third respectively. He continued in the ITC in 1996, finishing fourth overall with one race win.

CART

With the demise of the ITC, Mercedes placed Franchitti in Hogan Racing in 1997, making his US debut in the PPG/CART Champ Car World Series where his best finish was a ninth at Surfers Paradisemarker. In 1998 he joined Team Green (forerunner to the current Andretti Green Racing), finishing third in the season standings with three wins (his first coming at Road America) and a season-high five pole positions.

Franchitti finished runner-up in the 1999 CART season behind rookie Juan Pablo Montoya. Both drivers scored 212 points, but Montoya had seven wins to Franchitti's three and was crowned champion. Franchitti's close friend Greg Moore died in a crash during the final race of the year at California Speedwaymarker in Fontana, Californiamarker.

A heavy crash in pre-season testing the next year ruined Franchitti's 2000 season, and he only won once (at Clevelandmarker in 2001. In 2002 he won the Vancouver Molson Indy. He dedicated his win to Greg Moore, who was killed in 1999 and was from Vancouver, British Columbia. He finished fourth in Champ Car in 2002.

IRL IndyCar Series



2003

Franchitti moved with the Andretti Green team to the IndyCar Series in 2003 but his season was ended by a back injury sustained in a motorcycle accident while on holiday in Scotland. Franchitti missed most of the year, and his place was taken by Dan Wheldon at Motegimarker, Robby Gordon at Indianapolis, and Bryan Herta for the remainder of the year (with Wheldon taking over a regular role from retiring team boss Michael Andretti).

2004

Franchitti returned to the cockpit in 2004, and won his first IRL IndyCar Series race on July 25 at the Milwaukee Milemarker. He followed this win up with a win at Pikes Peakmarker on August 22.

2005

Franchitti returned to Andretti Green Racing again, and had 2 wins. The first win came at Nashvillemarker. His last win of the year came at the 2005 season finale at Californiamarker.

2007

On January 3, 2007, Andretti Green Racing announced that Franchitti had re-signed for the IRL team for a tenth consecutive season in American Open Wheel racing. That year he also undertook a limited programme in the American Le Mans Series driving an Acura ARX-01, teaming up with his younger brother, Marino Franchitti and long-time AGR team-mate Bryan Herta. On May 27, 2007, Franchitti won a rain-shortened Indianapolis 500, finishing under a yellow flag after an accident involving Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti following lap 163. The race was halted due to rain three laps later. His prize money of $1.6m was equal to the entire purse for the 1982 race.

During the 2007 season, Franchitti survived two huge crashes which saw his car flip upside down both times. The first at Michigan saw him tangle with Dan Wheldon resulting in his car flipping before being hit again by Scott Dixon. The contact with Dixon was only inches away from his head and the accident saw seven cars (including Franchitti) retire from the race. The second flip came a week later at Kentucky. As Franchitti crossed the start/finish line to finish the race, the Scotsmanmarker who had not realised the chequered flag had been waved continued to race and crashed into the back of Kosuke Matsuura flipping yet again and hitting the outside wall. Franchitti took full responsibility for the incident.

Franchitti won the IndyCar Championship with four wins finishing ahead of Scott Dixon by just 13 points. Dixon ran out of fuel on the last lap of the season-ending race, allowing Franchitti to take the win and the championship, his first championship win since Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1993.

Franchitti returned to the IndyCar series for 2009 in the Target Chip Ganassi Racing #10 car, replacing Dan Wheldon who moved to Panther Racing. He debuted for the team in the non points race at Surfers Paradisemarker in Australia on October 25th, 2008. He qualified 4th of 24 drivers and was running third when he spun and stalled the car, resulting in a lap-down finish of 16th. He led 2 laps and set the fastest lap of the race.

2009

2009 marked a successful return to Indycar for Dario scooping five wins, two second and two third placings and taking the series championship in his second consecutive attempt over teammate Scott Dixon by 11 points.

NASCAR

Dario Franchitti racing in the 2007 Ford 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Franchitti at Daytona in 2008
On 3 October 2007, it was announced that Franchitti would move to NASCAR to replace David Stremme in the #40 Fastenal Dodge. He made his stock car debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series on 5 October at Talladega Superspeedwaymarker, qualifying 6th and finishing 17th in the #42 Target Dodge Charger for Chip Ganassi Racing. His move to stock cars had similarities to former CART rival Juan Pablo Montoya's move from Formula One to NASCAR in 2006.

Franchitti made his first NASCAR start on 20 October 2007 in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedwaymarker. He drove the #41 Target Dodge Ram truck, owned by Cunningham Motorsports, with Brian Pattie from Chip Ganassi Racing serving as crew chief. He would finish 33rd after being plagued by problems with the rear of the car during the race.

2008 Sprint Cup car


On 26 April 2008, Franchitti suffered a slight left ankle fracture in a hard crash with Larry Gunselman while competing in the Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 race. David Stremme, Ken Schrader, Jeremy Mayfield, and Sterling Marlin all filled in for him.

On 1 July 2008, Franchitti's #40 Sprint Cup team was disbanded by co-owner Chip Ganassi because of a lack of sponsorship. Franchitti was running 41st in points in the Sprint Cup series at the time, and Ganassi had been funding the team out of his own pocket. The entire #40 team was shut down, and 71 employees were released.

On 9 August 2008 Dario won his 1st ever NASCAR Nationwide Pole at Watkins Glen.

Sports Car Racing

Dario is well known for combining partial Sports Car racing schedules during his IndyCar and NASCAR career.

At the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring he finished 1st in LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring with Andretti Green Racing team-mates Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan. They finished 2nd overall. He also participated in the 2007 ALMS Grand Prix of Long Beach with Bryan Herta and they finished 6th. He placed 18th in LMP2 class in the 2007 American Le Mans Series season standings with 32 points.

Prior to the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he joined Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas and won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Lexus-Riley. That was the only race he participated in during the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series season and finished 42nd overall in Daytona Prototype class with 35 points.

In the 2008 Petit Le Mans he was a driver for Highcroft Racing with Scott Sharp and David Brabham.They were the first retirement after only 16 laps.

For the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona he once again drove for Chip Ganassi Racing in a Lexus-Riley. He finished 5th overall with Scott Dixon and Alex Lloyd.

He participated in the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring for Highcroft Racing with Scott Sharp and David Brabham. They finished 15th overall and were the first non-finishers.

He returned to Highcroft Racing with Scott Sharp and David Brabham for the 2009 Petit Le Mans.

Personal life

Franchitti married Americanmarker actress Ashley Judd in 2001, at Skibo Castlemarker near Dornochmarker, Scotlandmarker. They now reside near Franklin, Tennesseemarker, and have no children.

Originally from Bathgate, his family moved to nearby Whitburn when he was eight years old. He is a former pupil of Stewart's Melville Collegemarker and he supports Celtic Football Club based in the east end of Glasgowmarker.

He lists some of his favourite television shows as Gavin & Stacey, Shameless and Rab C. Nesbitt.

His cousin Paul di Resta is also a racing driver. He races in the DTM tin-top series finishing 2nd in 2008.

Media work

Franchitti has appeared on several television shows. The list includes The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Larry King Live, Pardon the Interruption, Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly.

Motorsports Career Results

Touring Car Racing

German Touring Car Championship



International Touring Car Championship



American Open-Wheel

()

Champ Car



* Franchitti and Juan Pablo Montoya tied on points in the championship, but Montoya was crowned champion because he won 7 races to Franchitti's 3.

IndyCar



Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums
(Non-win)**
 Top 10s
(Non-podium)***
 Indianapolis 500
Wins
 Championships
7 2 84 11 13 19 29 1 (2007) 2 (2007 & 2009)
** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.
*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.


Indy 500 results

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
2002 Dallara Chevrolet 28 19 Green
2004 Dallara Honda 3 14 Andretti Green
2005 Dallara Honda 6 6 Andretti Green
2006 Dallara Honda 17 7 Andretti Green
2007 Dallara Honda 3 1* Andretti Green
2009 Dallara Honda 3 7 Ganassi


* 2007 victory first in race history in a car fueled by bioethanol.


Sports Car Racing

American Le Mans Series results

() (Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)
Year Starts Wins
(Overall/Class)
 Top Fives Top Tens Poles DNF Finish Start Rank
2007 2 0 / 1 1 / 1 2 / 2 2 / 2 0 4 / 3.5 1 / 1 18
Totals 2 0 / 1 1 / 1 3 / 3 2 / 2 2 4 / 3.5 1 / 1


Rolex Sports Car Series results

() (Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)

Stock Car Racing

NASCAR Sprint Cup results

() (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Year Starts* Wins Top Fives Top Tens Poles DNF Finish Start Winnings Rank
2008 10 0 0 0 0 2 33.9 30.7 $930,376 42
Totals 10 0 0 0 0 2 33.9 30.7 $930,376 42


  • Data as of June 23, 2008.


NASCAR Truck Series results



ARCA results

() (Races in bold indicate pole position)



References

  1. Allan McNish interview part 2 on qosfc.com
  2. Franchitti Enters Martinsville
  3. Domestic Fuel » Archives » Dario Franchitti & Ethanol Win Indy 500
  4. NASCAR Career Stats


External links




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