Dario Franchitti is a four-time IndyCar champion, three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, an overall winner in the Rolex 24 ,and even a Daytona 500 starter in NASCAR, but now he’s about experience something truly chaotic — NASCAR Trucks at a street course.
The 52-year-old racer will compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next month when the series joins IndyCar at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (February 28). He will drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage.
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Along with his incredible resume in IndyCar, Franchitti has some NASCAR experience, but it was a long time ago. Ten Cup starts in 2008, 18 O’Reilly Series starts between 2007-2008, and one appearance in Trucks during the 2007 season. That start came at Martinsville, and he finished 33rd after a mechanical failure.
But this time, a much older Franchitti will be driving for the best team in the NASCAR Truck Series, and he will be competing at a street course that is completely new to the rest of the field while he is expertly familiar with it. He’s run eight IndyCar races at the technical street course, winning the event in 2011.
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“The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me. The different surfaces, the fact that part of it is on an airport, then you go into the streets, the different bumps all those things you got to try and master. This was just the chance to race on a circuit that I love, and a chance to do something fun,” said Franchitti.
This deal came about through conversations with his friend and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who made it happen via his relationship with Toyota. Johnson will be driving the same truck in the San Diego street race later this year.
“Dario and I had been talking for a long time about the chance to race together, so when he approached me about St. Petersburg, I knew I had to get to work. I called him back a day later with an incredible opportunity to join a championship-winning team with Toyota and the great people at TRICON,” said Johnson. “It’s been a lot of fun getting him integrated into the team and spending more time together, going through the process of getting him back to racing.”
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