Franchitti’s brief and turbulent time in NASCAR came to an end, when he announced that he would drive on the IndyCar tour for owner Chip Ganassi in 2009. Franchitti started this season in Ganassi’s No. 40 Sprint Cup car, but missed four races because of a broken ankle, failed to qualify for two more, and then was out of a ride altogether after Ganassi shut down the No. 40 team because of sponsorship concerns.
Now Franchitti, who has 18 career IndyCar wins including the 2007 Indianapolis 500, will return to open-wheel cars in a No. 10 Honda sponsored by Target.
“Absolutely no regrets,” he said Tuesday, when asked to sum up his NASCAR experience. “I think the first part of the season was very, very tough, and 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, at Pocono, Michigan and Loudon. We were running very well there, and then we got news of the 40 car being shut down. And subsequently, our Nationwide program, I think we’ve done very well there. Absolutely no regrets. I lot of it I really enjoyed. It’s something I might do again in the future. Who knows. But the opportunity to do the IndyCar Series again, and race at Indianapolis and all the other places again, it was too good to miss.”
Franchitti will join Scott Dixon, the reigning Indy 500 winner who is poised to wrap up his second IndyCar title, on Ganassi’s open wheel team. Franchitti beat Dixon for the title a year ago, right before he announced he was joining Ganassi’s NASCAR operation.
“Part of the reason that I signed with Ganassi last year was because of how many options that Chip has at his disposal for a driver. You can do almost any form of racing that you want,” Franchitti said. “With unification and the new schedule having more road and street courses it made me think about this more and more.
Shortly after Franchitti’s announcement, Panther Racing said Wheldon will return to the IndyCar team with which he began his IndyCar career in 2002.
“Dan Wheldon has done everything this organization has asked of him,” Gansassi said. “He was competitive from the moment that he stepped into the car for us. Dan is a class act both on and off the track and we wish him nothing but the best.”
In 2009, Franchitti will drive the No. 10 car that is currently being driven by Dan Wheldon, who will move to Panther Racing next season.
“Pretty cool,” Dixon said of bringing Franchitti on board. “It’s definitely very positive. It’s huge for the team.”
The decision by Ganassi and Wheldon to part ways, however, was a shocker to Dixon.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Dixon said.
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