A multi-time champion is making a surprise return to NASCAR. Dario Franchitti is taking on a Craftsman Truck Series race this season.
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Tricon Garage announced the news on Tuesday morning. The team said that Franchitti will compete at St. Petersburg while Dollar Tree serves as his primary sponsor.
This event will see the Craftsman Truck Series and NTT IndyCar Series teams hosting a doubleheader weekend.
The IndyCar teams will take part in qualifying on Saturday, Feb. 28. This will lead directly into the Truck Series race at St. Petersburg. Fox will provide coverage for both on-track sessions, as well as the March 1 IndyCar race.
Franchitti accomplished an incredible amount in his racing career before a violent crash in 2013 forced him to retire. He won 31 races across IndyCar and Champ Car. He won the Indianapolis 500 three times. He also won four championships between 2007-2011.
Yet, Franchitti did not remain solely in open-wheel racing. He moved from Chip Ganassi Racing's IndyCar program in 2007 to the team's NASCAR program for the 2008 season. He took on stock car racing while competing in the Cup Series and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
The Edinburgh native made 10 starts in the Cup Series while focusing on ovals. His best finish was 22nd at Martinsville Speedway. He made 14 starts in the secondary series while posting a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen International and a sixth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He also won the pole for the race at Watkins Glen.
Franchitti has not competed in NASCAR since the 2008 season — his lone Truck Series start happened in 2007 — so how did this deal come about? It all started during a conversation with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
"The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me," said Franchitti in a press release. "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."
This all stemmed from a conversation with Jimmie Johnson. For me, with the opportunity to race the truck, it was really him, it was the whole team that he has there (at Legacy MC) that made it all happen. His relationship with Toyota, Dollar Tree coming on a sponsor — it's all been through Jimmie and the team at Legacy MC. If it goes well, great. If it doesn't go well, I am going to be blaming Jimmie."
