Franchitti to Ganassi?
Posted by DaveEllis
This is AGR's press release announcing Darios departure:
Andretti Green Racing Releases Dario Franchitti
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 2, 2007) – Andretti Green Racing announced today it has
released Dario Franchitti from his driver agreement.
The team’s agreement with Franchitti was set to expire later this year.
- AGR -
A bit ungracious IMO - he has driven for that team for the best part of 10 years, won them a championship and come as close as you can without winning a second. And not even a thank you and best wishes...
RedSam
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)
Andretti Green Racing Releases Dario Franchitti
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 2, 2007) – Andretti Green Racing announced today it has
released Dario Franchitti from his driver agreement.
The team’s agreement with Franchitti was set to expire later this year.
- AGR -
A bit ungracious IMO - he has driven for that team for the best part of 10 years, won them a championship and come as close as you can without winning a second. And not even a thank you and best wishes...
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)
kool!
Sim
All Hail The New York Giants - Winners of Superbowl XXI, XXV and XLII!
"I'd love to know what goes on in that crazy head of yours sometimes, Sim..." - Locke Cole
Sim
All Hail The New York Giants - Winners of Superbowl XXI, XXV and XLII!
"I'd love to know what goes on in that crazy head of yours sometimes, Sim..." - Locke Cole
sasjag Wrote:
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> kool!
nah mate they haven't sponsored Franchitti since 2002
looking forward to seeing him race. should be awesome.
-------------------------------------------------------
> kool!
nah mate they haven't sponsored Franchitti since 2002
looking forward to seeing him race. should be awesome.
[www.nascar.com]
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Franchitti fitting in at track one pant leg at a time
IRL champ qualifies sixth for Friday's ARCA race at 'Dega
By Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM
October 5, 2007
12:33 PM EDT
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Like a freshman on the first day of classes, veteran open wheeler now aspiring stock car driver Dario Franchitti was dressed in his fire suit and ready to go hours before qualifying began.
Standing outside his hauler, posed as a fire engine-red Target billboard, the 34-year-old Scotland native intentionally allowed his pant legs to drape over his fire-proof racing boots in an attempt to fit in with the all-American stock car fraternity.
Open wheel purists, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and counterpart Juan Montoya included, typically tuck their pant legs into their racing boots.
Fire suit etiquette is one finite detail in a list of a hundred Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion, is eager to learn on his road to becoming a successful NASCAR Cup driver.
And like his teammate Montoya, also an Indianapolis 500 champ and former CART driver, you have to start somewhere and that somewhere happened to be Thursday at Talladega Superspeedway.
After completing an estimated 16 practice laps Thursday in his stock car debut on the high banks of 'Dega, Franchitti qualified his No. 42 Dodge sixth for Friday's ARCA race. He held on to the proverbial pole most of the qualifying session but then was eventually knocked off by teammate Bryan Clauson.
"I'm happy with the result, but I honestly think it was more about the crew guys and the preparation they did on this car," Franchitti said. "I think the thing I'm most looking forward to is getting in the draft tomorrow in morning warm-up to see what the race is going to be like."
It was progress, even a major milestone perhaps from where the newcomer began in his first ARCA practice at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday.
While seasoned stock car drivers know just about every crack and cranny on the 'Dega Superspeedway, Franchitti was merely trying to find his way around the car.
"I had to show him where reverse was," chuckled Brian Pattie, Franchitti's crew chief. "I said 'down, left and up.' "
But to Franchitti's credit, one NASCAR official reportedly asked the driver if he spoke English.
Last time we checked, English has always been the official language of Scotland.
He may speak with a Scottish accent, but it's English nevertheless. And he comes from the other side of the racetrack, so to speak, but he's still a racer, added Pattie.
"They all wear a helmet," he said.
And seemingly, Franchitti is quickly blending into the NASCAR environment, an environment that can be likened to a high school cafeteria: Cool kids at one table and outcasts at the other.
Franchitti's transport driver Bill Cole predicts his driver will be comfortable at any table.
"I worked for a lot of drivers and most don't give two cats who you are, but Dario seems like he wants to know everyone," he said. "This morning I was cooking breakfast for the guys and [Dario] made a point to say hello and shake everyone's hand."
Landon Cassill, 18-year-old driver for Hendrick Motorsports who was unable able to qualify due to a transmission issue, echoed those sentiments after meeting Franchitti for the first time in the ARCA drivers' meeting.
"He was in front of me and just turned around and introduced himself," Cassill said. "I was like 'wow; you would never guess he was an Indy 500 champ'."
The two talked about the Talladega track and Franchitti even paid yCassill a compliment on his Busch Series run in St. Louis.
"It was just like I was talking to my friend, [Brian] Clauson," he said.
After signing a multiyear contract to drive the No. 40 at Chip Ganassi Racing, Franchitti will become the first European driver to compete full time in NASCAR's premier series.
He admitted his mind was made up to make the switch to NASCAR before he won the IndyCar series championship.
Various reasons factored into Franchitti's decision to leave the IndyCar Series for NASCAR, and although he said it was minor, safety was one of them.
Franchitti experienced a handful of crashes during his most recent and final IndyCar season. Two of them, one in Michigan then another in Kentucky, sent the driver airborne, nose over tail at speeds more than 200 mph.
During the first wreck at Michigan, Franchitti and Dan Wheldon made contact sending Franchitti's car flipping. It was then hit again by Scott Dixon, a driver in the Ganassi IndyCar stable, resulting in a seven-car incident.
The second flip came a week later in Kentucky when Franchitti crossed the start-finish line to finish the race. Franchitti crashed into the back of Kosuke Matsuura, flipped again, and then hit the outside wall.
With advances in safety and technology, Franchitti walked away from both incidents, however the driver, with nearly three decades of racing experience, was a bit rattled.
"After the second one in Kentucky, I didn't have a good feeling. It was not a comfortable feeling. I worried about what could've been," Franchitti said.
Various media reports alleged Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd, urged her husband to leave the IndyCar Series because of safety reasons, however, Franchitti denied the rumors and said his wife has always supported his decisions.
"Racing is dangerous, everyone knows that, but safety was only a tiny reason why I came to NASCAR."
Franchitti's ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 race will air live on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET Friday.
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A class act and exactly why I'm a fan
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theRacingLine.net
SportsCarArchives.com
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2007 08:30PM by DaveEllis.
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Franchitti fitting in at track one pant leg at a time
IRL champ qualifies sixth for Friday's ARCA race at 'Dega
By Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM
October 5, 2007
12:33 PM EDT
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Like a freshman on the first day of classes, veteran open wheeler now aspiring stock car driver Dario Franchitti was dressed in his fire suit and ready to go hours before qualifying began.
Standing outside his hauler, posed as a fire engine-red Target billboard, the 34-year-old Scotland native intentionally allowed his pant legs to drape over his fire-proof racing boots in an attempt to fit in with the all-American stock car fraternity.
Open wheel purists, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and counterpart Juan Montoya included, typically tuck their pant legs into their racing boots.
Fire suit etiquette is one finite detail in a list of a hundred Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion, is eager to learn on his road to becoming a successful NASCAR Cup driver.
And like his teammate Montoya, also an Indianapolis 500 champ and former CART driver, you have to start somewhere and that somewhere happened to be Thursday at Talladega Superspeedway.
After completing an estimated 16 practice laps Thursday in his stock car debut on the high banks of 'Dega, Franchitti qualified his No. 42 Dodge sixth for Friday's ARCA race. He held on to the proverbial pole most of the qualifying session but then was eventually knocked off by teammate Bryan Clauson.
"I'm happy with the result, but I honestly think it was more about the crew guys and the preparation they did on this car," Franchitti said. "I think the thing I'm most looking forward to is getting in the draft tomorrow in morning warm-up to see what the race is going to be like."
It was progress, even a major milestone perhaps from where the newcomer began in his first ARCA practice at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday.
While seasoned stock car drivers know just about every crack and cranny on the 'Dega Superspeedway, Franchitti was merely trying to find his way around the car.
"I had to show him where reverse was," chuckled Brian Pattie, Franchitti's crew chief. "I said 'down, left and up.' "
But to Franchitti's credit, one NASCAR official reportedly asked the driver if he spoke English.
Last time we checked, English has always been the official language of Scotland.
He may speak with a Scottish accent, but it's English nevertheless. And he comes from the other side of the racetrack, so to speak, but he's still a racer, added Pattie.
"They all wear a helmet," he said.
And seemingly, Franchitti is quickly blending into the NASCAR environment, an environment that can be likened to a high school cafeteria: Cool kids at one table and outcasts at the other.
Franchitti's transport driver Bill Cole predicts his driver will be comfortable at any table.
"I worked for a lot of drivers and most don't give two cats who you are, but Dario seems like he wants to know everyone," he said. "This morning I was cooking breakfast for the guys and [Dario] made a point to say hello and shake everyone's hand."
Landon Cassill, 18-year-old driver for Hendrick Motorsports who was unable able to qualify due to a transmission issue, echoed those sentiments after meeting Franchitti for the first time in the ARCA drivers' meeting.
"He was in front of me and just turned around and introduced himself," Cassill said. "I was like 'wow; you would never guess he was an Indy 500 champ'."
The two talked about the Talladega track and Franchitti even paid yCassill a compliment on his Busch Series run in St. Louis.
"It was just like I was talking to my friend, [Brian] Clauson," he said.
After signing a multiyear contract to drive the No. 40 at Chip Ganassi Racing, Franchitti will become the first European driver to compete full time in NASCAR's premier series.
He admitted his mind was made up to make the switch to NASCAR before he won the IndyCar series championship.
Various reasons factored into Franchitti's decision to leave the IndyCar Series for NASCAR, and although he said it was minor, safety was one of them.
Franchitti experienced a handful of crashes during his most recent and final IndyCar season. Two of them, one in Michigan then another in Kentucky, sent the driver airborne, nose over tail at speeds more than 200 mph.
During the first wreck at Michigan, Franchitti and Dan Wheldon made contact sending Franchitti's car flipping. It was then hit again by Scott Dixon, a driver in the Ganassi IndyCar stable, resulting in a seven-car incident.
The second flip came a week later in Kentucky when Franchitti crossed the start-finish line to finish the race. Franchitti crashed into the back of Kosuke Matsuura, flipped again, and then hit the outside wall.
With advances in safety and technology, Franchitti walked away from both incidents, however the driver, with nearly three decades of racing experience, was a bit rattled.
"After the second one in Kentucky, I didn't have a good feeling. It was not a comfortable feeling. I worried about what could've been," Franchitti said.
Various media reports alleged Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd, urged her husband to leave the IndyCar Series because of safety reasons, however, Franchitti denied the rumors and said his wife has always supported his decisions.
"Racing is dangerous, everyone knows that, but safety was only a tiny reason why I came to NASCAR."
Franchitti's ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 race will air live on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET Friday.
--------------------
A class act and exactly why I'm a fan
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
theRacingLine.net
SportsCarArchives.com
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2007 08:30PM by DaveEllis.
Is this from now or from next year?
Where will this leave dan? I read a rumour on a forum about Panther racing but?
edit - should make next year interesting!
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2008 06:31PM by chet.
Where will this leave dan? I read a rumour on a forum about Panther racing but?
edit - should make next year interesting!
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2008 06:31PM by chet.
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