Dario Franchitti, left, and Scott Dixon. (Getty)
With just one week until the 2017 Indianapolis 500, two of the IndyCar circuit’s biggest names were caught up in a life-threatening situation.
Pole-sitter Scott Dixon and former driver Dario Franchitti were robbed at a Taco Bell on May 21, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.
The robbery took place in the evening hours Sunday at a Taco Bell restaurant, and nobody was injured after the encounter.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Drivers Were Robbed at a Drive-Thru
Scott Dixon, right, and Dario Franchitti. (Getty)
Dixon and Franchitti were with Dixon’s wife, Emma Davies-Dixon, at a Taco bell at 3502 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis. They were going through the drive-thru at about 9:40 p.m. on May 22 when two juvenile boys, ages 14 and 15, robbed them at gun point, a police report obtained by the Indianapolis Star said.
The two drivers declined to comment on the matter the next day, but fellow IndyCar driver Tony Kannaan said to reporters that they were making a “food run” for a group of drivers when a teen pulled a gun on them and demanded money.
“While they were ordering with their windows down two guys approached at gun point they held a gun at Dixon’s head and asked him for his wallet and his phone,” Kanaan said.
“You don’t expect that to happen, especially here.”
2. The Teens Were Charged By Police
According to USA Today, the teens who robbed Franchitti and Dixon were arrested by police after they located their vehicle. They were arrested in connection with stealing credit cards and other valuables from Franchitti, Dixon and his wife Emma. They were formally charged with robbery and the elder of the two also received a charge for resisting law enforcement.
The Taco Bell restaurant that the pair were robbed at isn’t far from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just a half-mile, in fact.
3. Dixon & Franchitti Were In Town for the Indy 500
(Getty)
The two drivers are in Indianapolis for the Indy 500, which is May 28. Dixon won the pole for Sunday’s race and with a historically-fast qualifying time, while Franchitti was there supporting his friends.
Dixon had the fastest qualifying time from a driver since 1996 at the Indy 500. His four-lap average of 231.365 mph was the fastest since Arie Luyendyk did so over 20 years ago (236.986 mph).
Dixon qualified for the starting spot May 21, just hours before he was robbed at the Taco Bell.
4. Franchitti Won 3 Indy 500 Titles, But Retired
Scott Dixon, left, and Dario Franchitti. (Getty)
Franchitti, a Scottish driver, was one of the circuit’s top drivers when he raced. He’s won three Indy 500 races and a slew of other notable events.
He won in the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012, but was eventually forced to retired due to injuries suffered from a major crash.
The crash was at the Grand Prix of Houston in 2013. After making contact with another driver, Franchitti’s vehicle caught air and flew into a fence, totaling the vehicle and causing a major scare at the course.
Franchitti suffered two fractured vertebrae, a broken ankle and a concussion from the crash. About one month later, he announced his retirement from motor racing. He retired with 31 wins in 265 starts in his American racing career, ranking ninth all-time.
Franchitti is back in Indianapolis to support his fellow drivers and teammates at the year’s biggest race.
5. The Incident Spurred Reaction on Social Media
Sebastien Bourdais, left, Scott Dixon, center, and Dario Franchitti in 2013. (Getty)
While details of the robbery were still unfolding, it took many drivers within the circuit and friends of the two by surprise.
Chip Ganassi, the owner of Chip Ganassi Racing — the team Dixon races for — posted a humorous tweet joking the Taco Bell sponsorship the team had pursued is now gone.
There goes that Taco Bell sponsorship we were working on I guess. @scottdixon9 @dariofranchitti @EmmaDaviesDixon
Dixon himself posted a tweet hours after the robbery, but again didn’t comment on the matter. His tweet called Sunday qualifying an “intense day.”
