Four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti is making a surprise return to racing. Tricon Garage, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, has announced the Franchitti will compete in an upcoming Truck Series race.
The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion will compete on the streets of St. Petersburg in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra.
“The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me,” Franchitti said in a statement. “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.”
As part of the announcement, Tricon Garage will partner with Franchitti’s longtime friend and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who owns Legacy Motor Club. Legacy Motor Club’s primary sponsor, Dollar Tree, will sponsor Franchitti’s No. 1 entry.
“This all stemmed from a conversation with Jimmie Johnson,” Franchitti said. “For me, with the opportunity to race the truck, it was really him, it was the whole team that he has there [at Legacy Motor Club] 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.”
Dario Franchitti’s First NASCAR Stint
Franchitti attempted to make a swap from IndyCar Series racing to NASCAR competition in 2007 and 2008. He partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing just as Juan Pablo Montoya was moving from the IndyCar Series to NASCAR with the same organization.
However, Franchitti did not succeed in NASCAR. In 29 total NASCAR starts, he had one top five and two top 10s. The majority of his starts came in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he drove Ganassi’s No. 40 Dodge in 2008. The team planned to have Franchitti compete full time in the Cup Series, but after half the season, Ganassi no longer had sponsorship for his entry.
Franchitti abandoned his NASCAR dreams and returned to the IndyCar Series with Ganassi. He won three straight IndyCar Series championships from 2009-11. He competed in the series until the end of the 2013 season, when he retired from full-time racing at 40 years old.
Franchitti’s comeback comes as a surprise to many. However, his success at St. Petersburg speaks for itself. He led 94 of 100 laps en route to victory at the circuit in 2011 with Ganassi.
Now, he will make his first Craftsman Truck Series start since 2007. Franchitti is joining the reigning series champion for this one-off start. Last year, Truck Series champion Corey Heim won 12 of 25 races for Tricon Garage.
Jimmie Johnson’s Truck Series Return
Johnson himself will also be piloting the No. 1 truck this year. He will race the Toyota entry in NASCAR’s San Diego debut, marking a return to his hometown for what could potentially be his last NASCAR race weekend. Johnson’s truck will be backed by his longtime sponsor Carvana, which originally partnered with Johnson in the IndyCar Series. Johnson himself has not competed in the series since 2013, and he runs a handful of Cup Series races each year with Legacy Motor Club.
The event at St. Petersburg is rare in that it will be an IndyCar-NASCAR combined weekend from February 27 through March, making it the perfect opportunity for Franchitti and Johnson to reunite.
IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti Set for Surprise NASCAR Return