JOLIET, Ill. — After getting over the initial shock of team owner Chip Ganassi’s decision to shut down the Sprint Cup series team he was driving for, Dario Franchitti is trying to figure out his next step.
But Franchitti said he will wait until after a meeting with Ganassi on Friday before seriously exploring other options.
“We’re starting to look around, starting to talk,” Franchitti said Thursday. “But really nothing is going to happen until I speak to Chip tomorrow and see what his position is, see what his plan is for the future and see if it’s something I’m interested in. Then I can make a decision. I certainly owe Chip that much.”
Franchitti will drive for Ganassi’s Nationwide series team at Chicagoland on Friday. Beyond that, he said, his future is unclear.
Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series championship in 2007, then left open-wheel racing to pursue a career in NASCAR. So far, the experience has been a string of disappointing finishes and bad luck: He broke his ankle in a crash, then Ganassi shut his team down last week because they couldn’t find a sponsor.
Ganassi still fields cars for Juan Pablo Montoya and Reed Sorenson in Cup.
“It was a big shock that it happened,” Franchitti said. “Myself and 70 people lost their job down in Concord (N.C.), so a lot of people are upset right now. I understand that if there’s no money, there is no money. The timing of these things are never good. You never pick the right time, I guess, but it’s particularly frustrating because we really felt we were getting a hold of it.”
Still, Franchitti wasn’t second-guessing his decision to leave open-wheel racing for NASCAR. Franchitti said he felt he had “run my course,” in IndyCar and might not have been properly motivated to drive another year in the series.
“I really felt it was time to do something else,” Franchitti said. “Had I not come to NASCAR, I would have done something else apart from IndyCar. I loved my time and my championship. I really enjoyed it. Obviously last year was a great year but it was time to do something different.”
But now that he needs a job, would he go back to open wheel?
“I don’t know yet,” Franchitti said. “I don’t know what the options are going to look like until certainly after tomorrow. The phone’s been ringing, which has been nice, from all kinds of different places. We’ll see what happens.”
LOGANO A GO? Now that Tony Stewart officially is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to become an owner-driver for the team currently known as Haas-CNC Racing next year, Gibbs must find a new driver for the No. 20 car.
One strong possibility: Racing phenom Joey Logano, who has been having a breakthrough season in the Nationwide series since becoming eligible to race after turning 18 in May.
Stewart’s current crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, is staying at Gibbs and could end up being Logano’s crew chief next season.
Will the rising young star be ready to make the jump to a championship-level team in the Sprint Cup series after one partial season in Nationwide?
“He’s a remarkable young guy,” Zipadelli said. “He’s very mature for his age. That’s a big question that I don’t know anybody has an answer to. Experience is priceless, you know. It’s one thing to do it in other divisions, but when they feed you to the sharks out here on Sunday, you’re going against the best in the world that have tons of experience.”
Despite Logano’s age, Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin said he didn’t think it would take very long for Logano to get the hang of racing in the Cup series.
“I think Joey’s a guy that could get it quick,” Hamlin said. “He’s well beyond his age when it comes to experience.”
DEI APPEALING: Dale Earnhardt Inc. is appealing the penalty NASCAR levied on the team and driver Martin Truex Jr. earlier this week.
NASCAR penalized Truex and DEI 150 points after his No. 1 car failed to fit a roof template during its initial inspection at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. The 150-point penalty dropped Truex from 14th in the standings to 18th.
Crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and car chief Gary Putnam were suspended from the next six races and placed on probation until the end of the year, but are allowed to continue working with the team while the penalty is being appealed.
Manion was also fined $100,000.
LUGNUTS: Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin said he expects the team to continue giving Tony Stewart access to team meetings and technical data for the rest of the season, something other teams have refused to do for drivers who have signed with rival teams. “It’s just not going to be like that,” Hamlin said. “Stewart’s too involved in Joe Gibbs Racing and has given 10 great years to Joe Gibbs Racing. I think it’s ending on good terms.” … Penske Racing is mourning the loss of transportation coordinator Bill Passwater, who died earlier this week. All three Penske cars will carry commemorative decals at Chicagoland this weekend, as will the Penske IndyCar Series entries at Nashville Superspeedway and the American Le Mans Series entries at Lime Rock. … Richard Childress Racing issued a statement denying reports that sponsor Jack Daniel’s would leave the team after the 2008 season: “Jack Daniel’s and Richard Childress Racing have a contract through the 2009 season. Any reports in the media to the contrary are simply not accurate.”
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