Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[IndyCar crowns its first post-reconciliation champion (Spoiler Alert)]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/11/indycar-crowns-its-first-post-reconciliation-champion-spoiler-a/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/11/indycar-crowns-its-first-post-reconciliation-champion-spoiler-a/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/11/indycar-crowns-its-first-post-reconciliation-champion-spoiler-a/#commentsFiled under:


Firestone Indy 300 IndyCar Series finale from Homestead-Miami Speedway

Although he wanted it so bad it hurt, Ryan Briscoe just couldn't buy himself a yellow flag in the Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Team Penske driver was leading the season points battle with just seven laps remaining in this, the final race of the season at Homestead, and might have won the race and the championship had this been any other race. You see, fuel consumption became an issue and Briscoe had to pit with just seven laps between himself and the trophy for a splash and go. The reason? This was the first IndyCar race in history without a single yellow flag.

It's not as if these guys want to see crashes during the race, but up until today, they could always count on at least one incident to slow things down for a stretch, conserving fuel in the process. Not this time. As Briscoe pitted, Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti took the lead and never looked back. Just as in 2007, when it was Scott Dixon who had to pit and thereby relinquish the crown to Dario, Briscoe saw his hopes fade as even Dixon passed him in the race and in the final points tally. Had he been able to hold onto his lead, Briscoe would have been the sixth different IRL/IndyCar champ in the past six years.

As disappointing as it was for Briscoe, the year ended up being a good one for Franchitti, who did short stint in NASCAR before returning to IndyCar's open wheelers. Yesterday's title is Franchitti's second and the third for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. In an odd bit of meaninglessly trivial statistics, it was the 10th series win for Dario, on the 10th day of the 10th month in the number 10 car. And Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy, while Kennedy's was Lincoln. The top three in the final points tally were Franchitti (616), Dixon (605), and Briscoe (604). Due to the lack of yellows, yesterday's race at Homestead went down as the second fastest in IndyCar Series history, with an average speed of 201.420 mph.

[Photo credit: Shawn Payne/IndyCar]

Continue reading IndyCar crowns its first post-reconciliation champion (Spoiler Alert)

IndyCar crowns its first post-reconciliation champion (Spoiler Alert) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CARTchamp carChampCarDario FranchittiDarioFranchittiindycarindycar racing leagueindycar seriesIndycarRacingLeagueindycarsIndycarSeriesIRLRyan BriscoeRyanBriscoeScott DixonScottDixonTarget Chip Ganassi RacingTargetChipGanassiRacingSun, 11 Oct 2009 11:21:00 EST<![CDATA[Franchitti to stick to NASCAR, moves down to Nationwide Series]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/28/franchitti-to-stick-to-nascar-moves-down-to-nationwide-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/28/franchitti-to-stick-to-nascar-moves-down-to-nationwide-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/28/franchitti-to-stick-to-nascar-moves-down-to-nationwide-series/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Following the closure of his Sprint Cup ride last month, Dario Franchitti will run several races in the second-tier Nationwide Series before the end of the season. The Scottish driver was reportedly offered several options by Chip Ganassi, and chose to concentrate on NASCAR rather than move back to open wheels or elsewhere.

Franchitti will begin campaigning in the Nationwide Series after the season's road course races are wrapped up in Montreal and Watkins Glen. The No. 40 Fastenal Dodge he'll be driving has been a bit of a transient car, which will have been shared with Scott Pruett, Reed Sorenson, Bryan Clauson and Juan Pablo Montoya before the season is finished. By then, the former Indy 500 winner and IRL champion may have made one more drive in the Sprint Cup at the Pep Boys Auto 500 in Atlanta this October.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images]

Franchitti to stick to NASCAR, moves down to Nationwide Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dario franchittiDarioFranchittifranchittifranchitti nationwideFranchittiNationwidenascar dario franchittiNascarDarioFranchittinationwidenationwide seriesNationwideSeriesMon, 28 Jul 2008 18:19:00 EST<![CDATA[Ganassi shuts down Franchitti's NASCAR ride]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/02/ganassi-shuts-down-franchittis-nascar-ride/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/02/ganassi-shuts-down-franchittis-nascar-ride/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/02/ganassi-shuts-down-franchittis-nascar-ride/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Okay, we'll admit it. Most of us here at Autoblog aren't big NASCAR fans. But we have been intrigued by the recent migration of championship-winning open-wheel racers to the stock car series. Former Indy 500 and Monaco GP winner Juan-Pablo Montoya seems to be making a go of it, while fellow Indy and F1 champ Jacques Villeneuve has all but given up hope of ever making it with the good ol' boys. But how about Dario Franchitti? After winning both the Indy 500 and the IRL title, Franchitti made the move to NASCAR. Unfortunately, however, his skills in open cockpits have yet to translate to closed ones in the same way as they have for his Colombian team-mate, and his sponsorship cash in the top-level Sprint Cup has run dry after Coors Light dropped the No. 40 Dodge.

Team principal Chip Ganassi has had no choice but to shut down Franchitti's ride as a result. Ganassi emphasized that Dario is encouraged to continue in the second-tier Nationwide Series, and after Franchitti finds his speed again we hope to see him rubbin' bumpers and taking names back in the Sprint Cup soon. In the meantime he'll just have to take solace in the arms of his wife Ashley Judd... poor guy.

[Source: AutoWeek, Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images]

Ganassi shuts down Franchitti's NASCAR ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chip ganassiChipGanassidario franchittiDarioFranchittifranchitti 40 dodgefranchitti ganassifranchitti nascarfranchitti nascar sprint cupFranchitti40DodgeFranchittiGanassiFranchittiNascarFranchittiNascarSprintCupnascarsponsorship franchittiSponsorshipFranchittisprint cupSprintCupWed, 02 Jul 2008 16:41:00 EST<![CDATA[Dario Franchitti involved in pantless pursuit of Ashely Judd stalker]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/18/dario-franchitti-involved-in-pantless-pursuit-of-ashely-judd-sta/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/18/dario-franchitti-involved-in-pantless-pursuit-of-ashely-judd-sta/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/18/dario-franchitti-involved-in-pantless-pursuit-of-ashely-judd-sta/#commentsFiled under: ,



First of all, that's our favorite post title of the year so far. We don't get to write titles like that very often. Secondly, this intruder must be dumber than a bag of rocks or just ill-informed to break into the house of a professional race driver and think he's going to get away. The story goes like this: Franchitti told reporters recently that he was eating cereal one morning in the kitchen of his home in Nashville, Tennessee, when he looked up to find a man standing in front of him. Presumably the man was there to see Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd, and did not expect to find another man scarfing cereal in his boxers. The intruder took off and Franchitti hopped in his car and followed, but he forgot one thing... pants. The 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner proceeded to chase the man in his boxers and a white T-shirt anyway, though police caught up to him first. Local media had already heard about the chase over the police scanners and were on scene to interview the half-dressed vigilante/race car driver, who wisely doled out soundbites from the seat of his car.

Let this be a lesson to all would be Ashley Judd stalkers: Pants be damned, Dario Franchitti will hunt you down.

[Source: Asylum, Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty]

Dario Franchitti involved in pantless pursuit of Ashely Judd stalker originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ashley juddAshleyJuddboxers dario franchittiBoxersDarioFranchittidario franchittiDarioFranchittipantless dario franchittiPantlessDarioFranchittiFri, 18 Jan 2008 15:31:00 EST<![CDATA[NASCAR nabs another: Dario Franchitti joins Chip Ganassi Racing]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/05/nascar-nabs-another-dario-franchitti-joins-chip-ganassi-racing/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/05/nascar-nabs-another-dario-franchitti-joins-chip-ganassi-racing/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/05/nascar-nabs-another-dario-franchitti-joins-chip-ganassi-racing/#commentsFiled under:

NASCAR is continuing to sample the international flavor of motorsports. The sport that began as moonshine runs in the wilds of the South has, in a short time, raised its profile here in America and is now threatening to do it elsewhere.


Scottish driver Dario Franchitti took the Indy 500 and the IRL championship this year with the Andretti Green team. Now he's leaving the team and the series to join Juan Pablo Montoya at Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR team.

The move will pair Franchitti with Montoya and Felix Sabates in the Ganassi team, and Jacques Villeneuve with Bill Davis Racing in the new international contingent. The international drivers are also getting attention from international sponsors, with Russian and Spanish companies calling for spots on Ganassi cars.

Dario starts his NASCAR run in the feeder ARCA RE/MAX Series race this weekend at Talledega. From there he'll graduate to the Busch Series (soon-to-be Nationwide Series), and then do an official Cup race some time before 2008.

Thanks for the tip, Dave!

[Source: ESPN.com]

NASCAR nabs another: Dario Franchitti joins Chip Ganassi Racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chip ganassi racingChipGanassiRacingdario franchittiDarioFranchittifranchitti ganassifranchitti nascarFranchittiGanassiFranchittiNascarganassi nascarganassi racingGanassiNascarGanassiRacingFri, 05 Oct 2007 19:27:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Franchitti's harrowing airborne crash during Firestone 400]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/06/video-franchittis-harrowing-airborne-crash-during-firestone-40/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/06/video-franchittis-harrowing-airborne-crash-during-firestone-40/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/06/video-franchittis-harrowing-airborne-crash-during-firestone-40/#commentsFiled under:



Indianapolis 500 winner, current IndyCar points leader and husband of actress of Ashley Judd (rank those however you want) Dario Franchitti was involved in a spectacular airborne crash during this weekend's Firestone 400 at Michigan International Speedway, though fortunately he walked away with nary a scratch. Franchitti was doing his best to hold off Dan Wheldon, currently 4th in points, on Lap 144, when his rear end touched wheels with the front of Wheldon's car. Franchitti's car turned sideways in front of Wheldon, which instantly created a giant wing and a ramp from which his car was launched high into the air at over 200 mph. At one point the car was pointing straight down at the pavement. Franchitti eventually landed upside down on top of Scott Dixon's car, narrowly missing the head of the man who is currently chasing him in points. In addition to those three drivers and their cars, Sam Hornish Jr., Tomas Scheckter, Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV were also involved in this 7-car crash/aerial display. Though no one was seriously injured, A.J. Foyt IV was showing everyone his helmet, which reportedly featured tire marks from Franchitti's car. Wheldon was absolved of any responsibility for the crash by Franchitti, who said after the race, "It's not Dan's fault and I don't believe it's my fault. We're just out there trying to get an advantage."

It's thought Franchitti was on pace to win the race, having led the most laps despite not finishing with 56 left to go. Tony Kanaan took the checkered flag instead, though Franchitti remains the season's points leader.

Check out the crash from every possible camera angle after the jump.

[Source: IndyCar.com, ESPN]

Continue reading VIDEO: Franchitti's harrowing airborne crash during Firestone 400

VIDEO: Franchitti's harrowing airborne crash during Firestone 400 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crashdan wheldonDanWheldondario franchittiDarioFranchittifirestone 400franchittiindyindycarmichigan international speedwayMichiganInternationalSpeedwayMon, 06 Aug 2007 12:02:00 EST<![CDATA[So, yeah, the Indianapolis 500 happened last weekend]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/29/so-yeah-the-indianapolis-500-happened-last-weekend/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/29/so-yeah-the-indianapolis-500-happened-last-weekend/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/29/so-yeah-the-indianapolis-500-happened-last-weekend/#commentsFiled under:


click above image for more pics of this year's Indy 500

Usually we have little trouble covering the big auto events of the year. Bloggers line up to go to auto shows and even for those events we don't attend in person, which are often motorsport events, there's always one or two of us who care enough to watch on TV and whip up a quick recap post.

Then there's the Indy 500, which took place at the famous Brickyard last Sunday. Not one of us watch CART Champ Car IRL, instead favoring the American LeMans Series as our motorsport of choice, with NASCAR's Nextel Cup coming in a distant second perhaps. Knowing this about Team Autoblog, I set aside some time on Sunday to watch the Indianapolis 500.

Read more after the jump.

[Source: Indy500.com]

NOTE: I know jack about the IRL and CART, so excuse my egregious errors above, but in my adult lifetime this form of racing in the U.S. has never been interesting enough to watch. I'll catch the Indy 500 out of respect for an historic race with a lot of history, and it's holds my attention because most of the racers are readily identifiable, unless it rains, in which case I'll obviously tune out.

Gallery: 91st Indianapolis 500

Continue reading So, yeah, the Indianapolis 500 happened last weekend

So, yeah, the Indianapolis 500 happened last weekend originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 May 2007 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Dario FranchittiDarioFranchittiexpire-images:2008-5-28indianapolis 500Indianapolis500indy 500Indy500Tue, 29 May 2007 14:03:00 EST<![CDATA[Spoiler Alert: ALMS results and gallery from America's Monaco]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/15/spoiler-alert-alms-results-and-gallery-from-americas-monaco/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/15/spoiler-alert-alms-results-and-gallery-from-americas-monaco/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/15/spoiler-alert-alms-results-and-gallery-from-americas-monaco/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



Most of us here at AB love auto racing, especially seeing the action live at the track. As we recently reported, ALMS made its first visit to Long Beach this weekend, and it was just too good an opportunity to let slip by. This was an instance where being there was worth the trip even without a media credential. Blogging from the racetrack can be a little difficult, but even if we couldn't post live, it would never stop us from going. The race results will probably be posted online by the time we get home, but one thing we can do is take lots of photos and share them with all of you. You'll find a full gallery of high-res pics from Friday by clicking the image above.

The weekend has been filled with lots of exciting racing and off-track excitement as well. Champ Cars have been the headliner here since Formula 1 left, but there are always other support series as well. Atlantics returned, as did the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race. Kind of weird to see Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) move from the latter to the former with a full time ride this year. The Lifestyle Expo returned as well, with vendor booths and displays, as well as games and rides for kids of all ages. New this year were Formula D, Speed World GT and the aforementioned ALMS.

Gallery: ALMS Long Beach

Continue reading Spoiler Alert: ALMS results and gallery from America's Monaco

Spoiler Alert: ALMS results and gallery from America's Monaco originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AcuraALMSAmerican Le Mans SeriesAmericanLeMansSeriesAudi R10AudiR10Dario FranchittiDarioFranchittiLong Beach Grand PrixLongBeachGrandPrixTDISun, 15 Apr 2007 11:33:00 EST