This article is about the sanctioning body. For other meanings see IndyCar (disambiguation). For an overview of U.S. National Championship auto racing, see American Championship Car Racing.

IndyCar
Sport	Open-wheel cars
Area of jurisdiction	North America
Formation date	1996
Headquarters	Indianapolis, IN
President	Randy Bernard
Official website
www.indycar.com

IndyCar is the trade name of an American-based open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. IndyCar sanctions four racing series, the premier IZOD IndyCar Series^[1] (often abbreviated ICS or IICS) with its centerpiece Indianapolis 500, and developmental series Firestone Indy Lights, the Star Mazda Championship and the U.S. F2000 National Championship, which are all a part of The Road To Indy.

The trade name INDYCAR was officially adopted on January 1, 2011, as the trade name of racing operations of Indy Racing League LLC.

IndyCar is owned by Hulman and Co., which also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex and the Clabber Girl brand.

Sanctioned series[link]

IZOD IndyCar Series[link]

The IndyCar Series is the name adopted in 2003 for the premier series sanctioned by IndyCar. The series was known as the Indy Racing League until the beginning of the 2003 season. Izod was announced as the IndyCar Series title sponsor in 2010, a deal expected to run for at least five years.^[1]

The series initially raced exclusively on oval tracks, as the series was founded partly in response to the increasing prominence of road and street courses on the CART schedule. In 2005, the series abandoned its unofficial ovals-only stance, and added three road–street course events. By 2009, the series had a roughly 50/50 split of ovals and road/street courses.

Firestone Indy Lights[link]

Firestone Indy Lights is the development series for the Izod Indycar series. It originally started in 2002, as the IRL Infiniti Pro Series coincidentally in the same year as CART's own Indy Lights series came to an end. Since the merger of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, the Indy Lights name returned. The Indy Lights run as support races to IndyCar Series races. In the past, a round during the United States Grand Prix was also apart of the schedule.

Star Mazda Championship[link]

The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is an open-wheel racecar driver development series in North America. Competitors use spec Formula Mazda race cars built by Star Race Cars. The original series, using first-generation tube-frame cars started in the early 1990s, with the current, high-tech, carbon-fiber car released in 2004. The series has historically included road courses, street courses, and ovals. The series' primary sponsors are Mazda and Goodyear and the cars, while purpose built for the track with carbon fiber monocoques, are powered by 250 horsepower Mazda 'Renesis' rotary engines. The series' stated goal is "to develop new race driving talent". In 2010 the series became a part of The Road to Indy.

U.S. F2000[link]

USF2000 is a series IndyCar started sanctioning in 2010. Originally started in 1991 and folded in 2006, it was restarted in 2010 as part of the "Road to Indy" ladder series. The series runs with Star Mazda at every event, though it doesn't run at a few races Star Mazda does.

Championship point system[link]

Like other governing bodies, IndyCar awards points based upon where a driver finishes in a race. The systems for both the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights are identical. The top three drivers are separated by ten and five points respectively (see this section table). The fourth through tenth place finishers are separated by two points each. Eleventh through eighteenth are separated by one point each. Eighteenth through twenty-fourth score twelve points each. All other drivers who start the race score ten points. New for 2009, 2 points (instead of 3 points, as in previous years) will be awarded for the driver who leads the most laps, and 1 point will be awarded to the driver who claims the pole position, except at the Indianapolis 500.

For the Indianapolis 500, qualifying points are awarded for all 33 cars at the Indianapolis 500. The point scale slides based on the teams that qualify for the top-nine shootout, then descending by speed and position.

History[link]

Indy car name[link]

"Indy car" is sometimes used as a descriptive name for championship open-wheel auto racing in the United States. The Indy car name derived as a result of the genre's fundamental link to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race (often referred to as the "Indy 500"), the best-known and most-popular auto race in North America.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in 1980, the term Indy car was often used to describe the race cars in the events sanctioned by CART, which had become the dominant governing body for open-wheel racing in the United States. The Indianapolis 500, however, remained sanctioned by USAC. CART recognized the Indy 500 on its schedule, and awarded points for finishers in the race from 1980–1995 despite not sanctioning it. The two entities operated separately, but utilized the same equipment.

In 1992, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway registered the IndyCar trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and licensed it to CART, which renamed its championship the IndyCar World Series. All references to the name "CART" were decidedly prohibited, as the series sought to eliminate perceived confusion from casual fans with the term kart.

During the 1996 season, the IndyCar mark was the subject of a fierce legal battle. Prior to the 1996 season, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George had created his own national championship racing series, the Indy Racing League. In March 1996, CART filed a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an effort to protect their license to the IndyCar mark which the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had attempted to terminate. In April, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway filed a countersuit against CART to prevent them from further use of the mark. Eventually a settlement was reached in which CART agreed to give up the use of the IndyCar mark following the 1996 season and the IRL could not use the name before the end of the 2002 season.

Following a six-year hiatus, Indy Racing League, LLC announced it would rename their premier series the IndyCar Series for the 2003 racing season. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc., a subsidiary of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, is the current owner of the IndyCar mark and licenses that mark to the Indy Racing League for use in connection with the IndyCar Series. CART (and its successor Champ Car) races outside the United States were still permitted to use the Indy moniker, such as the Toronto Molson Indy and Lexmark Indy 300, though the distinction is moot now, as the two series have unified. Post-unification, a heavy emphasis has been placed on deemphasizing the IRL moniker and replacing it with the IndyCar name. This became official on January 1, 2011 as Indy Racing League LLC adopted as its trade name INDYCAR, with all official documents stating "Indy Racing League LLC, d/b/a INDYCAR."

Split with CART[link]

The Indy Racing League was founded in 1994 by Tony George and began racing in 1996. CART had sanctioned Indy car racing since 1979, when the organization broke away from USAC. George blueprinted the IRL as a lower-cost open-wheel alternative to CART, which had become technology-driven and dominated by a few wealthy multi-car teams, much like Formula One. It initially attracted some of the smaller teams who believed in the vision presented by Tony George.

The split between the IRL and the CART governing body was extremely acrimonious, and both series greatly suffered because of it. The rivalry between competing groups of fans was most active on the Internet, especially on motorsports message boards, and tended to affect any attempts at impartial views of either racing series.

The most bitter point of conflict between CART and the IRL was the Indianapolis 500, long considered the crown jewel of North American motorsports. After the beginning of the IRL in 1996, Tony George restricted entry of the starting 33 cars to 25 IRL cars from full-time IRL teams, with only eight other cars being permitted to start. In retaliation, CART scheduled what was supposed to become its new showcase event, the U.S. 500, at Michigan International Speedway on the same day, but it drew far less fan interest and was discontinued after its 1999 running. Although modified in 1999, the initial Indy 500 policy toward CART was held up as proof of George and the IRL's ill-intent towards CART.

In 1997, Tony George specified new technical rules for less expensive cars and "production based" engines that outlawed the CART-spec cars that had been the mainstay of the race since the late 1970s. For the next few years almost all of the CART teams and drivers did not compete in the race. While this situation allowed many American drivers to participate in an event they might otherwise have been unable to afford, the turbulent political situation and the absence of many top IndyCar drivers, big-name sponsors and faster CART-spec cars cast something of a shadow over the race. It was certainly arguable that to the average fan, the replacement of at least fairly well known foreign drivers by almost-unknown American ones was not perceived as a real gain.

At its inception, the series and George himself were criticized by members of the media and some CART competitors. The IRL's early seasons consisted of sparse schedules, mostly unknown drivers, and inexperienced teams, even in the Indy 500. Eventually, the schedule expanded and the caliber of drivers improved. The IRL began to draw teams from CART starting in 2000, contributing to the latter's bankruptcy, re-branding as Champ Car in 2003, and ultimate demise and absorption by the IRL in 2008.

The IRL–CART split was a primary factor in an overall loss of interest in open-wheel motor racing in North America.^[2] NASCAR has since supplanted open-wheel racing as the most popular auto racing sport in the United States, and from 1995 onward, NASCAR's Daytona 500 has surpassed the IRL's Indianapolis 500 in U.S. television ratings. The split has also hurt overall sponsorship of US open-wheel racing. In 2006 and 2007, several top CART and IRL drivers left for the more lucrative NASCAR, including Dario Franchitti, A.J. Allmendinger, Sam Hornish, Jr., and most recently Danica Patrick,^[3] although Franchitti returned to the IRL for the 2009 season due to a lack of sponsorship in NASCAR.^[4]

In later years, the IndyCar Series has become similar to the CART series from which it separated. The winner's circle of IndyCar is now dominated by a few wealthy teams—including those from the old CART series, such as Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske—a strong contingent of foreign-born drivers, and has a schedule which includes nine races that are not contested on ovals.

Unification with Champ Car[link]

On January 23, 2008, Tony George offered Champ Car management a proposal that included free cars and engine leases to Champ Car teams willing to run the entire 2008 IndyCar Series schedule in exchange for adding Champ Car's dates at Long Beach, Toronto, Edmonton, and Australia to the IndyCar Series schedule, effectively reuniting American open wheel racing.^[5] The offer was initially made in November 2007.^[5] On February 10, 2008, Tony George, along with IRL representatives Terry Angstadt and Brian Barnhart, plus former Honda executive Robert Clarke, traveled to Japan to discuss moving the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi.^[6] Moving that race, or postponing it, would be required in order to accommodate the Long Beach Grand Prix, which was scheduled for the same weekend.^[6] Optimism following the meeting was high.^[7]

In February 2008, Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George and owners of the Champ Car World Series completed an agreement to unify the sport for 2008.^[8] The result was that the Champ Car World Series was suspended except for the Long Beach Grand Prix. Many of the former Champ Car teams moved to the IndyCar Series using equipment provided by the League.

Driver safety[link]

Driver safety has also been a major point of concern, with a number of drivers seriously injured, particularly in the early years of the series. There have been four fatal crashes in the history of the series. Compared to road racing venues, the lack of run-offs on oval tracks, coupled with higher speeds due to the long straights and banked turns, means that there is far less margin for error. Car design was attributed as a leading cause of early injuries, and the series made improvements to chassis design to address those safety concerns. Following a series of spectacular high-profile accidents in 2003, including American racing legend Mario Andretti and former champion Kenny Bräck, as well as the death of Tony Renna in testing at Indianapolis, the IRL made additional changes to reduce speeds and increase safety.

IndyCar was the first racing series to adopt the SAFER soft wall safety system, which debuted at the Indianapolis 500 and has now been installed at almost all major oval racing circuits. The SAFER system research and design was supported and funded in large part by the Hulman-George family and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.^{[citation needed]}

Fatalities[link]

• Scott Brayton – (May 17, 1996), 1996 Indianapolis 500 practice session.
• Tony Renna – (October 22, 2003), Firestone private testing session.
• Paul Dana – (March 26, 2006), 2006 Toyota Indy 300 practice session.
• Dan Wheldon – (October 16, 2011), 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Hélio Castroneves practicing at the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

• 

  Roberto Moreno practicing the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

• 

  Marco Andretti (left) practicing with father Michael at Indy in 2007.

• 

  A Honda engine for 2007 to 2011.

See also[link]

• List of IndyCar teams
• List of IndyCar Series racetracks
• ABC Sports Indy Racing (video game)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official website of the Indianapolis 500
• IndyCar on Versus.com

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

Dario Franchitti
Dario Franchitti before the 2009 Indianapolis 500.
Nationality	Scotland
Born	(1973-05-19) 19 May 1973 (age 39) Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, UK
Related to	Paul di Resta (cousin) Marino Franchitti (brother) Ashley Judd (spouse) Naomi Judd (mother-in-law) Wynonna Judd (sister-in-law)
Previous series
1991 1992–1993 1994 1995 1995–1996 1997–2002 2002–2007 2007–2009 2008–2009 2007–2008 2007 2007–2008 2008 2009–	Formula Vauxhall Junior Formula Vauxhall Lotus British F3 DTM ITC CART IndyCar ALMS Rolex Sports Car Series ARCA NASCAR Truck Series Nationwide Series NASCAR Sprint Cup IndyCar
Championship titles
2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 2007, 2010, 2012	IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Winner
Awards
1992 2001 2009	McLaren Autosport Award Greg Moore Legacy Award BRDC Gold Star

George Dario Marino Franchitti^[1] (born 19 May 1973) is a Scottish racing driver. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is also a former NASCAR driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, competing until mid-2008 when his team shut down.^[2] Franchitti returned to the IndyCar Series for the 2009 season, driving the #10 Target Honda/Dallara for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.^[3] He is the current, four-time IndyCar Series champion after claiming a third title in 2010 and fourth title in 2011 in addition to his 2007 and 2009 titles. On 30 May 2010, he won his second Indianapolis 500 race. He is the second driver in IndyCar Series history to take four titles in four consecutive series of racing, after Sébastien Bourdais, after accounting for his 2008 absence from the series. On 27 May 2012, he won his third Indianapolis 500 race.

He also competed in the American Le Mans Series for Andretti Green Racing with his brother Marino and former IndyCar Series teammate Bryan Herta. He won the 2007 BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year award. Franchitti was born in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland.

Early career[link]

While attending Stewart's Melville College in Edinburgh, Franchitti became interested in karting. Allan McNish credited a large part of the start given to himself, Franchitti and David Coulthard as being down to David Leslie senior and junior.^[4] Franchitti won the Karting Scottish Junior Championship in 1984, the British Junior Championships in 1985 and 1986 and the Scottish senior title in 1988. He progressed to Formula Vauxhall Junior where he won the championship with four victories in 1991.

He moved up to Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1992, where he joined Paul Stewart Racing. In his first year, he finished fourth in the overall championship, and was named the McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year. Staying with the team for the next season, he won the championship in 1993.

He graduated to the British Formula Three Championship in 1994, where he finished fourth and won one race in his first year. However, he was not retained for 1995 which was his final year in single-seaters in Europe.

Instead, Franchitti was contracted by AMG Racing to drive a works Mercedes C-Class in the German Touring Car Championship and the related International Touring Car Championship, where he finished fifth and third respectively. He continued in the ITC in 1996, finishing fourth overall with one race win.

Franchitti performed test driver duties for the Jaguar F1 team under his mentor Jackie Stewart in the 2000 Formula One season, but was not able to secure a drive in the World Championship.

CART[link]

Dario's car being pushed up to qualify for the 2006 Indianapolis 500.

With the demise of the ITC, Mercedes placed Franchitti in Hogan Racing in 1997, making his US debut in the PPG/CART Champ Car World Series where his best finish was a ninth at Surfers Paradise. In 1998 he joined Team Green (forerunner to Andretti Green Racing and the current Andretti Autosport), finishing third in the season standings with three wins (his first coming at Road America) and a season-high five pole positions.

Franchitti finished runner-up in the 1999 CART season behind rookie Juan Pablo Montoya. Both drivers scored 212 points, but Montoya had seven wins to Franchitti's three and was crowned champion. Franchitti's close friend Greg Moore died in a crash during the final race of the year at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

A heavy crash in pre-season testing the next year ruined Franchitti's 2000 season, and he only won once at Cleveland in 2001. In 2002 he won the Vancouver Molson Indy. He dedicated his win to Greg Moore, who was killed in 1999 and was from Vancouver, British Columbia. He finished fourth in Champ Car in 2002.

IndyCar Series[link]

Franchitti waiting to qualify on 12 May 2007, at Indianapolis.

Practicing for the 2007 Indy 500.

2003[link]

Franchitti moved with the Andretti Green team to the IndyCar Series in 2003 but his season was ended by a back injury sustained in a motorcycle accident while on holiday in Scotland.^[5][6] Franchitti missed most of the year, and his place was taken by Dan Wheldon at Motegi,^[7] Robby Gordon at Indianapolis,^[8] and Bryan Herta for the remainder of the year (with Wheldon taking over a regular role from retiring team boss Michael Andretti).

2004[link]

Franchitti returned to the cockpit in 2004, and won his first IRL IndyCar Series race on 25 July at the Milwaukee Mile.^[9] He followed this win up with a win at Pikes Peak on 22 August.^[10]

2005[link]

Franchitti returned to Andretti Green Racing again, and had 2 wins. The first win came at Nashville.^[11] His last win of the year came at the 2005 season finale at California.^[12]

2007[link]

On 3 January 2007, Andretti Green Racing announced that Franchitti had re-signed for the IRL team for a tenth consecutive season in American Open Wheel racing.^[13] That year he also undertook a limited programme in the American Le Mans Series driving an Acura ARX-01, teaming up with his younger brother, Marino Franchitti and long-time AGR team-mate Bryan Herta.^[14] On 27 May 2007, Franchitti won a rain-shortened Indianapolis 500, finishing under a yellow flag after an accident involving Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti following lap 163. The race was halted due to rain three laps later. His prize money of $1.6m was equal to the entire purse for the 1982 race.

During the 2007 season, Franchitti survived two huge crashes which saw his car flip upside down both times. The first at Michigan saw him tangle with Dan Wheldon resulting in his car flipping before being hit again by Scott Dixon. The contact with Dixon was only inches away from his head and the accident saw seven cars (including Franchitti) retire from the race. The second flip came a week later at Kentucky. As Franchitti crossed the start/finish line to finish the race, the Scotsman who had not realised the chequered flag had been waved continued to race and crashed into the back of Kosuke Matsuura flipping yet again and hitting the outside wall. Franchitti took full responsibility for the incident.

Franchitti won the IndyCar Championship with four wins finishing ahead of Scott Dixon by just 13 points. Dixon ran out of fuel on the last lap of the season-ending race, allowing Franchitti to take the win and the championship, his first championship win since Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1993.

Franchitti returned to the IndyCar series for 2009 in the Target Chip Ganassi Racing #10 car, replacing Dan Wheldon who moved to Panther Racing. He debuted for the team in the non points race at Surfers Paradise in Australia on 25 October 2008. He qualified 4th of 24 drivers and was running third when he spun and stalled the car, resulting in a lap-down finish of 16th. He led 2 laps and set the fastest lap of the race.

2008[link]

Franchitti missed the 2008 Indianapolis 500 as he pursued a NASCAR career. He rejoined the IndyCar Series in 2009 with Target Ganassi Racing and went on to win his second and third IndyCar titles in 2009 and 2010.

2009[link]

2009 marked a successful return to Indycar for Dario scooping five wins, two second and two third placings and taking the series championship in his second consecutive attempt over teammate Scott Dixon by 11 points.

2010[link]

Franchitti got off to a steady if unspectacular start; through the first 5 races, Dario had 1 pole, 3 Top 5 finishes and 4 Top 10s. However, at the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500, it all came together for him. Starting on the outside of the first row (#3), Franchitti had the best car of the day, leading over 150 laps to take his 2nd win in the past four years. This is also his 24th win in American Open-wheel driving, placing him in the top 20 all-time. The win also makes him the 18th multiple-win driver in the history of the Indianapolis 500.^[15]

In October, Franchitti will travel to Australia to compete in a special round of the V8 Supercar championship in which he and 17 other international drivers will pair up with regular V8 drivers in two 300 km (186 mi) endurance races at the Gold Coast Street Circuit, a former venue for Indycar. He will drive for Jim Beam Racing with Steve Johnson.

By finishing eighth in the 2010 Izod Indycar series championship final at the Homestead Miami Speedway, and leading the most laps on top of qualifying in pole position, Dario overhauled Will Power's 12 points lead and took the 2010 Izod Indycar championship. In effect Dario had won all of the past three championships he entered when his 2008 absence is accounted for.

2011[link]

Franchitti, again driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, won the season opening road race at St. Petersburg, Florida. He followed that win with additional wins at Texas Motor Speedway (28th victory). He took the pole and the win in the Milwaukee 225 for his 29th victory, tying him with Rick Mears for 9th all-time in American Open Wheel racing. At the final race of the season in Las Vegas, a 15 car crash on lap 12 caused the race to be red flagged. After two hours of red flag, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard announced the death of Dan Wheldon, and the race was formally ended. The drivers who were able to do so participated in a 5 lap tribute to Wheldon 10 minutes after the announcement.^[16] Because the race was canceled, Franchitti — who entered the race with an 18-point lead over Power in the title standings— won his third consecutive IndyCar championship and fourth overall. Power was involved in the pileup; therefore the accident had no effect on the championship contenders when the race was cancelled.

2012[link]

Franchitti, again driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, had a slow start in the first four races. On May 27, he had an emotional win of the 2012 Indianapolis 500. In reference to Dan Wheldon, Franchitti said in a interview after the race, “I think D-Dub would have been proud of that one.” ^[17]

NASCAR[link]

Dario Franchitti racing in the 2007 Ford 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Franchitti at Daytona in 2008

On 3 October 2007, it was announced that Franchitti would move to NASCAR to replace David Stremme in the #40 Fastenal Dodge.^[18] He made his stock car debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series on 5 October at Talladega Superspeedway, qualifying 6th and finishing 17th in the #42 Target Dodge Charger for Chip Ganassi Racing.^[19] His move to stock cars had similarities to former CART rival Juan Pablo Montoya's move from Formula One to NASCAR in 2006.

Franchitti made his first NASCAR start on 20 October 2007 in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.^[20] He drove the #41 Target Dodge Ram truck, owned by Cunningham Motorsports, with Brian Pattie from Chip Ganassi Racing serving as crew chief.^[21] He would finish 33rd after being plagued by problems with the rear of the car during the race.

2008 Sprint Cup car

On 26 April 2008, Franchitti suffered a slight left ankle fracture in a hard crash with Larry Gunselman while competing in the Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 race.^[22] David Stremme, Ken Schrader, Jeremy Mayfield, and Sterling Marlin all filled in for him.^[23][24][25]

On 1 July 2008, Franchitti's #40 Sprint Cup team was disbanded by co-owner Chip Ganassi because of a lack of sponsorship. Franchitti was running 41st in points in the Sprint Cup series at the time, and Ganassi had been funding the team out of his own pocket. The entire #40 team was shut down, and 71 employees were released.^[26]

On 9 August 2008 Dario won his 1st ever NASCAR Nationwide Pole at Watkins Glen.^[27]

Sports Car Racing[link]

Dario is well known for combining partial Sports Car racing schedules during his IndyCar and NASCAR career.

At the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring he finished 1st in LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring with Andretti Green Racing team-mates Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan. They finished 2nd overall. He also participated in the 2007 ALMS Grand Prix of Long Beach with Bryan Herta and they finished 6th.^[28] He placed 18th in LMP2 class in the 2007 American Le Mans Series season standings with 32 points.

Prior to the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he joined Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas and won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Lexus-Riley.^[29] That was the only race he participated in during the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series season and finished 42nd overall in Daytona Prototype class with 35 points.

In the 2008 Petit Le Mans he was a driver for Highcroft Racing with Scott Sharp and David Brabham.^[30] They were the first retirement after only 16 laps.

For the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona he once again drove for Chip Ganassi Racing in a Lexus-Riley. He finished 5th overall with Scott Dixon and Alex Lloyd.

He participated in the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring for Highcroft Racing with Scott Sharp and David Brabham.^[31] They finished 15th overall and were the first non-finishers.

He returned to Highcroft Racing with Scott Sharp and David Brabham for the 2009 Petit Le Mans.^[32]

Personal life[link]

Franchitti relaxes at Indy with his wife, Ashley Judd, in 2007

Franchitti married American actress Ashley Judd in 2001, at Skibo Castle near Dornoch, Scotland.^[33] They currently live near Franklin, Tennessee, in the United States. They have no children.

Originally from Bathgate, his Italian-Scots family moved to nearby Whitburn when he was eight years old. He is a former pupil of Stewart's Melville College and he supports Celtic Football Club.^[34]

He lists some of his favourite television shows as Gavin & Stacey, Shameless and Rab C. Nesbitt.^[35]

Paul di Resta, a racing driver, is a cousin of Franchitti. Di Resta is a current race driver for the Force India F1 Team.

Media Appearances[link]

Franchitti has appeared on several television shows. The list includes The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet, Larry King Live, Pardon the Interruption, Late Show with David Letterman, Live with Regis and Kelly, Jim Rome is Burning, and three times on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.^[36]

Simraceway Game Design[link]

On 13 October 2011, 3 days before Franchitti’s bid for a fourth IZOD IndyCar Series title, it was announced that he would be joining fellow driver Dan Wheldon in developing the vehicle physics on Ignite Game Technologies’ online auto racing game, Simraceway. A vintage car racing enthusiast, Franchitti will be focusing on ensuring the authenticity of the game’s historic and vintage cars “It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling you get inside when you’re behind the wheel of an old race car but what I hope to be able to do is use my knowledge and experience to help the team at Simraceway replicate how it feels to drive,”.^[37]

Motorsports Career Results[link]

Touring Car Racing[link]

German Touring Car Championship[link]

International Touring Car Championship[link]

American open–wheel racing results[link]

(key)

CART[link]