Franchitti returns to action after broken ankle
By Jeff Gluck - Associate Editor
Thursday, June 05, 2008
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SCENE ON THE CIRCUIT
NASCAR rookie Dario Franchitti returned to competition at Dover International Speedway, albeit in the Nationwide Series, and said his broken left ankle has healed.
Franchitti, the former IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 champion, was injured in the Nationwide race at Talladega April 26.
He said he was “as normal as I get” at Dover after testing a Cup car for two days at Pocono Raceway. But Chip Ganassi Racing officials felt it would be too much to ask Franchitti to do both the Nationwide and Cup races at Dover after being out of the car for a month, so the decision was made to ease him back into the schedule. Sterling Marlin and Jeremy Mayfield filled in during Franchitti’s absence on the Cup circuit.
Franchitti will return to Cup racing at Pocono, and said he’s been anxious to get back in the car.
“[The injury] was painful for about two days, and that was it,” he said. “Then it was just a pain in the butt.”
After he sustained the broken ankle, Franchitti was fitted for a carbon-fiber brace that he planned to wear in the car. He brakes with his left foot, so putting pressure on it would have been painful.
But at Dover, Franchitti was sans brace. The ankle healed enough that he doesn’t need it, he said.
Additionally, he didn’t need his crew members to do anything special to make him comfortable in the car.
“The hardest is getting in the car and you have to twist your foot to get by that knee knocker thing in the middle,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to do that, but otherwise, it’s the same.”
Franchitti has struggled in his first NASCAR season, falling out of the top 35 in owner points and failing to qualify for one race prior to his injury. His best finish was 22nd at Martinsville.
He finished 15th in the Nationwide race at Dover, though he said 200 laps was physically demanding after being out of the car.
“It’s tough, especially with having been out of the car for four weeks,” Franchitti said. “I was able to work somewhat in the gym, but I wasn’t able to run. ... You learn, but it’s definitely physically the toughest race I’ve done so far.”
Crew chief Brad Parrott praised Franchitti’s return at such a difficult track.
“Can’t say enough about him and the drive he put in today,” Parrott said. “Tough race track for him to come back to. Excellent job."
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