Stremme will replace Franchitti for only Talladega race
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Sunday, April 27, 2008
- TEXT SIZE: Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Reset Text Size
- No Comments. Leave a Comment
- Digg This
- Add to Del.icio.us
- RSS Feeds
David Griffin / NASCAR Scene
Latest Headlines
- Nationwide COT will not make its race debut until 2010
- Rea White: Chase For The Sprint Cup filled with intriguing storylines
- Justin Allgaier wins ARCA title; Scott Speed parked in final race
- Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton finds enjoyment in title chase
- Lee Montgomery: Don't give the championship to anyone just yet
TALLADEGA, Ala. – David Stremme is in for the injured Dario Franchitti today for the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, but Chip Ganassi Racing will need to find a different driver for the race next week at Richmond International Raceway.
Franchitti broke his left ankle in an accident Saturday during the Aaron’s 312 Nationwide Series race. A blown tire sent Franchitti 's car spinning and he was later T-boned by Larry Gunselman. Franchitti will fly Monday to Indianapolis, where noted orthopedic doctor Terry Trammell will treat him.
Chip Ganassi Racing Competition Director Steve Hmiel said he expected Franchitti to miss 2-3 weeks. Stremme, who drove for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Cup series in 2006 and 2007 and now drives for Rusty Wallace Racing in the Nationwide Series and tests for Penske Racing, was not given permission to drive the car beyond this weekend.
Franchitti, who failed to qualify for the race at Texas three weeks ago, is 38th in driver points while the team is 39th in owners points.
“We’re very grateful that we have David for this weekend,” Hmiel said. “After that, it’s a matter of getting through today, seeing where Dario ends up and then sitting down as a group and deciding who’s the best option for where we’re going. We’d like to have one standout guy like David Stremme do it all.
“He’s not available, so we may end up picking and choosing a little bit based on the fact that we have to qualify this car into the race.”
Hmiel said the team had wanted to ask Johnny Sauter to drive at Richmond, but Sauter already is committed to the Haas CNC Racing No. 70 car. None of the Ganassi development drivers are ready for Cup, and the No. 40 team likely will have to get into the Richmond race on speed.
“You think about Dodge and short tracks, and you say, ‘Dennis Setzer is really good on a three-quarter mile,’ ” Hmiel said. “And then you think about people who consistently have gotten in races and used to work here, and you think about Sterling Marlin.
“And then you think about somebody who is not really affiliated with anybody but did a really good job in the 96 car last year, and you talk about Tony Raines. The first thing is you have to have somebody who can qualify and the second thing is you have to have somebody who can maintain during the race so that you’re getting closer to the top 35 so you don’t have to worry about qualifying anymore.”
As for Stremme, he’s just glad he didn’t burn bridges at Ganassi so he is able to get back in the No. 40 car. Ganassi still had Stremme’s inserts for the carbon-fiber seat, so that will not be a problem. Spotter Mike Calinoff spots for Stremme and Franchitti, so there isn’t an issue for Stremme there as well. The team is virtually the same as Stremme had worked with and the car is similar to the one he drove last fall.
Stremme will have to work his way from the back of the field in today's race.
“It’s not really necessarily today [that I have] something to prove,” Stremme said. “I proved that signing with Roger Penske and the
opportunity they’re going to give me there.
“It’s something that I feel very strong on the situation I have there looking forward. … I left Chip and them on good terms and we’re still
friends and that’s why we’re helping them out.”
While he hasn’t been in a Cup car all year, Stremme said he is ready.
“I love the plate racing, especially with this [car of tomorrow],” Stremme said. “Even though I didn’t get any drafting time throughout this weekend, I keep a notebook of my own and I looked through it last night. It’s all the same. It’s working with people and being at the right place at the right time.”
Franchitti, the defending IndyCar Series and Indy 500 champion, had replaced Stremme in the car for this year. Despite Franchitti’s marketing potential as an accomplished open-wheel racer from Scotland who also is married to actress Ashley Judd, the team does not have full sponsorship.
Like most drivers, Franchitti brakes with his left foot, so an ankle injury could be very painful for him to try to overcome in the stock car. It makes Richmond, where braking is key, virtually impossible for him to drive next week.
“Hopefully Dario will be back sooner rather than later, but it’s very unclear at this point,” Hmiel said.
NASCAR has taken the Ganassi car to transport it back to Concord, N.C., where officials likely will re-examine the car. The new NASCAR car in Sprint Cup is specifically designed to reduce the potential for injuries in that type of accident. The Nationwide Series will have a similar construction for its new car when it rolls out, which likely will be in the middle of the 2009 season.
“It was an awful hit – the car did a good job,” Hmiel said. “There were pieces of Gunselman’s car in our car. It was a big wreck. If you look at the car, you’d be amazed he only had a broken ankle.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- David Stremme
No Comments
Be the first to comment on "Stremme will replace Franchitti for only Talladega race". Login or sign up for a free account below to post your comment