Franchitti taking his time to test in NASCAR

By Bob Pockrass
Friday, January 04, 2008
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Dario Franchitti has spent the offseason testing, but the 2007 Indy Racing League champion isn't prepared just yet to proclaim himself ready for his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in the Daytona 500.

The Chip Ganassi Racing rookie still has three days of Sprint Cup testing and three days of Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series testing to get the feel of the car on the high-banked oval - as well as some time in the draft - before he heads into Speedweeks.

Franchitti drove in the ARCA race at Talladega last October, and he will compete in the ARCA race at Daytona before trying to dice with the NASCAR drivers during Speed Weeks.

Franchitti did a one-day ARCA test at Daytona last month and will participate in the second Cup test session Jan. 14-16, followed by a few days of Nationwide testing.

"I'm hoping to get some drafting in," Franchitti said Friday at Daytona International Speedway. "At some point, I hope to get comfortable in the car and then see how the draft works out. ... I did Talladega [ARCA], but even driving here one day in the ARCA car, Daytona is quite different than Talladega."

Taking over the car driven by David Stremme last year, Franchitti will be guaranteed a spot in the Daytona 500 field.

"You always want more testing, but when you get to a certain point, and then it becomes about the racing and learning the racing," Franchitti said. "As different as these cars are to drive, the racing is equally as different to what I'm used to. It's one step at a time. First the test, then the racing."

Mentioned Drivers: David Stremme

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2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings

Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500

1 Jimmie Johnson 6248
2 Mark Martin -184
3 Jeff Gordon -192
4 Juan Pablo Montoya -239
5 Tony Stewart -279
6 Kurt Busch -312
7 Greg Biffle -340
8 Ryan Newman -402
9 Kasey Kahne -414
10 Carl Edwards -437
11 Denny Hamlin -448
12 Brian Vickers -556

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