Two months after turning a surprise, inverted, aerial IndyCar Series trick at Kentucky Speedway, Dario Franchitti returned to the track on Halloween to treat himself to a stock car test with his new Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team. “I had talked about doing some stock car stuff last year quite a bit. I wasn’t sure it would happen, but the timing was just right, having been able to win the 500 and the championship. It was time to do something different and Chip’s phone call was perfectly timed,” Franchitti said. Wednesday’s test provided him an understandably different feel at a facility where he registered three top-10 IndyCar finishes in five career starts, but proved helpful to increasing his stock-car comfort level. “I feel fairly comfortable today in this car, I think it’s an ARCA car. I think the COT is going to take a bit longer to get comfortable in because it’s so different. With the big, high center of gravity there’s just no grip with the thing so I was kind of thrown off the deep end in Atlanta having never driven a Cup car of any kind. It showed me how far I’ve got to go. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Busch Series Program Manager Brian Pattie presided over Wednesday’s test and has been Franchitti’s point person during his transition. Pattie said the primary goal of today’s test was to provide Franchitti with different experiences in the car.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(11-1-2007)
