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Franchitti back with Andretti Green Racing and IRL IndyCar Series in 2004
Veteran Dario Franchitti will return to Andretti Green Racing to drive the No. 27 Dallara/Honda/Firestone in the 2004 IRL IndyCar Series season, AGR officials announced Nov. 18.
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| Dario will race with Andretti Green Racing in 2004 |
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| About Dario Franchitti... |
Birthdate: May 19, 1973
Birth Place: Edinburgh, Scotland
Height/Weight: 5' - 10" / 150 lbs. |
Residence: Miami, Florida
Wife: Ashley Judd
Children: None |
Dario Franchitti returns to the Indianapolis-based team for a sixth consecutive season, and his first in the IRL IndyCar Series. However, the 29-year-old Scot did race at the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 2002, qualifying 28th and finishing 19th in his debut at the American classic.
Last year, Franchitti was once again a contender for the CART series championship, posting three race victories on his way to fourth in the final season standings. Like his team owner Andretti, Franchitti has won at least one race in each year of his CART career, bar one (2000).
Franchitti won his first championship, the 1984 Scottish Junior Karting title, at age 11, and more than 20 karting championships followed. Moving up to cars in 1991, he was Formula Vauxhall Junior Series champion and was named McLaren/Autosport "Young Driver of the Year" in 1992.
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| Dario's 2001 Team Kool Green Honda/Reynard |
A strong season of British Formula 3 competition in 1994 brought Franchitti to the attention of Mercedes-Benz, and Franchitti took part in both the German national and FIA European series. One victory and three podium finishes found him third in the international championship, while Franchitti was fifth in the German series with three poles and a half dozen top-six results. In 1996, Franchitti was fourth in the FIA series with one victory and seven podium finishes.
For 1997, Franchitti found himself back in open-wheel racing, driving for Hogan Racing in CART Championship Cars. His strong rookie season brought him notice from team owner Barry Green, and in 1998, this young, up-and-coming racer moved behind the wheel of a Honda-powered Reynard for Team KOOL Green.
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| Dario's 2002 Team Kool Green Honda/Lola |
After joining the Green organization, Franchitti won seven times and became one of the stars of CART. He contended for the title in both 1998 and '99, tying Juan Montoya on points the latter season with the championship decided by a tie-breaker for the first time in CART history.
Dario started in only three of 16 races during the 2003 season. He sat out the majority of the year due to a motorcycle accident before the Motegi race and subsequent back surgery. In his three starts, Dario managed two top-five finishes. |
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