RICHMOND, Va. -- Dario Franchitti will be the latest installment of Indy Racing League drivers to join the ranks of NASCAR, according to sources at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Scotsman, winner of the most recent Indianapolis 500, is racing at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday against the team owner, Chip Ganassi, he will reportedly drive for next season. An official announcement is expected to be made Sunday.

Team sources say Franchitti, under contract with Andretti Green Racing based in Indianapolis, will pilot the No. 40 Dodge.

Current driver of the No. 40, David Stremme, has apparently known for some time that his ride was in jeopardy.

"I've known for the last month," said Stremme in Richmond, Va. preparing for Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. "You look around the shop, things were happening, but I've got to worry about tomorrow instead of yesterday."

When the news of Franchitti reached Stremme, the driver said he is not surprised and that several open-wheelers in recent years have made the transition to stock cars with little notoriety or success citing the likes of Sam Hornish Jr. and John Andretti.

"There's only one Juan Montoya," said Stremme of his current Ganassi teammate who drives the No. 42 Dodge and in his NASCAR rookie season has one Busch Series win and a Cup win.

But it is Tony Stewart who is the only proven NASCAR driver to transition from the IRL successfully with both an IRL championship and two Cup championships.

Nevertheless, Stremme said he is focused on finding a job next year and is a bit put out by the timing of his release.

"It's almost the end of September and a lot of the deals are all closed," he said. "Hopefully, we will land something pretty good and with some better surroundings, I can perform better."

At the start of the 2007 season, performance wasn't an issue for Stremme; six out of the first seven weeks he maintained a spot in the top 12. However, for various reasons, performance dropped off and Stremme now sits 23rd in the point standings.

Still optimistic about his current season and future, Stremme said he is researching possible opportunities with other teams that may include Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

"I'm going to leave that up to my agent Jeff [Dickerson of Motorsports Management International] and I'm going to focus on racing," he said.

Stremme returning to the No. 40 if sponsorship is secured is still a possibility, according to Ganassi general manager John Fernandez.

"We'd like to keep David on board. He's done a good job for us," he said. "Now we don't have a sponsor for that car (read more). When David's option ran out, basically we don't want to hinder his career. If we don't have [a sponsor] and aren't able to run that car, we want David to make the best deal that he can right now. He's a free agent. We're looking to get a sponsorship, and if we do, we'd like to keep David."

When asked to comment about the state of the No. 40 car and Franchitti's role, Fernandez offered little comment.

"There's been no public announcement by us, for sure, as far as Dario joining," he said. "We're just looking forward to watching the [IRL] race and seeing if we can't beat Dario on the racetrack for the championship. ..."

Team owner Chip Ganassi echoed those sentiments.

"I am currently in Chicago with our IndyCar Series team and I am solely focused on Scott Dixon and Team Target bringing home another IndyCar Series championship and that is all."

Franchitti currently leads Ganassi driver Scott Dixon by three points in the IRL championship contention.