WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- For the first time in nearly month, Dario Franchitti is back in a NASCAR racecar. Saturday's event at Watkins Glen International marks the first of seven more Nationwide Series starts the former Indianapolis 500 champion will make this season. But where he'll drive after that is anyone's guess.

"I figure with the Cup deal closing down, I might as well be in the car somewhere," said Franchitti, whose No. 40 Sprint Cup squad was shut down by team owner Chip Ganassi in July after it was unable to procure primary sponsorship (read more). "I was planning to do these Nationwide races anyway. I figure get in the car, keep learning, keep working on how to drive a stock car properly. That's where we are now."

Any beyond that? Who knows. He'd like to be back in the No. 40 car on the Sprint Cup circuit, but that's contingent upon sponsorship that has yet to materialize. He said he has yet to speak with anyone in the IndyCar Series, where he competed for most of the past four years. A sports-car circuit like the American Le Mans Series, in which his brother Marino is also a driver, may be a more viable option should sponsorship efforts continue to plague his NASCAR efforts. And he hasn't ruled out driving for another NASCAR organization.

"I'm going to talk to other teams in the NASCAR paddock, for sure," he said. "I'm going to talk to everybody and see what my options are for next year, as well as talking to teams and manufacturers in other series as well."

Franchitti was fourth-fastest in Friday's practice for the Nationwide series, the only NASCAR circuit to see any track time on a rainy day in Watkins Glen. Saturday's Zippo 200 will mark Franchitti's first NASCAR event since the Nationwide race at Chicagoland Speedway on July 8. He's trying to make the most of the time off.

"It's not a good feeling," he said. "It's the first time it's happened in my career. It's just a sign of the times really right now. I've used the time to go back to Scotland. My wife and I went back two weeks, tested a Nationwide car at Road Atlanta, and went back for a further week. I've used the time to have some fun and enjoy the summer back in Scotland, which is something I haven't been able to do for a while. Happy to be back at The Glen."