Franchitti's track record may make for easier move

He had driven full-bodied racecars on a European touring car circuit, and competed on high-speed ovals with great success while in the Indy Racing League. He lived in the heart of NASCAR country, in Nashville, Tenn., and watched every Cup race last season except for the Coca-Cola 600 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. He was a little busy that day.

Dario Franchitti and Steven Lane

Test pattern

Preseason Thunder was invaluable to Dario Franchitti, who is embarking upon his first full season in NASCAR and the Sprint Cup Series.

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So Dario Franchitti thought he had some idea of what he was getting into when he decided to switch to NASCAR. Then the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion strapped into a Craftsman Truck for his first race this past October, and began to understand the true scope of the transition he was attempting to make.

"I think the real shock was at Martinsville, when I jumped in the truck and started to get bashed around a little bit," said the new driver of Chip Ganassi's No. 40 car on the Sprint Cup tour. "I was, like, oh, this is a bit more physical than I'm used to in an Indy car."

It was the first step in a conversion not unlike the one made last year by Franchitti's teammate in the Ganassi shop, former Formula One race winner Juan Montoya. The Colombian set a relatively high bar by winning one Cup and one then-Busch event (both on road courses), finishing second in the Brickyard 400, claiming rookie of the year honors and placing 20th in final points. But the Scot has the benefit of Montoya's experience, has a stronger track record on oval circuits, and may hold the potential to better the marks his teammate set last year.

"I don't mind if he does better than me. That would be great," said Montoya, like Franchitti a past champion of the Indianapolis 500. "I think the big thing for us as a team is getting Dario up to speed as fast as possible, because the more knowledge we have as a complete team, the better we'll be."

Montoya, bred as a road racer, had never competed on an oval until he landed with Ganassi's Champ Car team in 1999, and estimated that he had raced in only about 20 oval track events before he moved into NASCAR full time. He made them count, winning six times on ovals in his North American open-wheel career, including triumphs on current Sprint Cup tracks in Indianapolis and Michigan. While Franchitti also came up on road courses, he scored eight oval track wins as an open-wheel racer, and his five years in the Indy Racing League provided him with extensive seat time at tracks like Richmond, Phoenix, California, Texas, Homestead, and Kansas -- all of which he'll now see from behind the wheel of a stock car.

"He's driven ovals the last few years, and that should make it more comfortable for him," Montoya said. "But at the same time, he's driven so much in the different car, he's so used to different feelings he doesn't have here. It's going to take him a little longer for some things." (Continued)