AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Their voices are impossible to differentiate; if you can't see them you don't know to whom you are talking.

Standing side by side, they are the same height; they weigh the same and even wear the same size shoe.

This you can expect from the racing Franchitti brothers, Dario and Marino.

“

You can't believe how bloody difficult these things are to drive.

”

DARIO FRANCHITTI

However, what you can't expect to see, at least not very often, are the two racing side by side on the same track. This is where they differ.

Though both Scottish and sons of a former Formula Ford driver in the UK, the brothers compete in different racing arenas usually on different coasts: one on Saturdays -- 29-year-old Marino in the American Le Mans Series -- and the other on Sundays -- 34-year-old Dario now in NASCAR.

Both work and re-work their travel schedules and make the impossible possible to see each other compete; crisscrossing the country, Marino would make Indy Racing League events while Dario tried to frequent sports-car events. If the two aren't at a track together, they are on the phone breaking down lap times and exchanging ideas, despite running completely different machines.

Marino likes to poke fun at his older brother's transition from the open-wheel ranks to stock cars.

"I like to wind him up," Marino said. "I'll tell him how my cars are the most technically advanced racecars in the world right now, they have all this downforce, traction control paddle shifting ..."

But he's quick to take a serious tone when talking of his brother's aspiration to find success in American stock-car racing.

Dario, a former IRL and Indianapolis 500 champion, is having a lackluster start to his rookie season and found himself outside the top 35 in owner points after a handful of dismal finishes. He was forced to join the ranks of the "go-or-go-home" drivers and qualify on time. He made the race at Martinsville, but failed to do so last weekend at Texas which brought harsh public criticism from team owner Chip Ganassi.

On Monday, Ganassi held an important team meeting at their headquarters in North Carolina to discuss how to remedy Dario's struggles as well as teammates Juan Montoya and Reed Sorenson.

"We kept everybody on the team, same personnel and same positions which I think was absolutely correct, but we focused the resources more," Franchitti said. "We brought more on the engineering side and that's what Chip wanted to see happen. Last week we didn't do a good job, I made bad decisions, the guys made bad decisions, as well."

Seemingly, the meeting worked and having his brother back at the track in Phoenix this weekend may have made similar impact. Franchitti posted his career-best Cup qualifying effort Thursday and will start 21st in Saturday night's event. The No. 40 Dodge was 13th-quickest in Thursday's practice (speeds) at Phoenix International Raceway, the highest Dario has reached on the speed chart this season.

"For me it's good to look at our successful runs in the Nationwide Series and I know we can do this. We all know we can, we just have to get focused and pull in the right direction and make the right choices," Dario said.

Marino agrees and, since watching his brother at the season-opening event in Daytona, believes he is improving

"I listen to you on the radio and I see your progression ...," he told Dario, who then asked, "Did you notice my Southern twang"? Marino laughed and, "yes," to the Nashville, Tenn., transplant.

It's exchanges like that that help take the edge off when making a tough transition.

"You can't believe how bloody difficult these things are to drive," Dario said. "So there's a lot to be said for someone coming to the races that goes through what you go through and understands the pressure; we get to hang out a wee bit and have a laugh. He's good at relaxing me."