Pressdog forwarded this to me, just in time for the weekend.
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- The next prominent open-wheel driver to break into NASCAR could be Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti.Be careful, Dario. Those cars flip over too. On fire, even.
But don't expect to see Ashley Judd flitting along the frontstretch in sundresses just yet. Franchitti is friends with Nextel Cup team owner Richard Childress, who's had preliminary discussions with the 34-year-old Scotsman about possibly piloting a fourth car for Richard Childress Racing next season.
"If you watch him race, he races every lap just as hard as he can," Childress said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. "That's what impresses me about him. A lot of open-wheel guys have come here and tried it. I think if there's a guy who can do it, it's him. He's really level-headed, and he's really a hard racer. Whether he's ready this coming year or whenever he's ready, he'll be able to do it."
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Yuck.
I wish it was more than a rumor. An official denial or otherwise--so I'd know whether or not to root for him or Dixon.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they have Busch for a reason. When did they stop developing their own drivers?
Dario might want to sit down and talk to A.J. Allmendinger and see how that American Open Wheel series to NASCAR transition is working out. Since A.J. misses damned near 2/3rds of the races he enters, he'll have plenty of time to sit and talk to Dario.
Mmack, the AJ thing isn't really applicable to the Dario scenario because RCR isn't out of the Top 35 in owners points the way Red Bull Racing is. He'd automatically make the show every week.