Franchitti Retires

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/doctors-tell-franchitti-he-can-no-longer-race

Now he can enjoy Ashley to the fullest

Gotta say it was quite a career. He'll go down as one of the greats of American open-wheel racing.

I think He and Ashley split....

Sad to see him go, but it sounds like it's for the best. I wonder what he'll do post retirement. He's obviously not going to race somewhere else and I don't see him in team management. Maybe he can become a commentator, that could be great as Indy car really needs some better TV coverage.

captdownshift wrote: Now he can enjoy Ashley to the fullest

They're divorced.

He came to a C&C in Nashville one time. Driving a Porsche no less. Very cool guy, very down to earth.

bravenrace wrote:

captdownshift wrote: Now he can enjoy Ashley to the fullest

They're divorced.

Supposedly trying again though

Rumour was they reconciled after the accident.

Either way, it's sad news but at least he'll be able to enjoy some of his retirement.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Sad to see him go, but it sounds like it's for the best. I wonder what he'll do post retirement. He's obviously not going to race somewhere else and I don't see him in team management. Maybe he can become a commentator, that could be great as Indy car really needs some better TV coverage.

From what I read on racer sounds like he will be a consultant for the team. I wonder if they will actually replace him.

Franchitti said. "They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop."

Bummer on ending a fantastic career this way but no other options. Guy like this has to stay involved in racing. Maybe a team co-owner or consultant?

Dario is a total class act. He also reads CMS! The first time I met him he came up to our booth at the Petite LeMans and complemented us on how much he liked Classic Motorsports. I didn't even recognize him until his buddy said "Hey Dario....we've got to go"

Last year at Monterey I was able to meet him again, along with his brother (and Deltawing driver) Marino. We were at the Mercedes party, and Marino inadvertently spilled red wine, all over my yellow tie. Later in the evening I brought the tie to Marino and Dario and asked if the "Franchitti boys would sign my ruined tie". They both laughed and agreed. Dario saw me the next day on the lawn at Pebble (I was wearing a different coat and tie) and said--- "that tie is much better than that ugly thing you were wearing last night!"

It's rare you find someone as accomplished as Dario, who still comes across as a regular guy. Totally unpretentious, and humble. It's a shame he won't be able to go for that 4th Indy title, but he has nothing to prove. He's already one of the greatest CART / IRL / Indycar drivers of all time.

That is an awesome story and he's right though, that is an ugly tie :)

I was there and witnessed Joe's tie incident. Glad nothing got me. And, yeah, Marino is a nice guy, too.

This is a shame. Whenever I could actually find an IRL race on TV, I always rooted for Dario.

Is autocross out of the question?

What I like about Dario is that he seems like a true car guy, not just a racer.
Sorry to see he had to retire, but as a driver, he had nothing left to prove, only to keep going for the enjoyment.

And Joe, I think the tie is much better off now. At this point, I would consider it "suitable for framing."

Sorry to see him stop driving. He was super friendly and accessible at the fan meet/greet this year at the 24.

Joe Gearin wrote:

That tie is so ugly, it has its own magnetic field. I believe Marino's drink was drawn to it as some kind of universe-balancing humanitarian act.

This really sucks, Dario is awesome. I remember one time he guest-commentated a race after he crashed out or something, and it was really cool. It would be great to get him in the commentator's booth as often as possible.

I'm just really glad to see him have survived that crash, career-ending or not.