Race 2 Win: Nationwide Series Race Notes

Nationwide Series

Camping World 300 - Dario Franchitti Notes

Dario Franchitti
Daytona International Speedway Advance Notes

Race: Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 17
Track: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway)
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Dario Franchitti No. 40 Fastenal Dodge (NNS)

NOTES

History Maker: Franchitti will become the first European driver in the 59-year history of NASCAR to join the series full time, running for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year title along with an assortment of NASCAR Nationwide Series races.

“Super Dario” – HBO REAL SPORTS with Bryant Gumbel: HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel will feature Franchitti six times over the course of the next month in a feature about the 34-year-old Scotsman’s switch to NASCAR. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo profiles NASCAR's newest attraction.

Three’s Company: In his first official race for CGRFS in 2008, Franchitti won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and became the first driver to ever capture the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Indianapolis 500, an open wheel title and the Rolex 24 At Daytona consecutively, accomplishing the feat in less than a year. Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt are the only others to win the four titles, but neither did so in succession.

Stock Car Development Plan: To date, Franchitti has made seven ARCA/NASCAR starts beginning with the October ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway (2007). He finished the 2007 season with a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway before taking on the final four Nationwide Series races at Memphis, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami. Last week in Daytona he continued his development with a 10th-place finish in the ARCA race at Daytona.

Welcome aboard, Fastenal: CGRFS welcomed the Fastenal Company, a leading global industrial and construction supply distributor, into its family of sponsors in mid-November last year. The new partnership includes a multi-year deal to sponsor Dario Franchitti and the No. 40 Dodge Charger in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). The program will feature Franchitti as the car’s primary driver and also include select races with his fellow CGRFS teammates Bryan Clauson, Kevin Hamlin, Scott Pruett and Reed Sorenson behind the wheel. The company is stepping up to CGRFS and the Nationwide Series following two seasons in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as the primary sponsor of Bobby Hamilton Racing’s No. 18 Dodge truck. Fastenal is America’s No. 1 fastener distributor and one of the world’s fastest growing full-line industrial suppliers, providing 700,000 varieties of industrial and construction supplies (including 300,000 fastener types) through 12 regional U.S. distribution centers and 2,100+ Fastenal stores spanning North America and the world.

QUOTES
Your thoughts on the season-opener at Daytona and your outlook for the 2008 season…
Dario Franchitti: “At 34 years old, I'm doing something completely different. I never thought I'd get this chance to learn something completely new. I achieved more than I ever thought I'd achieve in open-wheel, now I'm getting the chance to come and race in NASCAR. For me, it's brilliant.”

CHASSIS INFO
No. 40 Fastenal Dodge (NNS): The blue, black and white Fastenal colors will be carried aboard chassis #751 this weekend. Montoya last raced this car at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2007 during the Aaron’s 312, which he and the team started 20th and then finished seventh.