Dario Franchitti Advance Notes
Race: Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday, March 30 (NSCS)
Track: Martinsville Speedway (.526 miles)
Location: Martinsville, Va.
NOTES
Dario Franchitti and No. 40 Kennametal Dodge Teams (NSCS)
Still in the Lead: Franchitti is still leading the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings in the NSCS (50-49 over Regan Smith). He also leads the rookie class in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) 58-52 over his fellow rookie CGRFS teammate Bryan Clauson.
Franchitti at Martinsville: This weekend’s run at Martinsville will be Franchitti’s second race at the Virginia short track, which will mark the first time in his NASCAR career that he will be visiting a track where he has already logged some stock car race laps. Franchitti made his NASCAR debut at Martinsville last October, competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition during which he raced up to as high as 15th before rear end problems ultimately sent the team behind the wall and out of the show 52 laps shy of the finish line (started 30th, finished 33rd).
Kennametal to Sponsor No. 40: CGRFS announced earlier this week an expansion of its current partnership with Kennametal (NYSE: KMT) to include primary sponsorship for the next two NSCS races in Martinsville and Texas on the No. 40 Dodge Charger. Kennametal, a longtime CGRFS partner, supplies tooling and machining technology to the team’s Charlotte and Indianapolis-based racing shops. In addition, Kennametal provides the team’s engineers and machinists a myriad of opportunities to further refine their skills in order to gain optimum performance through Kennametal’s internal university program. Franchitti will contest the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway March 30 and the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6 in the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge. Franchitti, an Edinburgh, Scotland native, is a perfect fit for the global company which delivers its products through employees in over 60 countries.
CGRFS Teammates Take Part in Speedway Announcement: Franchitti and CGRFS teammate Reed Sorenson will be participating in a Martinsville Speedway press conference on Friday, March 28, in the infield media center at 10:30 a.m. ET. There will be an open question and answer session following the announcement. For more information, please contact the CGRFS media relations department.
QUOTES
Steve Lane (Crew Chief of the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge and Dario Franchitti) discussed what advantages Franchitti possess going into this weekend’s effort at Martinsville based upon the fact he has competed in a NASCAR race (the October 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race) at the Virginia short track. “I definitely think there is somewhat of an advantage having driven on a track before, but he ran in the truck race and we are going there this weekend to compete in the Sprint Cup Series. The trucks are so different and some of the rules are different. We have to be a lot closer this weekend in the Cup car then they were in the truck. When you look at that truck and the run they did there last year, they were four-tenths or five-tenths off the pole. They still qualified 30th. In the Sprint Cup Series four-tenths off the pole is going to send you home. We do have an advantage though, but we can’t compare the truck effort to this weekend’s effort. We can’t say we ran pretty decent in the truck and that is going to make everything ok. The good thing is he definitely has a feel for the track. That is an advantage.
“One major thing that will help us is Martinsville is virtually a road course with two turns. That is what Dario has said, is you have to wait and get it pointed straight like you do on a road course. He is definitely a veteran when it comes to racing road courses so that will be to our advantage.”
CHASSIS INFO
No. 40 Kennametal Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #804. This will be the first weekend of competition for chassis #804. The No. 40 team has tested this chassis three times this year—at New Smyrna in January, Phoenix in March and last week at Caraway.
