Dario Franchitti returns to Headline NASCAR–IndyCar Doubleheader in St. Petersburg

MOORSEVILLE, N.C. — Dario Franchitti will headline NASCAR and Indycar’s first doubleheader weekend of the season on the streets of St. Petersburg.

The 52-year-old returns to NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series for the first time since 2007 and will make his second start in the series a staggering 18 years later.

He will be joining Tricon Garage’s all-star No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro later this month with the aid of Legacy Motor Club support and Dollar Tree sponsorship.

A legend returns to the grid.

With the support of @LEGACYMotorClub & @DollarTree, motorsports icon @dariofranchitti will join TRICON at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg! pic.twitter.com/UlDDX7ivS1

— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) February 3, 2026

While it has been nearly two decades since his previous Truck Series start, the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner is no stranger to stock car racing.

Franchitti boasts 29 total starts across NASCAR’s top three divisions. His last start to date came August 22nd, 2008 at Bristol Motor Speedway in the, now, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

After his standalone Truck Series start at Martinsville in 2007, Franchitti switched his open wheels for fenders on a part-time basis for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2008.

Though it was rumored Franchitti was waiting out a contract dispute with Andretti Green Racing, the driver deflected that notion and cited the need for a new challenge after winning his first Indycar championship in 2007.

Whether it was a contract dispute or a way to avoid injury, after having two major accidents in his first championship season, Dario welcomed his new closed cockpit and challenge in NASCAR.

The Scot’s NASCAR Gap Year

In 2008, he officially joined CGR’s No. 40 car program where he would split starts with a rotating cast of drivers throughout the season in both divisions.

While Franchitti found relative success in the O’Reilly Series in his lone foray into the sport, he struggled adjusting to his new Cup Series gig right out of the gate.

In the first five races of the season, he failed to qualify better than 23rd and finished no better than 30th. A stark contrast for a racer who found success in nearly everything he drove beforehand.

After the Easter break, Franchitti and the 40 team returned with purpose, recording his best Cup Series finish of 22nd at Martinsville despite an abysmal qualifying run.

That newfound momentum faded quickly for the Scot.

Continued struggles and sponsorship shortfalls during the economic downturn left the ride uncompetitive and the weeks ahead overwhelming.

A poor Phoenix run and subsequent driver changes after his Talladega ankle injury further derailed the third CGR entry.

While the ankle healed, the results didn’t. Franchitti came back to the seat with consecutive finishes of 41st or worse at Pocono and Michigan in early June.

The June slide continued with a shocking DNQ at Sonoma while his fellow road course ringer teammates, Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya, made the show easily.

Needing to find lightning in a bottle, Franchitti and the 40 team arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he delivered a miracle lap to qualify 7th — his best ever Cup Series start.

Unfortunately, the qualifying session acted as the teams final surge before death as the race unraveled into a 38th-place finish.

That crushing result seemed to be enough for Chip Ganassi, as he shut down the No. 40 Cup Series program for good after that weekend.

Franchitti finished out the NASCAR season in the O’Reilly Series, logging four more starts before departing the sport for good.

Franchitti’s St. Petersburg Outlook

Surprisingly, this will mark just the second road course start in Dario Franchitti’s NASCAR career.

In his lone previous road course appearance at Watkins Glen, Franchitti showed his road course prowess. He qualified on the pole, led 18 laps, and achieved his first and only career top five to date.

While NASCAR might be new to the circuit, Dario Franchitti is anything but. He captured the opening race of the 2011 Indycar season at the track to start his route to his fourth and final Indycar championship.

Now, his return comes in competitive Tricon equipment where he has the chance to put the correct bookend to his NASCAR career once and for all on February 28th.