Franchitti to meet with Ganassi on Friday

Understandably, Dario Franchitti has not been in the best mood. He is a little more than a week removed from being informed by team owner Chip Ganassi that his Sprint Cup team, with no sponsorship, would be shut down. "It was a big shock that it happened," Franchitti said Thursday. "Myself and 70 people lost their jobs in Concord. A lot of people are upset right now, but I understand if there's no money, there's no money.

Franchitti is racing again for Ganassi this weekend — in the Nationwide series. The two men are expected to meet Friday to discuss Franchitti's future with the team. Meanwhile, Franchitti said his phone has been ringing, and he has been hearing about options from a number of "different places." "Tomorrow is quite a big day with this meeting with Chip," Franchitti said. "We're starting to look around, starting to talk, [but] nothing is going to happen until I talk to Chip and see what his plan is for the future and see if it's something I'm interested in. I certainly owe Chip that much." Franchitti also believes that if possible, he owes it to himself to remain in the Sprint Cup series. ESPN.com