Dario Franchitti bullish on Surfers race

Dario Franchitti back to IndyCars after NASCAR try fizzled

Although the official and complete IndyCar Series Nikon Indy 300 entry list will not be released by the category’s management until the two weeks preceding the Event, the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team has officially confirmed Dario Franchitti will begin his new position as the team-mate of Brisbane-born Kiwi Scott Dixon on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

“It is quite ironic that I will be making my return to open-wheel racing with Target Chip Ganassi Racing at one of my favorite events anywhere in the world on the streets of Surfers Paradise," said Franchitti.

“Fans and fellow drivers continually ask me about the Surfers Paradise race and it really is hard to put how great the event is into words.

“You have to experience it to understand the amount of work that goes into making it one of the world’s great sporting festivals.

“The promoters are passionate, the fans are passionate, the media are passionate and the sponsors work it.

“It is hard for the drivers and the teams not to be caught up in all that and enjoy what really is one of the great street events anywhere."

Franchitti was the 1999 winner of what was then a CART sanctioned event at Surfers Paradise.

The fight for the series title between he and Juan Pablo Montoya – who is now a Chip Ganassi Racing Felix Sabates NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver – took a dramatic turn at that race as Franchitti stormed to a victory from the pole to unseat the rookie sensation Montoya for the championship lead before a record crowd.

With over 180 starts under his belt between the CART and IndyCar Series resulting in 18 wins, 17 poles, 63 top-five and 95 top-10 finishes (1997-2007), Franchitti is the ‘winningest’ driver in U.S. open-wheel history from Great Britain.