It was an unofficial stop on the “No Regrets Tour” for defending Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti May 6 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It was apparent by the orthopedic boot on his left ankle that he wasn’t looking for a ride. It was just a chance to stop in and see his friends. He wasn’t looking for a job.
He already has one, in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, thank you. And he’s happy with his present lot in life.
“No, I have no remorse at all in making the move,” he said.
“Definitely for me it was the right move at the right time. It was my decision to leave — I wanted that new challenge. And boy, did I find it.”
That’s where the boot comes in. It protects a broken ankle that he picked up in a crash during a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Franchitti is no stranger to crashes in race cars — even spectacular ones. Twice on the way to the 2007 IRL title he was airborne and inverted at speed.
“I got bounced around a bit, but there wasn’t anything broken or hurt, whereas this one hurt,” he said.
Has it been a learning experience in NASCAR for a driver whose career has been in open-wheel cars, often on road courses?
“As far as learning (in NASCAR) is concerned, I learn every week,” he said. “It’s learning a new language, learning how to drive the car differently, how to set up the car differently, learning how to race differently — so many different things.
“Last week at Richmond, I wasn’t even in the car. I was listening in on the radio and watching what was happening. Watching the race from an outsider’s point of view, with the knowledge of what it’s like to be in there, really helps.”
So, why did he return to Indianapolis in May?
“I still have a lot of friends here and this has always been a really special place,” he said of a visit that he had anticipated since the end of the 2007 season. “Especially after last year, it has a special place in my heart.”
Franchitti is a staunch believer in fate as it applies to success on the race track.
“At this place, more than any, I think, fate plays a hand,” he said. “In 2005, I felt we had the strongest car in the race and Tony Kanaan was right there with us. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time on the second to last pit stop, and that was that.
“Then last year, we were in the right place at the right time. Because the Indy 500 only comes along once a year, it is more greatly magnified because you only get once chance, one bite of this cherry every year.”
Although he won the 2007 Indy 500, Franchitti is convinced he never really conquered the track.
“It’s the most difficult track I’ve ever driven,” he said. “It changes so much with the weather. You think you have everything right, and the next time, it bites you. It’s a very, very difficult place and the race is incredibly difficult, too.
“My advice to all these rookies (there are 13 entered at Indy this year) is, respect it.”