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Franchitti suffers concussion in England; Foyt IV to take his place this week
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Dario Franchitti suffered a concussion in a crash during qualifying for a vintage auto race in England and will miss the Indy Racing League's season finale on Sunday.
Franchitti, who also missed most of the 2003 season with a back injury from a motorcycle accident in his native Scotland, crashed in Goodwood, England, last Friday. He was driving a vintage Jaguar in the annual Goodwood Revival, Andretti Green Racing spokesman Al Larsen said on Tuesday.
The concussion was not believed to be serious, but will keep Franchitti out of Sunday's Chicagoland Indy 300, Larsen said. A.J. Foyt IV will take Franchitti's spot with Andretti Green this weekend.
"It's unfortunate that Dario won't be able to drive, but we're confident that Anthony will do a great job for us," car owner Michael Andretti said. "He's got a lot of natural talent and we're hoping to give him a fast car."
Eighth in IRL points, Franchitti is out of contention for the series championship, which will go to either Helio Castroneves of Brazil, Sam Hornish Jr. of the United States, Dan Wheldon of England or Scott Dixon of New Zealand. Foyt, the 22-year-old grandson of four-time Indy 500 winner and IRL team owner A.J. Foyt, has driven in 47 IndyCar races, but none since October, when he left his grandfather's team to pursue a ride in NASCAR.
Foyt's best IndyCar start was sixth at Chicagoland in 2004.
"It's obviously a great race team and should be a very competitive car," said Foyt, who will take a refresher test at Chicagoland on Thursday. "We're going to be able to do this at a place where I've got a lot of laps and I expect to have a good, strong weekend."
Larsen said he did not have any details of Franchitti's crash, although the 34-year-old Scotsman was expected to return to the United States later Tuesday and will be at the race in Chicago over the weekend.
He said the Goodwood Revival is a "throwback racing event" in which drivers compete in cars from earlier racing eras.
"He drove in it last year. ... He talked about it when he came back. He had a great time," Larsen said. "It's something he really enjoyed doing in the past."
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Dario Franchitti suffered a concussion in a crash during qualifying for a vintage auto race in England and will miss the Indy Racing League's season finale on Sunday.
Franchitti, who also missed most of the 2003 season with a back injury from a motorcycle accident in his native Scotland, crashed in Goodwood, England, last Friday. He was driving a vintage Jaguar in the annual Goodwood Revival, Andretti Green Racing spokesman Al Larsen said on Tuesday.
The concussion was not believed to be serious, but will keep Franchitti out of Sunday's Chicagoland Indy 300, Larsen said. A.J. Foyt IV will take Franchitti's spot with Andretti Green this weekend.
"It's unfortunate that Dario won't be able to drive, but we're confident that Anthony will do a great job for us," car owner Michael Andretti said. "He's got a lot of natural talent and we're hoping to give him a fast car."
Eighth in IRL points, Franchitti is out of contention for the series championship, which will go to either Helio Castroneves of Brazil, Sam Hornish Jr. of the United States, Dan Wheldon of England or Scott Dixon of New Zealand. Foyt, the 22-year-old grandson of four-time Indy 500 winner and IRL team owner A.J. Foyt, has driven in 47 IndyCar races, but none since October, when he left his grandfather's team to pursue a ride in NASCAR.
Foyt's best IndyCar start was sixth at Chicagoland in 2004.
"It's obviously a great race team and should be a very competitive car," said Foyt, who will take a refresher test at Chicagoland on Thursday. "We're going to be able to do this at a place where I've got a lot of laps and I expect to have a good, strong weekend."
Larsen said he did not have any details of Franchitti's crash, although the 34-year-old Scotsman was expected to return to the United States later Tuesday and will be at the race in Chicago over the weekend.
He said the Goodwood Revival is a "throwback racing event" in which drivers compete in cars from earlier racing eras.
"He drove in it last year. ... He talked about it when he came back. He had a great time," Larsen said. "It's something he really enjoyed doing in the past."
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