| Well Done, Dario | | Date Created: May 28, 2007, 11:21 AM |
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I'm happy for Casey Mears - and find more than a small bit of irony that a member of the Mears Gang won on Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte instead of Indianapolis. The man who did win the rain-delayed and then rain-shortened race at Indy, Dario Franchitti, is one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet anywhere.
Franchitti - the Scot with the Italian surname - is better known to armchair fans as the husband of University of Kentucky basketball fan Ashley Judd, Hopefully he will now get his due as driver. I was lucky enough to work with him quite a lot during his first season in the States in 1997 as he drove an unsponsored car (pictured above) for the under-manned and under-funded Hogan Racing team. He and his father came to the series and immediately made friends with most of the paddock with their friendly demeanor and Dario's obvious talents. (My fave quote comes from his father George, when asked about his initial impressions of America. With his thick Scottish brogue and a deadpan face he replied immediately: "ya got a lot o' fat people 'ere...")
As a young driver, Dario was mentored and guided through the ranks by Sir Jackie Stewart and family and became a part of the Mercedes Junior team of development drivers in the mid-1990s. After a brief stint in the German and International Touring Car categories, Mercedes decided CART was the next stop for Dario. (The Mercedes Junior program has produced a stunning list of successes, including Michael Schumacher, who, if I recall correctly, had a rather nice career.) |
 Even with Mercedes paying Dario's salary. the lil' Hogan team (where Helio Castroneves also received his Indy car start) wasn't always competitive - and Dario grabbed a chance in 1998 to join the heavily funded and Honda-powered Team Green. It was a shock to all of us at Mercedes, but it was the right career choice for Dario. (Team Green eventually morphed into what is now his current team, Andretti-Green Racing, and Mercedes withdrew from CART in 2000.) (Pictured to the right, that's Ilmor boss Paul Ray, me when I had hair and Dario at Mid-Ohio in 1999.)
Franchitti tied with Juan Pablo Montoya for the CART championship in 1999, but Montoya was given the crown with more victories. Franchitti, like many of us, was devastated when his best friend Greg Moore was killed in the season finale at Fontana that season, and then suffered serious injuries of his own in a 2000 testing crash that seemed to slow his career. Until now.
If you live near Franklin, TN (also home to Darrell Waltrip), watch for Dario buzzing the skies, piloting his own helicopter. Well done, mate! |
 The Humpy Story: Last week I made a cryptic reference here about Humpy Wheeler's disdain for the Bud camo paint scheme, and then received torrents of requests demanding I tell the full story.
The Humpster had an angry reaction when we announced the scheme at Texas, and he remains angry even after calls to Anheuser-Busch headquarters and refusing to allow the camo paint scheme on the cover of the souvenir program. (Yes, the 8 car is pictured, but in 'normal' red Bud livery - although the other cars that were a part of the "Salute to Heroes" program were shown in their special paint schemes.)
It seems Humpmeister believes fans buy tickets to Lowe's Motor Speedway to see Dale Jr. drive a red no. 8 Budweiser car, and by denying his ticket buyers that pleasure, we had lessened or even ruined the event at his facility.
The troops we've spoken to or heard from LOVED the car - and that is the most important thing. We hope the funds generated from Budweiser's share of the proceeds from souvenir sales will help provide support and educational scholarships for many many children of Special Ops forces killed in action around the world. So, Humpman, we're sorry you're angry, but we're damn proud of that paint scheme. Happy Memorial Day.
And who will Humpy be angry with next year if Junior is in car that is neither red nor says Budweiser?
(That is a purely hypothetical question- no need to alert Jayski or your local Fox reporter that Junior may or may not be in Bud red for years to come.) |
 Random Crapola: Speaking of Mercedes, how about the butt-whoopin' they put on the F1 field at Monaco? Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were sparkling all weekend and only one other car finished on the lead lap as the McLaren-Mercedes duo dominated from start to finish. Alonso won, but Hamilton showed amazing skills and flair while flinging his lithe McLaren around the tight Monaco circuit. He has now finished on the podium in each of his five F1 career starts and is the youngest to ever lead the Formula One standings. This kid impresses more and more each week. (And, before the usual 20 people add droll digs in the comment section about the lack of passing in F1 and especially at Monaco, you can save your typing strokes: I KNOW!)... How wild was Marco Andretti's flip at Indy and Jeff Gordon's airborne tour at the 600? Both are lucky to be uninjured... A bad omen for things to come: the Indy pre-race show with Brent Musberger and Rusty Wallace was unwatchable. Perhaps cooler heads will prevail and Suzy Kolber and/or Allen Bestwick will replace Musberger outright when ABC/ESPN takes over Cup coverage at the Brickyard. Sadly, I guess we're stuck with Rusty until Dale Jarrett retires... |
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