UNDATED (AP) - The Associated Press has learned that Dario
Franchitti's much-anticipated move to stock cars will begin Friday with an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway.
According to a person familiar with the negotiations, the 2007
Indy 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion has agreed to a
multiyear deal to replace David Stremme in the Number-40 Dodge for
NASCAR's Chip Ganassi Racing.
An official announcement is expected tomorrow at Ganassi's race
shop in North Carolina. Ganassi's Nextel Cup stable already
includes another former open-wheel star, rookie Juan Pablo Montoya.
Ganassi said Sunday that he was close to a deal with
Franchitti's open-wheel team, Andretti Green Racing, to get the
34-year-old Scot out of his contract, which ends December first.
An Andretti Green spokesman says the team has no comment on
Franchitti's move.