In his 16 years at the top levels of North American open-wheel racing, Franchitti has led 14% of the 32,146 laps he's completed. All great athletes who perform at a high level deep into their careers, Franchitti reasons, are part of good, if not exceptional, teams. In his mind, the common denominator among them isn't age, it's their teams. Ask him about the comparison to other athletes, and Franchitti quickly works through it. If you keep insisting, one day those doors will open."įranchitti is among a handful of athletes who perform better on what analysts would call the downside of their careers. There are so many opportunities that didn't happen for him earlier, and now they are. For Dario, myself and others, this is about still having the passion and the fire inside you. "I'm like 'wow.' That's what I'd call a late bloomer. Castroneves, 38, won his first two Indy 500s back-to-back (20), then won for a third time in 2009. "He started doing all of these things after age 35," said Helio Castroneves, another foreign-born driver who is trying for his fourth Indy 500 win on Sunday. Last year, he drove to victory from the 16th starting position. Franchitti is as hot as it gets at Indy his three victories in the 500 have come in his last five attempts. He'll start 17th among 33 drivers Sunday, but that isn't indicative of his chance to win. Statistically, Franchitti is among the best of his era, currently tied with Sebastien Bourdais and Paul Tracy for seventh in career victories. It would be quite a feat for the driver, but don't count him out.įranchitti, who turned 40 on May 19 and announced in late January the end of his 11-year marriage to actress and activist Ashley Judd, has made succeeding in the late stages of his career look easy. INDIANAPOLIS - The 97th Indianapolis 500 will arrive Sunday and Dario Franchitti will be attempting to tie the record of four victories shared by A.J.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |