Post by dalejrfan on May 28, 2008 1:23:19 GMT -5
Franchitti to get back in car at Pocono test on Tuesday
Has been out with broken ankle since crash at Talladega
CONCORD, N.C. -- It was the day on which the Indianapolis 500 was run, and former IndyCar driving stars Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti were together again.
But not on the racetrack. The two ran into each other in the garage area following Sunday's running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, after Franchitti, who remains out with a fractured ankle that is still healing, watched Hornish earn a 13th-place finish that was the best of Hornish's budding Sprint Cup Series career.
Hey, you gonna run next weekend or what?" Hornish asked.
"I hope so," Franchitti replied.
It has been almost one month to the day since Franchitti fractured his left ankle in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. He hasn't been able to get back in a racecar since, but plans to do so this Tuesday for Sprint Cup testing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
"It's coming along good. Hopefully I'll be in the car Tuesday at Pocono," Franchitti said. "We'll see how it goes at the test and go from there. I'm feeling pretty good."
In reality, Franchitti isn't likely to be back on the track racing with Hornish next weekend when the Cup Series moves to Dover International Speedway. His bosses at Chip Ganassi Racing already have lined up Jeremy Mayfield to drive the No. 40 Dodge that Franchitti piloted prior to his injury.
But Franchitti said he does hope that testing this Tuesday and Wednesday at Pocono will prove -- to others and to himself -- that his ankle may be strong enough for him to return to the car full-time by the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway on June 8.
Franchitti said he has been frustrated the last month by the fact that the best way for his ankle to heal is for him to basically take it easy.
"You really can't do that much with it. It's really only been the last week or week and a half that I've been able to walk on it properly, so I need to go easy on it," Franchitti said. "I just need to get movement back in it. That's one of the things I need to do as well.
"You can't do any cardio work. You can't run. You can swim and that's about it. You've got to be careful even swimming. You can't ride a bike yet. So that's been tough. I've been in the gym, working everything else the best that I can. We'll see this week how it goes."
He admitted that he hasn't watched a replay of the wreck, which looked like it could have produced far more serious damage to his body.
"No, I try to avoid that. I don't really want to see it. I kind of know what happened," he said.
"It could have been a lot, lot worse. So I just have to be thankful that this is the worst thing that happened. It was just a little crack [in the ankle]; it wasn't too bad. It has been more of the bruising and the other parts of it. The fracture, where that is, it's tender -- but some of the other parts of it where it was bruised and what not have actually taken longer to feel better.
"I was in a walking cast for about five days and I got bored with that. I had a carbon support that I use when I drive the car, so then I used that for a while. And then for the last week or so, I've been walking around with nothing on it."
He said the timing of his injury was unfortunate, because he thought he was beginning to make strides during his rookie season after making the switch from IndyCar.
"I think all year in the Nationwide car we've been good. But Phoenix
Has been out with broken ankle since crash at Talladega
CONCORD, N.C. -- It was the day on which the Indianapolis 500 was run, and former IndyCar driving stars Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti were together again.
But not on the racetrack. The two ran into each other in the garage area following Sunday's running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, after Franchitti, who remains out with a fractured ankle that is still healing, watched Hornish earn a 13th-place finish that was the best of Hornish's budding Sprint Cup Series career.
Hey, you gonna run next weekend or what?" Hornish asked.
"I hope so," Franchitti replied.
It has been almost one month to the day since Franchitti fractured his left ankle in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. He hasn't been able to get back in a racecar since, but plans to do so this Tuesday for Sprint Cup testing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
"It's coming along good. Hopefully I'll be in the car Tuesday at Pocono," Franchitti said. "We'll see how it goes at the test and go from there. I'm feeling pretty good."
In reality, Franchitti isn't likely to be back on the track racing with Hornish next weekend when the Cup Series moves to Dover International Speedway. His bosses at Chip Ganassi Racing already have lined up Jeremy Mayfield to drive the No. 40 Dodge that Franchitti piloted prior to his injury.
But Franchitti said he does hope that testing this Tuesday and Wednesday at Pocono will prove -- to others and to himself -- that his ankle may be strong enough for him to return to the car full-time by the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway on June 8.
Franchitti said he has been frustrated the last month by the fact that the best way for his ankle to heal is for him to basically take it easy.
"You really can't do that much with it. It's really only been the last week or week and a half that I've been able to walk on it properly, so I need to go easy on it," Franchitti said. "I just need to get movement back in it. That's one of the things I need to do as well.
"You can't do any cardio work. You can't run. You can swim and that's about it. You've got to be careful even swimming. You can't ride a bike yet. So that's been tough. I've been in the gym, working everything else the best that I can. We'll see this week how it goes."
He admitted that he hasn't watched a replay of the wreck, which looked like it could have produced far more serious damage to his body.
"No, I try to avoid that. I don't really want to see it. I kind of know what happened," he said.
"It could have been a lot, lot worse. So I just have to be thankful that this is the worst thing that happened. It was just a little crack [in the ankle]; it wasn't too bad. It has been more of the bruising and the other parts of it. The fracture, where that is, it's tender -- but some of the other parts of it where it was bruised and what not have actually taken longer to feel better.
"I was in a walking cast for about five days and I got bored with that. I had a carbon support that I use when I drive the car, so then I used that for a while. And then for the last week or so, I've been walking around with nothing on it."
He said the timing of his injury was unfortunate, because he thought he was beginning to make strides during his rookie season after making the switch from IndyCar.
"I think all year in the Nationwide car we've been good. But Phoenix
was by far our best; the race didn't show it, but that was a fuel-mileage issue," Franchitti said. "So we were building momentum and getting more comfortable, and then that happens."
He said the injury he suffered at Talladega has not discouraged him from continuing to pursue his new career as a stock-car driver. Even on the day that the Indy 500 was run, he said he didn't miss his old job.
"I don't miss driving the car. I really enjoyed driving the cars at the time, but this is where it's at for me now. I missed being at Indy for the fact that it's Indy, but I didn't miss driving the car," he said.
"I went and I closed that door on my career. This is where I want to be and what I want to do. I wanted to be in the car here [Sunday]."
He said the injury he suffered at Talladega has not discouraged him from continuing to pursue his new career as a stock-car driver. Even on the day that the Indy 500 was run, he said he didn't miss his old job.
"I don't miss driving the car. I really enjoyed driving the cars at the time, but this is where it's at for me now. I missed being at Indy for the fact that it's Indy, but I didn't miss driving the car," he said.
"I went and I closed that door on my career. This is where I want to be and what I want to do. I wanted to be in the car here [Sunday]."
