Don't call Franchitti Mr. Judd
INDIANAPOLIS — Call him Lord of the Rain Dance. Call him Great Scot. But whatever you do, don’t call Dario Franchitti Mr. Ashley Judd.
He’s so much better than that now.
Really, he was all along. His victory in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday validated his all-time great credentials.
But because of his personality and far-more-famous wife, actress Ashley Judd, few knew it.
Franchitti was overdue for a win of this magnitude. He is the picture of consistency and plays the role of a wise older brother on his team.
There are few more likeable guys in the IndyCar Series paddock. Need proof? Just ask everyone else.
“It’s great to see Dario win,” said Scott Dixon, who finished second. “He’s got a great team, and he’s a great guy.”
Marco Andretti, who likely can give Franchitti some credit for his early success, had only praise to offer: “I’m so happy for Dario. That’s all I can say.”
He’s the first Scottish driver to win since Jim Clark in 1965. Franchitti carries plenty of reverence to the former Formula One world champion. In fact, he has a shrine in his honor in a room of his home in Scotland.
Don’t get irreverent with Franchitti just because plenty of luck was involved. His skill allowed him to never put a wheel wrong. When a cut tire forced him to pit just before the red flag on lap 113, Franchitti lucked out and ended up on the right pit sequence for the win.
But what many fans didn’t see was that he put up many fast laps and worked his way up to fifth before the leaders had to pit. He made the most of yellow flags and saved so much fuel that he was able to stretch his run and gain track position.
Above all, on a day when there wasn’t the ebb and flow that comes with a 500-mile race, Franchitti kept his cool.
In a race that the drivers were running flat out because they didn’t know when the weather would break, Franchitti didn’t snap. He stayed patient.
“The one comment that sticks in my mind is (team strategist) John Anserson saying on the radio is, ‘the rain is eight blocks away,’ ” Franchitti said.
He didn’t suddenly find the cool touch. Throughout his career he has shown it. And while the Andrettis and Danica bring in the big-money sponsors, it was Franchitti who helped build Andretti Green Racing from its beginnings in CART.
Franchitti tied Juan Pablo Montoya for the points championship in 1999. He won six races in his seven years in CART and has won five since joining the Indy Racing League. The cool customer caught racing legend Jackie Stewart’s eye when he raced in Europe. Stewart picked him to race in the “Staircase of Talent” in the early 1990s.
On top of that, he can fly a helicopter; he collects Ferraris and likely will be quicker with a joke than David Letterman when he appears on his show.
Oh yeah, and his wife’s pretty cool, too.