Three-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner to Make Long-Awaited NASCAR Comeback
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 3, 2026) – TRICON Garage (TRICON) announced today that four-time IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will make his return to NASCAR competition for the first time since 2008, driving for the organization when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) takes to the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
In a partnership between TRICON, Jimmie Johnson and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY MC), Franchitti will drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Dollar Tree has joined the effort and will serve as the primary sponsor for the Scotsman’s first NASCAR race in 17 years. The nationally recognized value retailer operates over 9,000 stores across the 48 contiguous states and is a major supporter of motorsports through their partnership with LEGACY MC.
Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished drivers of his generation, Franchitti has a decorated résumé at the highest levels of open-wheel motorsports. The Scottish driver captured the IndyCar Series championship in 2007 followed by three consecutive championships from 2009 to 2011. His 31 career wins between IndyCar and CART, highlighted by Indianapolis 500 triumphs in 2007, 2010 and 2012, includes one victory at the 1.8-mile St. Petersburg street course on March 27, 2011, in a dominant performance leading 94 out of 100 laps.
While he retired from full-time racing competition in 2013, Franchitti has remained deeply involved in motorsports as a broadcast analyst and as an advisor and driver coach at Chip Ganassi Racing. He began competing in historic car events in 2019 allowing him to still fulfill his love of driving.
“The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me. The different surfaces, the fact that part of it is on an airport, then you go into the streets, the different bumps all those things you got to try and master. This was just the chance to race on a circuit that I love, and a chance to do something fun, said Franchitti.
This all stemmed from a conversation with Jimmie Johnson. For me, with the opportunity to race the truck, it was really him, it was the whole team that he has there [at LEGACY MC] that made it all happen. His relationship with Toyota, Dollar Tree coming on a sponsor — it’s all been through Jimmie and the team at LEGACY MC. If it goes well, great. If it doesn’t go well, I am going to be blaming Jimmie.”
“Dario and I had been talking for a long time about the chance to race together, so when he approached me about St. Petersburg, I knew I had to get to work. I called him back a day later with an incredible opportunity to join a championship-winning team with Toyota and the great people at TRICON,” said Johnson. “It’s been a lot of fun getting him integrated into the team and spending more time together, going through the process of getting him back to racing.
I’m so excited it all came together and thankful that Dollar Tree is going to support. I am looking forward to sitting on the pit box alongside the team and sharing this experience with Dario.”
The NCTS Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled for Saturday February 28 at 12 p.m. ET, with broadcast coverage on FOX and radio coverage on SiriusXM and the NASCAR Racing Network.
About TRICON Garage
TRICON Garage is a professional racing organization fielding five full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entries. Serving as the flagship Truck Series partner of Toyota Racing Development, the team plays an integral role in the NASCAR development ladder. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, TRICON has quickly established itself as the premier home for cultivating the next generation of motorsports industry professionals. Actively involved in three different industries – racing, fabrication and transportation, the team operates out of three buildings totaling 60,000 square feet.
TRICON Garage – Dario Franchitti
NASCAR Truck Series Return Quotes
Dario, you have raced in NASCAR before. Surely you have been asked by fans, team owners, etc. if you would come back and race. Why now? Why the Truck Series?
It all stemmed from a conversation with Jimmie Johnson. We were, I think, over in Europe sitting have a glass of wine one night and it had just been announced that the Truck race was going to happen at St. Pete the Saturday before the IndyCar race. And I said, “that would be kind of fun” and my thinking at the time was, I know the circuit really well, I’d love to race there again and the chances of me getting back into an IndyCar are zero to none. The next morning, he calls me. He said “Hey, I found you a truck!” and I said “Okay, what’s the truck? He said, “it’s a Toyota, a team called TRICON.” I think at that point I had just watched them win on the Charlotte ROVAL. I thought okay, this is good, and it all stemmed from that. The LEGACY guys got involved and Dollar Tree came on as a sponsor…so that was, that was it.
You know, I retired in 2013 and I didn’t think I would race again. Then in 2019, I started racing historic cars, things from like 1960, but then more recently more modern stuff. This was just the chance to race on a circuit that I love, and a chance to do something fun.
You say it’s a circuit that you love. As a past winner there, what is your relationship like with St. Pete?
It’s a circuit that I love. I love street circuits. The thought of racing a NASCAR truck on a street circuit is really intriguing to me. The different surfaces, the fact that part of it is on an airport, then you go into the streets – the different bumps, all those things you got to try and master. So, I think I have given it quite a lot of thought. My experience of the circuit will be very helpful, but my lack of experience with the truck I think will probably even things out quite a bit.
For someone who has had such an accomplished motorsports career, where would a NASCAR Truck Series win land for you? How important is that to add to your résumé?
You know, it’s funny, I’m not thinking about the result. Even when I was winning in IndyCar and all that sort of stuff, I never thought about the result beforehand. For me, success looks like if I can do my absolute best and at the end of it know that I did a good job. As I said, I think I’m going to be in great equipment, but if I can come out of that and go, “I’ve done a good job,” that’s success. I don’t know what that result looks like. For me, there’s a big fun element here. This is about testing myself, about pushing myself and about having fun. Honestly, in situations like when I was at the top of my game in IndyCar, the fun element was in the winning, not in the doing. Since I started in 2019, racing old cars and all that sort of stuff, the fun element has come back into it. It was all about the enjoyment, and love of driving and the love of racing. I am really surprised that I discovered that later in my racing life, shall we say, after I retired.
Talk about your relationship with Jimmie and how important he was in bringing this opportunity to life.
Yeah, Jimmie and I, we first met in 2004 or 2005 at Daytona in the 24 Hour. You know he was off doing his thing winning seven championships and at the time I was starting to win some IndyCar championships. We would have those text conversations; we’d call back and forth and then we started hanging out a bit more and then he had this crazy idea to come and do IndyCar. I was there at Ganassi in my role as an advisor there working with him and trying to maximize everything there. From that point, him and the family spent a lot of time in Europe and then we really got into a lot of trouble and had a lot of fun together. You know, he’s, my brother. Yeah, he is just such a good dude. We have so much fun together.
We know your relationship with Jimmie, but where does LEGACY MOTOR CLUB come into this and how were they instrumental in making this happen for you?
I remember the conversation when he said, “Hey I am going to become a team owner.” I was like I’m sorry, what? At that point, the LEGACY MC thing hadn’t happened and as it was progressing, he explained what he was doing with the LEGACY MC it really started to make sense to me. I’ve watched him build it with all the people in the team, Cal (Wells) and his whole group there. I watched them build this organization and you look at the level of teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s bloody tough. But I am just watching this competitive thing that Jimmie has and how he is putting that all into team ownership, so that’s really impressive.
For me, with the opportunity to race the truck, it was really him, it was the whole team that he has there that made it all happen. It was his connection; he was driving the truck in his hometown of San Diego which is a big thing for him. You know his relationship with Toyota, Dollar Tree coming on a sponsor – it’s all been through Jimmie and the team at LEGACY MC. If it goes well, great. If it doesn’t go well, I am going to be blaming Jimmie.
