Dario Franchitti Returns to NASCAR With TRICON at St. Petersburg
Dario Franchitti, a four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and former NASCAR National Series competitor, is set to return to the NASCAR ranks as he'll pilot the No. 1 Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage in the upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series street race at St. Petersburg on Saturday, February 28.
A legend returns to the grid.
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) February 3, 2026
With the support of @LEGACYMotorClub & @DollarTree, motorsports icon @dariofranchitti will join TRICON at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg! pic.twitter.com/UlDDX7ivS1
Franchitti, 52, retired from full-time competition in IndyCar following the 2013 season, and last competed in NASCAR in 2008. The chance to compete in a NASCAR Truck race on a street course really compelled Franchitti to put the driver's suit back on.
“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.
According to a press release from TRICON Garage, Jimmie Johnson, who will drive for the team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series street race at San Diego later this season, helped put the deal together with his LEGACY MOTOR CLUB NASCAR Cup Series team. Franchitti will carry Dollar Tree, a longtime partner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, as a primary sponsorship partner in the event.
"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 as 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," Franchitti quipped.
Johnson is a good friend of Franchitti, and the two drivers collected the Stirling Moss Trophy together in a September 2024 event at the Goodwood Revival.
“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," Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, said. "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. 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.”
Franchitti compiled 29 NASCAR National Series starts over a two-year stretch in 2007 and 2008, with a best finish of fifth coming at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2008, a race he started from the pole and led 18 laps.
In one career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start, which came at Martinsville Speedway in 2007, Franchitti was credited with a 33rd-place finish after retiring from the race early with a mechanical failure.
The prolific open-wheel racing star, who amassed 21 career IndyCar wins, including three Indianapolis 500 victories, and four-consecutive series championships from 2007 to 2011, will look to finish some unfinished business in the world of NASCAR as he is set to compete on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series street race at the iconic venue.
The NASCAR Truck Series will share the race weekend with the NTT IndyCar Series that weekend.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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