Dario Franchitti makes NASCAR return at St. Pete with help from Jimmie Johnson

dario franchitti will step into the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota this weekend to replace Corey Heim for the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series street race in St. Pete. The surprise entry pairs a multi-discipline motorsport legend with a high-profile friend and coach at a unique event, creating one of the weekend's most talked-about storylines.

Dario Franchitti returns to NASCAR at St. Pete

Franchitti will run the first-ever Truck Series street race on the 14-turn, 1. 8-mile temporary circuit in St. Pete. He will start sixth in the No. 1 truck and joins a field competing on a layout where he previously won the IndyCar race that opened his fourth and final championship-winning season in 2011. This marks his return to a Truck Series entry after a single prior start in that division back in 2007 at Martinsville Speedway.

The entry is notable because Franchitti has not competed in a NASCAR national series race since a national-series start at Bristol that took place in 2008. He has been retired from motorsport competition since his serious IndyCar crash in Houston, and his decision to race here is framed as a low-expectation return: he has described himself as cheerful and with no expectations heading into the weekend.

What the field, setup and support mean for dario franchitti

dario franchitti arrives with experience on the St. Pete circuit that may exceed many in the Truck field, a factor that could be valuable after limited practice time hampered many teams by afternoon storms. That experience spans open-wheel success on the streets where he prevailed years earlier, and the team setup will lean on outside support to get him up to speed.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson helped arrange Franchitti's opportunity and will be on hand to guide him during the race. Johnson has been coaching Franchitti on restarts and will offer on-track guidance; Franchitti noted that he expects a crowded radio with plenty of advice coming from familiar faces. The race will not feature live pit stops, which removes one technical variable from his debut and aligns with the established procedure for standalone Truck events.

Background and what to watch during the weekend

• Franchitti has major open-wheel credentials and endurance racing wins in his record, and he has four IndyCar titles and three Indianapolis 500 victories referenced in the weekend narrative.
• His lone Truck start previously was in 2007; his last national-series NASCAR entry was in 2008.
• He will start sixth in the No. 1 TRICON Garage truck for the inaugural street race on the St. Pete temporary circuit.
• Weather played a role in practice availability, making track familiarity a potential advantage.
• Jimmie Johnson is directly involved in coaching and support for the effort.

This return is framed as a low-pressure experiment: Franchitti has said he has no real expectations and is treating the weekend as a chance to re-experience racing in a different machinery and environment. The combination of his prior St. Pete success, limited recent NASCAR seat time, and the presence of high-profile helpers makes his run an event to watch for contrasts in discipline crossover, racecraft on a street layout, and how an experienced champion adapts to Trucks on a temporary circuit.

Details remain fluid and the situation is developing around race-day conditions and team preparations. Observers should expect updates over the course of the weekend as Franchitti and the TRICON Garage team finalize their approach and execute in the track environment that shaped this unexpected NASCAR return.