Results from Talladega Superspeedway 

11. Bryan Clauson, No. 40 Memorex Dodge
17. Dario Franchitti, No. 42 Target Dodge

TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 5, 2007) - Dario Franchitti made his stock car debut in the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway Friday afternoon and finished 17th while Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) teammate Bryan Clauson finished 11th in the 94-lap event.  Clauson earned the pole position in the No.40 Memorex Dodge Thursday afternoon while Franchitti qualified sixth in the No.42 Target Dodge. Both CGRFS machines started from the rear of the 41-car field after an engine change, and an oil swap prior to the race.

With only 30 total laps under his belt in a stock car before the drop of the green flag, Franchitti calmly worked his way up through traffic and maneuvered through the draft for the first time on the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Clauson, with a win already this season at Gateway International Raceway, made several trips to pit road after his oil pressure light came on, but remained on the lead lap and battled back to finish 11th.

Franchitti ran as high as eighth in the early goings and finished the race 17th without a scratch on the car.
The team will evaluate Franchitti's progress in the coming days after the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race in Talladega and release plans for future races in the coming days.

CGRFS Driver Quoteboard:

DARIO FRANCHITTI: "I gained a huge amount of experience learning from the start of the race. The first part of the race I was drafting like an IndyCar. I was getting up behind people and then I figured out it was more important who was pushing you than who is in front of you. Once I figured that out I was getting into side drafting and everything started to come together. It was a lot of fun out there. I'm disappointed with the result, but what I've learned, I don't think you can put a price on it. I learned so much today. I'm looking at the long term. I'm looking at next year. From that point of view, I'm very happy. I'm a little disappointed because I think the Target guys deserved a better result than that."