Results from Pocono Raceway

1.  Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Dodge
33.  Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge
38.  Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
41.  Dario Franchitti, No. 40 Target Dodge

LONG POND, Pa. (June 8, 2008) - Dario Franchitti returned to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) racing this weekend with a qualifying position of 14th at Pocono Raceway, which marked Franchitti's best starting position yet in NSCS competition.  Once the green flag fell, Franchitti held his ground in the top 20 but the team battled an ill-handling race car and on-track incidents which ended their day with a disappointing 41st position.

Around lap 20, Franchitti radioed in to tell his team the car was free through the middle of turns one and two, but tight off of one, so Crew Chief Steve Lane called for adjustments, tires and fuel to fix the ill-handling car.  The team's problems became much worse on lap 120 when the No. 40 and the No. 38 cars had an on-track incident, sending Franchitti to pit road twice for repairs to the rear and quarter panel of his car.

Once back on track, Franchitti and the No. 40 Target Dodge team couldn't catch a break. On lap 128, Franchitti was sent spinning into the outside wall.  This forced the team behind the wall and into the garage to make the necessary repairs to the entire left side of the car. The Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) team worked hard to repair the car enough to get back out on lap 164.  The incident sent the No. 40 team into an unrecoverable lap deficit, however, the team did not give up and managed to salvage a few spots before calling it a day around lap 167.

The No. 40 Dodge team now stands 42nd in the Sprint Cup Series ranks. The team is 766 points from the 25th position and 916 out of the top 20.

Next weekend, Franchitti and team will head to Michigan International Speedway for the Lifelock 400. 
The Sunday, June 15, race will be broadcast on TNT starting at 12:30 pm EDT with MRN Radio coverage beginning at 1:15pm EDT.