FRANCHITTI BACK WITH AGR IN 2007

IndyCar Series veteran Dario Franchitti will return to Andretti Green Racing as driver of the No. 27 Honda-powered Dallara, team officials announced Jan. 3.

dfranchittiFranchitti will be backed by Canadian Club® Canadian whisky, which will also be an associate sponsor on the IndyCar Series entries driven by AGR teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick.

"I haven't been this excited to get back into a race car in quite a long time,” Franchitti said. “We had some very good race cars last season, and I expect to be contending for race wins when we return to the track in March.”

The 33-year-old Scotsman has four IndyCar Series victories and three poles and is the winningest British driver in Indy-style racing. In addition to his duties as one of AGR’s four IndyCar Series drivers, he will team with Bryan Herta and his brother, Marino Franchitti, in the American Le Mans Series LMP2 class.

"Dario has proven over and over that he is one of the very best drivers in the world and we're happy he's going to return to the IndyCar Series and jump into the ALMS car in 2007,” said Michael Andretti, Chairman, Andretti Green Racing. “He is a fantastic leader and, along with Tony Kanaan, will continue to provide a lot in the development areas AGR is working on.”

Canadian Club returns to the IndyCar Series after it joined AGR at the 2006 Indianapolis 500. A member of the Beam Global Spirits & Wine family, Canadian Club is one of the largest and most prominent Canadian whisky brands in the world.

"We are very excited about the continuation of our partnership with AGR and Dario for the 2007 season,” said Dennis Prado, Senior Director, Canadian Club. “The Canadian Club racing program was very successful in 2006, and we are looking forward to making it more effective for the brand in 2007. The IndyCar Series aligns well with the core Canadian Club brand attributes, and it appeals to our target consumers. The IndyCar Series also provides a highly visible platform for our drink smart© social responsibility program. We are looking forward to very successful season in 2007 both on and off the track.”

See Also .:

News Index | E-mail to a Friend