Franchitti not thinking about title

The 34-year-old holds a 65-point advantage in the title race with eight races remaining, but he is determined to just take one race at a time.

"It's a nice position to be in, it feels good," he said. "But it's still too early to be thinking about it.

"The championship is always in the back of your mind, but I think the best way to achieve success is to just take it one race at a time."

Four of the remaining races will take place on road or street courses, and Franchitti is optimistic that his European racing background will work in his favour. However, he is yet to score a non-oval victory in the IndyCar Series.

"I really enjoy driving on the road and street courses, that's what I grew up doing," he said. "I'm hoping it's going to be a good time for us.

"But I need to pick my results up on that part, because I haven't won one yet in the series. There are various reasons why that hasn't happened, but myself and the team need to get on with it."