Franchitti: Montoya convinced me

Dario Franchitti says that Juan Pablo Montoya convinced him that switching to NASCAR was a good idea earlier this year

Glenn Freeman Dec 24, 2007, 9:54 AM

The Scottish driver will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup next year, and he said that while he was considering the move, team boss Chip Ganassi told him to speak to Montoya.

Montoya left Formula One to race in NASCAR during 2006, and the Colombian driver has expressed on several occasions that he is glad he made the switch. "Chip called me and told me to call Juan," Franchitti said. "He made a big sales pitch to me, so if it doesn't work out I'll blame him."

The current IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 champion added that he started looking considering a change before he became involved in a scrap for the 2007 title.

"The decision was made before I won the title," he said. "I started looking at it after Indy, and then Chip called me.

"This is the most difficult thing I have ever done. The racing is fun, but it's a learning process, taking small steps at a time."