Marlin in for Franchitti at Darlington

Marlin tested the No. 40 Ganassi Dodge this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where teams ran in preparation for the All-Star weekend and the Coca-Cola 600, but thus far the series veteran has only been confirmed for next Saturday's Cup race.

The 50-year-old will attempt to qualify at a track where he has been on pole twice in the past, and claimed two Cup victories in 1995 and 2002, the latter driving for Ganassi.

Marlin was part of the team's debut season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2001, winning their first race at Michigan that year and ranking third in the championship by the end of the season in what has been the team's most successful campaign to date.

In 2002, Marlin led the driver's championship for 25-consecutive weeks before his season was cut short due to a fractured C2 vertebra. In 172 starts for Ganassi, he has claimed four wins, three poles, 24 top-fives, 57 top-10s and led a total of 1,444 laps.

This season he has competed in two Cup races driving for James Finch, getting a 22nd and a 25th place at Talladega and Richmond respectively. He also entered the Daytona 500 but failed to qualify.

Franchitti's status continues to be evaluated on a weekly basis according to team officials. The Scot had a carbon fiber brace fitted last week but he will complete just two weeks out of the car next Saturday, following his crash in a Nationwide Series race at Talladega.