Dario Franchitti will return to NASCAR on February 28 for the Truck Series race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The four-time IndyCar Series champion will drive the No. 1 TRICON Garage car in his first NASCAR race in 17 years.

Franchitti admitted the opportunity stemmed from a conversation with old friend and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. Speaking about how the deal came about, Franchitti said Racer.com:

“I got this opportunity from a conversation I had with Jimmy. I said I thought it would be fun, and I thought the whole process of pushing myself again, testing myself, trying to be competitive again would be fun. I’ve still done a lot of things in the historic stuff since I stopped; I’ve driven some really cool cars against some really good drivers. I guess it’s more of the same. It’s just a modern truck.”

The one-off appearance is part of a NASCAR and IndyCar crossover weekend that will feature the Dario Franchitticareer. Petersburg was a key moment in his championship run, which included his dominant victory at IndyCar in 2011 when he led 94 of 100 laps.

The downtown street course also serves as the IndyCar season opener, and Dario Franchitti stays close to the action through: He serves as a consultant for Chip Ganassi Racing. Returning to the track behind the wheel of a truck added a new layer to that relationship. He later explained why St. Petersburg made the idea compelling.

“When Saturday’s NASCAR Truck race came up, I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to drive an Indy Car there; I’m too old, but I love this track and I love St. Petersburg.”

“Jimmy and I have spent a lot of time at the track over the past few years, racing together, occasionally racing each other, and just having fun off the track. We basically just had a glass of wine and I said to him, ‘Oh my gosh, this would be fun to do in St. Pete.’ The next morning, he called me and said, ‘Hey, found your truck! “Jimmy was the driving force behind it,” added Dario Franchitti.

Dario Franchitti will pilot triangular garage The first place Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, supported by Dollar Tree. He plans to test the truck at Sebring International Raceway before an 80-lap race later this month. Truck No. 1 has been a shared entry in recent years. In 2025, the team entered all 25 Truck races, allocating seats to six drivers. Brent Crews and Brandon Jones accounted for 16 of them.

Scottish Only truck start at Martinsville Speedway On October 20, 2007, he finished 33rd in the No. 41 Dodge for owner Kerry Scherer. Franchitti also competed in 18 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2007 and 2008, driving the No. 42 and 40 Dodges, including a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen. He also competed part-time in the Cup Series during this period, making 10 starts for Ganassi in 2008 before returning full-time to IndyCar.

Jimmie Johnson on Dario Franchitti’s return to NASCAR: ‘It’s going to be so fun to have him on the team’

Jimmie Johnson himself is preparing for a busy 2026 schedule. The Southern California native will compete in Cup Series and Inaugural NASCAR Truck Series weekend at Naval Base Coronado Later this season in San Diego, driving TRICON’s No. 1 truck with Carvana.

While Johnson’s return has raised eyebrows, he made it clear that Dario Franchitti’s return makes just as much sense to him.

“Dario and I had been talking about the opportunity to play together, so when he asked me about St. Petersburg, I knew I had to get to work,” Johnson said in a statement. Team statement. “I called him back a day later and gave him an incredible opportunity to join a championship-winning team with the great people at Toyota and TRICON. It was a lot of fun getting him involved with the team and spending more time together and going through the process of getting him back into racing.”

So far, TRICON has confirmed three full-time competitors for 2026. Giovanni Ruggiero returns at No. 17 and Tanner Gray will fly No. 15, Kaden Honeycutt takes the No. 11 jerseypreviously driven by championship winner Corey Heim. Trucks No. 7 and 1 are also expected to continue competing part-time with rotating drivers, but a fifth full-time truck for 2026 has yet to be announced.