CONCORD, N.C. -- Ken Schrader will replace the injured Dario Franchitti in Saturday night's NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway.
Franchitti broke his left ankle last Saturday in a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway and was unable to race in Sunday's Sprint Cup event. He was replaced by David Stremme, who led laps in the No. 40 Dodge and was headed to a stellar finish until a 12-car wreck on the last lap relegated him to a 28th-place finish.
Because he's under contract as a test driver to Penske Racing, Stremme could not fill in for Franchitti beyond last Sunday. So Chip Ganassi Racing turned to Schrader, who did not have a ride lined up for Richmond.
Schrader qualified third at Talladega but finished 42nd. He'll be responsible for qualifying the No. 40 car for the race because it is not guaranteed a starting spot since it is outside the top 35 in points.
But with a solid run at Richmond, Schrader possibly could get the car inside the top 35. The car is currently 36th in the standings.
Schrader has 12 top-10 finishes in 44 previous starts.
Franchitti visited doctors in Indianapolis on Monday and will be fitted for a carbon fiber brace later this week. His driving status will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis, and the team already has had preliminary discussions with Sterling Marlin about driving at Darlington Raceway in two weeks.
