CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Dario Franchitti will leave NASCAR and return to IndyCar in 2009 as the replacement driver for Dan Wheldon at Chip Ganassi Racing.
The move was announced Tuesday by Ganassi, who also signed a multiyear extension with Target for both his open-wheel and NASCAR programs.
Franchitti won the 2007 IndyCar Series championship and the Indianapolis 500, but left open wheel for NASCAR at the end of the season to drive Ganassi's No. 40 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series.
Ganassi never secured sponsorship for that team, and was forced to shutter it in July because of the weakening economy. Franchitti has lingered in NASCAR since, running a handful of second-tier Nationwide Series races as he and Ganassi tried to figure out his future.
Franchitti had said at the time his team closed that returning to IndyCar was not an option, but apparently changed his mind when Ganassi and Wheldon decided to part ways.
"I have always admired his competitive spirit when he raced against us and have really grown to see more of what he is about this season while he raced in NASCAR," Ganassi said. "When there was a possibility of an opening on our IndyCar team, the only person I thought about was Dario. This is going to be a great move for Dario and for our team.
Franchitti will join Scott Dixon, the reigning Indy 500 winner who is poised to wrap up his second IndyCar title, on Ganassi's open wheel team. Franchitti beat Dixon for the title a year ago, right before he announced he was joining Ganassi's NASCAR operation.
Franchitti likely had several opportunities with Ganassi - including a Nationwide ride in NASCAR, and possibly a job in the Grand-Am Series - but was intrigued by the recent unification of the IndyCar Series and the now-defunct Champ Car Series.
"Part of the reason that I signed with Ganassi last year was because of how many options that Chip has at his disposal for a driver. You can do almost any form of racing that you want," Franchitti said. "With unification and the new schedule having more road and street courses it made me think about this more and more.
"I have really enjoyed this last season in stock cars and have not completely closed that chapter of my professional career, but the opportunity that arose was just something I could not pass up."
Franchitti raced in just 10 Cup events this season. He missed five with a broken foot suffered in a crash at Talladega, and the No. 40 car fell outside the top 35 in points and failed to qualify for a handful of races before Ganassi finally closed it down.
Franchitti's highest finish was a 22nd at Martinsville in March. He's been better in the Nationwide car, with a career-best finish of fifth on the road course at Watkins Glen and a 13th and 11th in his last two outings.
Wheldon, meanwhile, becomes a free agent after two seasons with Ganassi. He joined that team in 2006, right after winning the series championship and the Indy 500, but has been overshadowed by Dixon in his time there.
