When reigning Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti attempts to qualify for Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway, he will discover just what former open-wheel racers Jacques Villeneuve,
Juan Pablo Montoya,
Scott Speed and Sam Hornish Jr have.
Although all are respected for what they have achieved in their previous careers, the move to the NASCAR arena is not one to be taken lightly, and Franchitti will find that he needs to earn his spurs before he can overcome being viewed as an outsider in the sport.
“I thought it might be hard to be accepted [in NASCAR], but it really wasn't because, across the board, the racing community has camaraderie,”
Mario Andretti, who successfully made the transition between open-wheel and stock cars, explained to
SPEEDTV, “Among the drivers, I never felt like I was out of place or not accepted. If you earn your respect and you don't do stupid things, and you show that you have respect for them and you do well, you'll be respected back.
“These guys are well-established in their field and the drivers know the quality of driver they're dealing with. These guys are not fools - they're not going to do stupid things. There was a lot of speculation about Juan Montoya at first, but all that was dispelled pretty quickly, and I think it's going to be the same with these [other] guys. If you're going to make the move and make the commitment, you've got to deal with all these elements.”
Being welcomed by the NASCAR fans might prove a more challenging order, though, according to the man who won in NASCAR,
F1, sportscars and CART.
