Injured NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Dario Franchitti has set his sights on returning to the fray at Pocono next weekend, as he continues rehabilitation on his broken left ankle.
Speaking with
nascar.com during Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the Scot admitted that he was still a way of being back to full fitness, but revealed that he hoped to test the ankle during today's group session at Pocono with a view to racing for the first time in over a month next Sunday.
"It's coming along good [and], hopefully, I'll be in the car Tuesday at Pocono," Franchitti said, "We'll see how it goes at the test and go from there.
"I'm feeling pretty good, [but] you really can't do that much with it. It's really only been the last week, or week-and-a-half, that I've been able to walk on it properly, so I need to go easy on it. I was in a walking cast for about five days, but got bored with that. I had a carbon support that I use when I drive the car, so then I used that for a while. And then, for the last week or so, I've been walking around with nothing on it.
"I just need to get movement back in it. You can't do any cardio work, you can't run - you can swim and that's about it, and you've got to be careful even swimming. That's been tough. I've been in the gym, working everything else the best that I can, so we'll see this week how it goes.
"I just have to be thankful that this is the worst thing that happened. It was just a little crack. The fracture, where that is, is tender, but some of the other parts, where it was bruised, have actually taken longer to feel better.
Chip Ganassi Racing has apparently lined up NASCAR veteran Jeremy Mayfield to drive Franchitti's regular #40 Dodge at Dover's Monster Mile this weekend, but the seat remains free for Pocono - at the moment.
![Dario Franchitti. [Pic Credit image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/407276.jpg)
