In qualifying trim for Saturday's Sam's Town 250 Busch Series race Dario Franchitti left no doubts over his raw speed and his ability to adapt quickly from one type of car to another but in the race itself it was a different story for the reigning Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champ.

Following on from his successful ARCA Series debut at Talladega recently Franchitti qualified his Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge a superb third fastest on the three-quarter mile Memphis Motorsports Park oval but the race itself was a different matter.

With crash after crash slowing the action continuously Franchitti soon slid backwards before becoming embroiled in an incident with Brandon Miller with 60 laps to go. In addition to suffering damage to the front of his machine Franchitti was also held a lap by NASCAR for rough driving, which left the Scotsman several laps down in 32nd position by the time the chequered flag fell.