Dario Franchitti retires from IndyCar after accident

Sports staff | USA TODAY Sports

Four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti announced Thursday he will no longer be able to compete in auto racing because of injuries suffered in an Oct. 6 crash.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who suffered a broken back, right ankle and concussion in a crash at the Houston Grand Prix that sent his car airborne into a catchfence and back onto the temporary street circuit, also won three Indianapolis 500s in a career that started in 1997.

Franchitti, 40, and his team were looking forward to his return in 2014, when Ganassi is welcoming 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan to the stable that already includes three-time and reigning IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.

The Scotsman ends his career tied for eighth on the all-time list with 31 career wins and 33 pole positions.

Franchitti said in a statement:

"Since my racing accident in Houston, I have been in the expert care of some of the leading doctors and nurses, all of whom have made my health, my safety and my recovery their top priority. I am eternally grateful for the medical care I have received over the last several weeks. I'd also like to thank my family and friends for their unbelievable support.

"One month removed from the crash and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing. They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop.

"Racing has been my life for over 30 years and it's really tough to think that the driving side is now over. I was really looking forward to the 2014 season with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, with a goal of winning a fourth Indianapolis 500 and a fifth IndyCar Series championship.

"I'd like to thank all my fellow competitors, teammates, crew and sponsors for their incredible support over the course of this amazing ride. I'd also like to thank Hogan Racing, Team KOOL Green and Andretti Green Racing for the opportunities to compete on the racetrack, and especially Target Chip Ganassi Racing, who have become like a family to me since I joined their team back in 2008. I would be remiss if I didn't thank all my fans around the world. I can't thank you enough for standing by my side for all these years.

I'll forever look back on my time racing in CART and the IndyCar Series with fond memories and the relationships I've forged in the sport will last a lifetime.

Hopefully in time, I'll be able to continue in some off-track capacity with the IndyCar Series. I love open-wheel racing and I want to see it succeed. I'll be working with Chip to see how I can stay involved with the team, and with all the amazing friends I've made over the years at Target."

Franchitti had crossover appeal for the IndyCar Series through his 11-year marriage to actress Ashley Judd. The two are now separated. But he was personable, well-spoken, popular in the paddock and passionate about the sport. It resonated with fans and made Franchitti one of IndyCar's all-time greats.

Judd, who was at Franchitti's side in the hospital following the crash in Houston, joined a chorus of well wishers Thursday, tweeting about Franchitti, "One-of-a kind-racer, accomplishments that dazzle, has respect of legends & newcomers, but most of all, a gentleman."

IndyCar team owner Michael Andretti was surprised by the announcement after texting with Franchitti two days ago.

"He wasn't thinking about this," Andretti said. "It comes down tho his back, in my opinion. There were probably so many back injuries that the doctors told him that another once could be dangerous."

Franchitti drove for Andretti Green Racing, now Andretti Autosport, from 2003 through 2007, before Franchitti briefly left IndyCar for a one-year stint in NASCAR. Andretti, who teamed with Franchitti for the driver's first IndyCar championship and Indianapolis 500 win in 2007, said he feels bad for Franchitti "because he's not retiring on his own terms."

"It wasn't his decision, it was a medical decision," Andretti said. "Having said that, he has so much to be proud of. He's retiring as a legend of the sport."

Dixon and Franchitti have been teammates at Target Chip Ganassi Racing since 2009, when Franchitti returned to IndyCar from NACAR.

Dixon told USA TODAY Sports: "Dario is a true legend in the sport. More importantly, I can call him a best friend. There are very few people that have achieved as much in auto racing and knowing Dario, he won't go far as IndyCar racing is in his blood and I am sure he will stay involved somehow."

Kanaan joins CGR next season and would have been Franchitti's teammate again. They shared time together with Andretti Green Racing from 2003-07.

"Sad, indeed," Kanaan said via text message. "Dario was the key person on the process of getting me to the Ganassi team and I was counting the days to be his teammate again.

"Dario is a great person, a superb driver and a motorsports legend. But most importantly, he is my friend, and as much as it hurts not seeing him compete with me in IndyCar, I'm very happy that he got out of that accident and is still with us."

Target Chip Ganassi Racing general manager Mike Hull said he expected Franchitti to return to the team to compete for fourth Indianapolis 500 title next year.

"You pinch yourself everyday as first-hand you are witness to the talent, ability, work ethic, and start-versus-win ratio of Dario Franchitti," said Hull in a statement. "The enrichment of his past and present peer lineage fortified by a true understanding of being an unselfish teammate is the standard.

"My expectation was that his commitment to return and win a fourth Indy 500 with Target would become a reality. Having Dario represent all of us is what's right about Motorsports. His representation of the integrity of a true Champion is what sets him apart."

Former CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya, who is set to return to IndyCar in 2014 after driving for Ganassi for the past seven years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tweeted that Franchitti is "a great friend and a great competitor" and was "gonna be missed at the tracks."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 IndyCar champion, tweeted he felt lucky to share the track with "one of the very best IndyCar drivers in history."

IndyCar driver Graham Rahal, who has competed against Franchitti for the past five years tweeted:

"Incredible career for a wonderful man, @dariofranchitti you are a champ and a legend, thanks for what you have done for our sport."

Ganassi echoed the description of Franchitti as a legend with this statement:

"Dario Franchitti has done so much for Target Chip Ganassi Racing so it will be very disappointing to not see him in our cars next season. But simply put, Dario is a motorsports legend and will be sorely missed on the race track by everyone in the paddock and in the stands.

"His contributions to the sport of motor racing are too many to list but I can tell you that they go way beyond what he has done on the track. What's both impressive and unique about Dario is that he has always been a student of racing, someone who not only appreciates the actual science of the sport but also the rich heritage of those racers that have gone before him."

Franchitti underwent two surgeries on his ankle and recently returned home to Scotland to recover.

He has been the face of the series since he returned in 2009 following a brief stint in NASCAR. He won three consecutive titles from 2009 to 2011, and two of his three Indy 500 wins.

"In over 100 years of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dario Franchitti stands in very exclusive company as just one of only ten drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 three or more times," said J. Douglas Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Dario's competitive drive, coupled with his passion for and appreciation of the history of the Indianapolis 500 made him a fan favorite at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But it is his willingness to invest time to promote our sport outside of the car, to mentor young drivers aspiring to drive at Indianapolis, and to interact with our fans that make him one of the all-time great champions and ambassadors of the Indianapolis 500. We will miss him competing every May, but we look forward to celebrating his accomplishments in the Indianapolis 500 for years to come."

Andretti believes there will be a place for Franchitti in the sport post retirement.

"He's a knowledgeable guy, so I can see him as a consultant," Andretti said. "I know he had great plans. He wanted to eventually race sports cars with his brother (Marino), so I don't think he wanted to retire this way."

Contributing: Jeff Olson, The Associated Press