Franchitti Will Try Again at Fontana

He idolized Ayrton Senna, he learned from Jackie Stewart, and he married actress Ashley Judd. There’s nothing second-rate about Dario Franchitti, who is leaving Championship Auto Racing Teams for the rival Indy Racing League after this season.

Bittersweet? Nostalgic?

“You can’t live your life looking over your shoulder and wondering what’s gone on in the past,” said Franchitti, who has spent the last five years driving for team owner Barry Green. “I’ve got to focus on the future. At the same time, it’s difficult to leave CART. One of the guys in the pit lane said the other day, ‘You know, you’ve got family here.’ There are some great people here.”

Franchitti and family will be at California Speedway on Nov. 3 for the 500 presented by Toyota, CART’s only superspeedway appearance this year.

Franchitti has had terrible luck in four races at Fontana. Despite having qualified in the top 10 three times, his best finish was 10th in 1999, at the season-ending race in which he lost the championship to Juan Montoya on a tiebreaker -- seven wins to three. Franchitti finished 23rd the last two seasons, and 22nd in 1998.

Franchitti said that racing became much more a business to him after his closest friend, Greg Moore, died in the 1999 race at Fontana, and that it was a business decision for him to join team owner Michael Andretti -- who purchased Team Green, effective at the end of the season -- and Tony Kanaan in the all-oval IRL. Honda and Toyota are also leaving CART for the IRL, leaving Ford Cosworth as CART’s only engine supplier.

“I went with the one thing I know and trust, which is the team and Honda,” Franchitti said of his decision. “I thought about it for a couple of weeks, for sure. It was not a decision to be made overnight.”

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CART team owner Chip Ganassi announced that he would have Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon in Toyota G Forces next season in the IRL. Ganassi probably will field at least one car in CART as well.

NHRA

A simple parts failure -- a broken valve-retainer spring -- resulted in Ron Capps’ spectacular funny car explosion two weeks ago in Dallas. Capps and the rest of the NHRA crowd are in Las Vegas this weekend for the second AC Delco Nationals, the last event before the season-ending meet at Pomona.

“I had some headaches, my ears weren’t working like normal, and my knees were pretty sore, but after about a week, I was fine,” said Capps, who drives for owner Don “the Snake” Prudhomme.

Capps said “a beefier” spring is in place after the scary crash, during which the explosion blew the firewall back on him.

“I was panicking for a little while,” Capps said. “Nothing has ever come back and prevented a driver from reaching any of the controls, parachute, brake or steering wheels. The fire was on me as well. The fact I couldn’t pull my brake or turn the steering wheel sent some more panic into me.”

However, he’s sure the incident will yield a safer car.

“Snake said we’re going to make changes next year that’s going to make it bulletproof,” Capps said.

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John Force has a 13-point lead over teammate Tony Pedregon in his drive for a 10th consecutive funny car championship.

Force would need to win, be No. 1 qualifier, and set a national elapsed-time record -- and have Pedregon fail to qualify -- to leave with an insurmountable 139-point lead.

Larry Dixon needs to earn only 31 points to clinch the top fuel title, same as Jeg Coughlin in pro stock.

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The second Mazda NHRA Sport Compact World Finals will be run Saturday and Sunday at Pomona Raceway.

In championships still to be decided, Grant Downing of Fullerton leads the pro division by 71 points, Stephan Papadakis of Redondo Beach leads modified by 79 points, and Bruce Mortensen of Fontana leads hot rod by 70 points.

Formula One

The effort by Dan Gurney to put together a Formula One team for 2003 has run out of time.

“The deadline we set for ourselves, which was dictated by the amount of time required by Ford Cosworth to put together their engine build and trackside support package, has not been met,” Gurney announced in a statement. “We were not prepared to commit to a situation which was not properly funded for at least three years.”

Gurney’s plan came to light at the United States Grand Prix in September.

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Formula One will race in Shanghai, China, from 2004 to 2010.

Sprint Cars

Beginning Thursday, Perris Auto Speedway hosts the three-day, $100,000, 100-lap Budweiser Oval Nationals.

Among the entrants are the last five champions, Bud Kaeding, Tony Jones, Rickie Gaunt, Rodney Argo and Rip Williams, as well as four-time SCRA champion Richard Griffin, national dwarf car champion Seth Wilson, and USAC national sprint car champion Tracy Hines.

Last Laps

Irwindale Speedway, in its last Saturday event of the season, will have a 200-lap open event for super late models on Saturday, with a $12,000 purse and $3,000 going to the winner.

Mike Follmer of Fountain Valley finished third in the BP Motorsports Team Endurance 300, a six-hour race on Lake Perris, to win the All-Around Offshore Endurance Series championship for personal watercraft.... The Petersen Automotive Museum honors 50 years of drag racing by the NHRA on Nov. 2 with a special exhibit and a dinner honoring founder Wally Parks.

Funeral services for land speed racer Nolan White, who died Sunday after crashing last week on the Bonneville Salt Flats, will be held Saturday, 2 p.m., at Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church, 1675 Garnet Ave., San Diego.

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Shav Glick has the week off.