Dario Franchitti – Biography, Wife, Family, Divorce, Net Worth, Other Facts

Motor racing is one of the most exciting sports available to mankind, it is the marriage of our engineering miracles and adrenaline. If you love racing, especially car racing, then you probably know Dario Franchitti, one of the most accomplished personalities in the racing world.

With a career spanning 20 years, Dario racked up multiple wins and achieved legendary status in the process. Here are some things you might not know about the Scottish champion such as his professional history, net worth and other facts about his life.

Dario Franchitti Biography,

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Franchitti fell in love with racing, but the awards and championship titles he won during his career are no secret. The 2019 Motorsport Hall of Fame received the McLaren Autosport Award in 1992, the Greg Moore Legacy Award in 2001 and the BRDC Gold Star in 2009.

Not much is known about his childhood other than the fact that he attended Stewart’s Melville College in Edinburgh and nurtured his passion for racing while still at school .

Franchitti, who would later be awarded a Member of the Order of the Empire (MBE) for services to motor racing, began his long career in the Junior Karting Championship in 1984.
His first victory came in Formula Vauxhall Junior in 1991. Nicknamed Dario Speedwagon, he had no doubts about his ability to stomp on the accelerator and navigate around various obstacles. Dario had his first professional championship victory in 1993, in his second season as a Paul Stewart Racing driver. In his first season he finished fourth but was named Young Driver of the Year.

Dario has participated in different tournaments. He has competed in NASCAR, Sports Car Racing, IndyCar Series and CART racing. Its most successful stint was the IndyCar series which we won four times in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The Indianapolis 500, one of the most prestigious races, if not the most prestigious in the IndyCar series, was won three times by Dario.

Before finding his place in American racing, Dario Franchitti tried Formula 1 in 2000. He had auditioned for the Jaguar F1 but the combined misfortune of a bad car and an injury prevented him from doing enough to impress the Formula One team.
Although Franchitti enjoyed success in the IndyCar series, he did not have the same record at NASCAR. His best result during his time at NASCAR was a fifth-place finish in 2008.

This rider suffered a few accidents during his professional race, but his accident at the Grand Prix on October 6, 2013 ended his career. The accident left Dario with a broken right ankle, a broken spine and a concussion. It would later be revealed that he had also suffered five weeks of memory loss. Dario later retired after the devastating accident.

Outside of active racing, he became the director of competition for Ganassi Racing after his recovery. He has also worked on other racing projects, including as a consultant in the development of the game physics of a racing game, Simraceway. Dario has also had a few appearances in films, such as Turbo in 2013 and most recently, Born Runner in 2018.

His net worth

Dario is a successful and well-known car racer. Having won several championships, including the Indianapolis 500 points during his career, the Scottish man has no shortage of endorsements and sponsorships. With his current role as a co-anchor on Mission Ignition and his career earnings, plus endorsements, Dario is currently estimated to be worth $50 million.

Wife, divorce and family

Dario is currently married to Eleanor Robb and the couple have a daughter, Sofia, who was born in 2015. The Italian-born Scottish man married Eleanor Robb after his divorce from Ashley Judd in 2013.

Dario’s marriage to Judd lasted 12 years, it was in 2013 that the union came crashing down. Both men decided to abandon their marriage for reasons best known to them. Franchitti currently lives with her family in London, England.

Other facts to know about the retired racing driver

1. Paul di Resta, the former Formula 1 driver is Dario’s cousin and Marino Franchitti, Dario’s younger brother, is also a professional racing driver.

2. He is a supporter of Celtic Football Club, a football team in Scotland.

3. Dario Franchitti comes from a mostly Italian family. His Scottish heritage comes from his birth in Scotland.