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

Quick Facts

Car racing is one of the most exciting sports available to humanity, it is the marriage of our engineering miracles and adrenaline. If you love racing, especially car racing, then you are most likely familiar with Dario Franchitti – he’s one of the most accomplished figures in the racing sport.

With a career that spanned 20 years, Dario accumulated several wins and attained legendary status in the process. Here is a few information you might not know about the Scottish champion such as his professional history, net worth and other facts of his life.

Dario Franchitti Bio

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when Franchitti fell in love with racing, but the awards and championship titles he earned from the career are no secret. The 2019 Motorsports Hall of Famer received the McLaren Autosport Award in 1992, the Greg Moore Legacy Award in 2001, and bagged 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 he was still at the school.

Franchitti, who would go on to be awarded a Member of the Order of the Empire (MBE) for services to motor racing began his extensive career at the Karting Junior Championship in 1984.
His first win came at Formula Vauxhall Junior in 1991. Nicknamed Dario Speedwagon, there were no doubts about his ability to hit his foot on the gas and wiggle his way around different obstacles. Dario had his first professional championship win 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 raced in different race tourneys. He has competed at NASCAR, Sports Car Racing, IndyCar Series and CART. His most successful stint came at the IndyCar Series which we won four times in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Indianapolis 500, one of the most prestigious, if not the most prestigious race in the IndyCar Series was won by Dario three times.

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

This racer suffered a few accidents during his time as a professional racer, but his accident at the Grand Prix on October 6, 2013, was a career-ending one. The accident left Dario with a right ankle fracture, a spinal fracture, and a concussion. It would later be revealed that he as well suffered five weeks of his memory loss. Dario subsequently retired after the devastating accident.

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

His Net Worth

Dario is a successful and well-known car racer. Having won multiple championships, including winning the Indianapolis 500 multiple times over the course of his career, the Scottish man is not lacking in sponsorships and endorsements. With his current role as a co-presenter on Mission Ignition and his winnings over the course of his career, plus the endorsements, Dario is currently believed to be worth $50 million.

Wife, Divorce, and Family

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

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

Other Facts To Know About The Retired Racing Driver 

1. Paul di Resta, the former Formula One driver is Dario’s cousin and Marino Franchitti, Dario’s younger brother is equally 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 ancestry. His Scottish heritage come from being born in Scotland.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.