George Dario Marino Franchitti was born on 19 May 1973, in Bathgate, West Lothlian, Scotland, UK of part-Italian descent, and is a retired racing car driver, best known for being a four time IndyCar Series Champion, and also a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner; all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Dario Franchitti? As of late-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $72 million, mostly earned through a successful racing career. He is also a winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2008, and has won numerus awards, which include the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, but all of his achievements have helped ensure the position of his wealth.
Dario Franchitti Net Worth $72 million
Franchitti attended Stewart’s Melville College, and during his time there became interested in karting. He became the Karting Scottish Junior Champion in 1984, and would also win the British Junior Championships for two consecutive years. He then moved to Formula Vauxhall Junior and won that championship in 1991. The following year, he joined Paul Stewart Racing in the Formula Vauxhall Lotus, and would be named the McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year. The next season he would become the champion, and then move to the British Formula 3 Championship the following year. His net worth was already rising.
He then received an AMG Racing contract to drive a Mercedes C-Class during the German Touring Car Championship. In 1997, he was offered a deal to become a test driver for McLaren, but declined and opted to race in US CART series for the Hogan team. He then tested for the Jaguar F1 team in 2000 but it did not push through to any offer. He continued to race for CART during these years, and achieved a few wins and pole positions. In 2003, he joined the IndyCar series but missed most of the year. He returned in 2004 and won his first IndyCar Series race, following this up with a Paul Stewart Racing win.His net worth was now well established.
In 2005, Dario raced for Andretti Green Racing and got two wins in the season. He continued driving for them in 2007 and also became a part of the American Le Mans Series. In the same year, he would win a rain-shortened Indianapolis 500, including $1.6 million which started to significantly boost his net worth. He would go on to win the IndyCar Championship, his first since winning Formula Vauxhall Lotus in 1993. He returned in the IndyCar series in 2009, after missing a season to pursue a NASCAR career, driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing and secured five wins in the season.
The following year, he had difficulties during the season but was able to get the win in the Indianapolis 500, making it his second win in four years. In 2011, he would win his third consecutive championship in a shortened race because of the death of Dan Wheldon in a 15-car crash. He would have difficulties in the next two years, and had a career-ending crash which fractured his spine. Doctors advised him that any further injury may cause permanent paralysis which led to his decision to retire from competitive racing in October 2013. He still remains active as a competition director at Ganassi Racing.
For his personal life, it is known that Franchitti married actress Ashley Judd in 2001 but they divorced in 2013. According to reports, some of his favorite television shows include “Shameless”, “Gavin & Stacey”, and “Rab C. Nesbitt”. He is also the older brother of race driver Marino Franchitti. In 2014, Dario was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire(MBE) thanks to his achievements in motor racing.
