Dario Franchitti's broken left ankle, injured when he was T-boned in Saturday's Nationwide race, will keep him off the NASCAR tour for a while, and he will need surgery before he can get back in one of Chip Ganassi's Dodges. The impact was so severe that it drove the left-side roll bars nearly a foot deeper into the car, and Franchitti's feet became entangled. David Stremme filled in for Franchitti in Sunday's Sprint Cup race. Stremme drove last season for Ganassi, but was dropped at the end of the season for lack of sponsorship. Stremme is under contract with Roger Penske, as a test Cup driver, and Penske is not expected to let Stremme run more races for Ganassi. Sterling Marlin, who once drove for Ganassi, could fill in for Franchitti this week at Richmond.
-- Winston-Salem Journal
NASCAR Notebook: Franchitti needs surgery on ankle