4x IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti reacts as Jimmie Johnson records best Daytona 500 finish in 10 years

Former IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti shared an Instagram story congratulating Legacy Motor Club owner/driver Jimmie Johnson for his third-place finish at the Daytona 500 on Sunday. This was Johnson's best result at the prestigious event since his win in 2013.

Jimmie Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, who also tried his hand in IndyCar from 2021-2022. Since 2023, Johnson has been the co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, competing in NASCAR and has also raced part-time for the team.

The NASCAR legend decided to compete in this year's series-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, driving the #84 Toyota Camry. After a race full of many crashes, the 49-year-old took his opportunity and grabbed an unexpected podium.

Dario Franchitti shared an image of his TV screen, as he watched his close friend Johnson getting interviewed after his best finish in the series since his full-time retirement from the sport.

The Briton congratulated Johnson on his incredible result, saying:

"Yes @jimmiejohnson .💪🏻

"Nice P3 👌👌👌👌 @legacy.motorsports."

Screen grab of Dario Franchitti's Instagram story [via @dario_franchitti]

Dario Franchitti not only won his first Indy 500 in 2007 but also his first IndyCar championship in the same year. He then decided to switch over to stock-car racing and joined Chip Ganassi Racing. His transition from open-wheel racing was not a successful one though as the Briton struggled to find any form and ended up returning back to IndyCar.

After his return in 2009, Franchitti went on to win two more Indy 500s and three more championships, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats in IndyCar history.

Although Franchitti and Johnson both raced in NASCAR and IndyCar, they did so at different periods and only ever raced in the same series once in 2008. Notably, the two friends never competed as teammates in a professional racing series.

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Dario Franchitti and Jimmie Johnson teamed up to win the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy in 2024

Franchitti and Jimmie Johnson at the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series UAW-Dodge 400 Qualifying - Source: Getty

Dario Franchitti and Jimmie Johnson won the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy at Goodwood Revival in September 2024, competing in the DB4GT. The event features GT cars that were in use for racing before 1961.

The Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy is held as part of the Goodwood Revival, paying tribute to the British motorsports legend Sir Stirling Moss. The two motorsports legends teamed up and also managed the win at the Goodwood Circuit in the UK.

While being interviewed after the race, Johnson said:

"What an honor. This has just been an event that I don't want to miss. I've always dreamed of coming here and competing. My time in the States was quite busy and I was finally able to come in 2022, and it is such an incredible race."

The Goodwood Revival is an event held at the Goodwood Circuit in Sussex, UK, that aims to honor the golden era of motorsports from 1948 to 1966. This event includes multiple races, like the Stirling Moss Trophy, that features legendary vintage race cars from across series like F1, GT and more.