"He'll always be my loved one": When Dario Franchitti's ex-wife Ashley Judd opened up on their amicable relationship

Dario Franchitti is regarded as one of the legends of IndyCar. The four-time champion had stellar success on track and married his now ex-wife Ashley Judd in 2001. After 11 years of being together, the couple decided to split apart but Judd asserted her love for Franchitti in 2014 and claimed that Franchitti will always be her loved one.

The former racer's career ended tragically with a crash at the penultimate round in 2013. His car was flung airborne by an accident with Takuma Sato, which left him with career-changing injuries.

On the other hand, his marriage with actress Ashley Judd broke up in the same year a few months earlier. She reportedly tried to get back with Franchitti but after the futile attempt, Judd reflected on their time together in 2014 to Ladies' Home Journal claiming the former driver to be always his loved one.

"He’ll always be my loved one. Even before our wedding, we agreed not to tell people about our relationship, but to show them instead. What we’re showing them now is we’re human, we’re family, and this is what family looks like," Judd said. [via US Magazine]

Dario Franchitti had a vast career and even tried his hands out at NASCAR at one point.

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Dario Franchitti explains the reason behind his venture into NASCAR

Mexico City ePrix - Source: Getty

After winning his maiden title in 2007, then-Andretti driver Franchitti decided to jump disciplines and went over to the NASCAR world. However, his stint on the stock-racing scene was short-lived.

The 51-year-old only made 10 starts before calling it a day and returning home to the open-wheel series. In a recent podcast with Conor Daly, Dario Franchitti revealed why he initially thought of moving to NASCAR:

"I thought I'd accomplished everything I wanted I'd won an [Indy] 500, I'd won a championship where I was looking like I was going to win a championship but I was happy. I thought time for something else, time to recharge the batteries find some new motivation and that was really the thinking. There was all kinds of issues because I was leaving the Andretti organization and going to to Ganassi," Franchitti said [39:56 onwards].

The 51-year-old further explained how he regretted this decision.

"I got in the car at Talladega, the ARCA car. Within the first 50 meters, I thought in my head, ‘Oh my god! what have I done?’ An Indy car, it takes your breath away. The stock car was a hell of a challenge. More of a challenge I think than anything I’ve ever driven in my life. But it never took my breath away," he added.

To Dario Franchitti's fortune, he was able to get back to IndyCar and continue his winning tradition in the series. He won a further three championships in succession before his performances tapered off.