This weekend I caught up with open-wheel sensation and Sprint Cup series rookie Dario Franchitti. The 2007 IndyRacing League champion and former Indy 500 winner made the switch to NASCAR for the 2008 season. Driving the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sebates Dodge, Franchitti has struggled a bit in his attempt to get a handle on these stock cars.

The Scotland-native has been side-lined by an ankle injury since the Nationwide race at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26th. Last Saturday, Franchitti climbed behind the wheel for the first time since his accident for the Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway, where he scored a 15th-place finish.

Sunday, he spoke with me prior to the Best Buy 400 Cup Series event at the Monster Mile.

HCRF.com:

First off how's the ankle?

Dario Franchitti:

The ankle's good. We did the nationwide race yesterday, and actually the ankle feels pretty good right now. My shoulders are hurting a little bit. Four weeks out of the car and then coming back to Dover - it was pretty physical.

HCRF.com:

Have you ever had a crash like that in your open-wheel days that compared to that?

D.F.:

I've had a lot worse than that. That was a minor one. This was more annoying than anything else, just the time it took to get back to the car.

HCRF.com:

What is the biggest thing you are looking to work on heading into Pocono?

D.F.:

Well, we tested there for two days and the test went pretty well we thought. We have to qualify for the race, that's the long and short of it. Number one goal is to get into the race and go from there.

HCRF.com:

How hard has it been for your confidence as a driver to know that you have to go in and qualify for the show?

D.F.:

It certainly puts the pressure on the whole team. It's not much fun, but it's one of the rules of NASCAR and so you have to go out there and do your job. The problem is you only have one lap to do it and if you try and grab a little bit too much and make a mistake or if you don't grab enough you could be out of the show. Pretty interesting.

HCRF.com:

After winning the Craftsman Truck Series race Friday, Scott Speed said something along the lines of, "It's not that hard, you just have to get down two corners." As a former open-wheel driver, what are your thoughts on that?

D.F.:

(Laughing) Well, I think that's an interesting comment from Scott. I think that's the first race he's won in many, many years. He's got two races in how many years? That's pretty good. I think - seriously - he did a good job in both the ARCA race (in Kansas) and in the Truck race. I watched them and I think he's done well in those two races. I think he's in good equipment too.

HCRF.com:

There is a lot going on over at Chip Ganassi Racing; crew chiefs moving around, a number of drivers filling in for you. What would you say the feeling is over at the shop?

D.F.:

The feeling over at the shop is we've had a tough time, but everyone knows we're pulling in one direction and people looking ahead to see what we need to do better. I think it's a positive workshop. A couple of weeks there it was difficult, but I think people are now seeing a bit more where we're going and what we need to be doing.

HCRF.com:

How has Juan Pablo Montoya helped you as a driver adjust to your role in NASCAR?

D.F.:

He's definitely helped. Coming from the similar background to me has definitely helped. Reed (Sorenson) has been very helpful too. A lot of people in the paddock helped; it's good to get different perspectives as well. You know, Jeremy Mayfield in the car this week, at Pocono and coming here has helped me as well. He has a lot of experience.

HCRF.com:

Do you find that when you go back to Scotland there are NASCAR fans?

D.F.:

NASCAR is definitely getting bigger in Europe. Right now it's probably like F1 is in America, there's a small hardcore group of fans. We have live races now, Sprint Cup races are live on Sky Sports, and that's increasing the fan base. The first race they did live was the Daytona 500 and there was a lot of comments in the U.K. about "Gosh, this is amazing racing here." That's the thing about NASCAR, from the first lap to the last lap, front of the field to the back of the field you're going to see action. I think that's why it?s so popular.

Franchitti is one of the more personable drivers in the garage and has adapted well to the NASCAR lifestyle. Making a full recovery, he is scheduled to start this weekend's Pocono 500 - that is if he makes the show on time. Be sure to check back to HardcoreRaceFans.com for all of Franchitti's progress this weekend in Pocono.