Marlin Filling In For Franchitti At Darlington

Concord, NC (AHN) - David Stremme, Ken Schrader and Dario Franchitti have had their turns and now Sterling Marlin is getting back in the No. 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry.

Franchitti has missed the least two races with an injured ankle, but now team owner Chip Ganassi is going with a proven veteran in Sterlin Marlin.

Marlin, who hasn't had a fulltime ride in a year, will be behind the wheel of Ganassi's No. 40 Dodge, the same car that Marlin ran for the championship for eight seasons.

Marlin is filling in for the injured Franchitti, who has struggled in stock cars in his rookie season.

Stremme and Schrader didn't fare much better while subbing for Franchitti. Stremme scored just three top-10 finishes over the last two seasons in the No. 40 ride and Schrader failed to qualify for the race last week at Richmond.

Marlin won four races while in the ride from 1998-2005 and finished third for the championship in 2003.

This season Marlin finished 22nd at Talladega in the No. 09 entry and wheeled the same ride to a 25th-place finish last week at Richmond.