Franchitti: I'm happier than I thought. source: crash.net If Dario Franchitti needed a sign that Sunday was going to be his day, he got all he needed before he strapped himself into his car for the three-way Indycarchampionship battle with Andretti Green team-mate Tony Kanaan and Ganassi's Scott Dixon. First, IndianapolisMotor Speedwaypresident and chief operating officer Joie Chitwood gave the Scot two Indianapolis 500 badges - a 2007 badge with the #27 to commemorate his win and a 1965 badge with the #1127 commemorating the win of his hero Jim Clark. Then, the police officer who escorted him for driver intros had a number 27 on the handcuffs he was carrying on his belt. It all added up to a perfect day for the Indianapolis 500 winner, who passed Dixon in turn three of the final lap to win the PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 and claim the 2007 IndyCar Series title. "I'm happier than I thought I would [be]," Franchitti admitted after claiming his first open-wheel championship in the United States, "I thought winning the Indy 500 was a great feeling, but this is.... it's different. But I think, because it's the whole year rolled into one, it means a hell of a lot." It marked the third consecutive season that the Indianapolis 500 winner has also won the season championship, as Franchitti joined former AGR team-mate Dan Wheldon and Penske's Sam Hornish Jr as the only drivers to pull off the double, and the Scot admitted that the success fulfilled a lot of ambitions. "[Winning the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series title] are two of the goals I definitely set for myself a long time ago when I came over here," he said, "I set my goal to win every race obviously and then, when I came over to the IndyCar Series, the Indy 500 was a big goal. And the championship, to accomplish both those is massive." The win also helps ease some of the memories of his last championship fight when Franchitti lost out on the 1999 CART title to Juan Pablo Montoyaon the same day his best friend Greg Moore was fatally injured in a racing accident. While he could empathise with what his rival had been through, Franchitti said he appreciated the efforts of Dixon and the Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew. "I appreciate the challenge that Scott and his team gave us all year, and they were tough," he revealed, "They really were tough and, again, that's another reason - when you beat competition of that nature, when you look at the people, the people that you've had to beat on the way to doing this - that gives me satisfaction, knowing I've done a good job, my team has done a good job. "It's cool that it came down to just Scott and I. There was something about that. We said all year, even with a 65-point lead, I kept saying it's going to be close. Comes down to Scott and I last corner, last lap. That pretty much sums up the year."
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