Without a Sprint Cup car to drive, Dario Franchitti found himself on familiar ground last weekend -- at the IndyCar Series event in Detroit, but only as a spectator. It was there, amid all those open-wheeled cars he was once synonymous with, where he ultimately made the decision to leave NASCAR and return to the circuit where he was champion in 2007.

Franchitti's brief and turbulent time in NASCAR came to an end on Tuesday, when he announced that he would drive on the IndyCar tour for owner Chip Ganassi in 2009. Franchitti started this season in Ganassi's No. 40 Sprint Cup car, but missed four races because of a broken ankle, failed to qualify for two more, and then was out of a ride altogether after Ganassi shut down the No. 40 team because of sponsorship concerns.