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Dario Franchitti kept racing after the death of best friend Greg Moore. Shilique Calhoun Jersey . He continued on following the death of former teammate Dan Wheldon. He was eager to drive into his early 40s. He wont get the chance. The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time IndyCar Series champion reluctantly and abruptly retired Thursday, saying doctors told him it would be too dangerous for him to continue racing because of injuries sustained in a harrowing crash last month. "Racing has been my life for over 30 years, and its really tough to think that the driving side is now over," Franchitti said. Franchitti fractured his spine, broke his right ankle and suffered a concussion in the Oct. 6 race at Houston, where his car made contact with Takuma Satos car on the last lap and sailed into a fence. Debris from the accident injured 13 fans in the grandstands and one IndyCar official. The 40-year-old Franchitti underwent two surgeries on his ankle and recently returned home to Scotland to recover. "One month removed from the crash, and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post-accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing," Franchitti said. "They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop." Franchitti did not use the word "retire" in a lengthy statement released through Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the team he joined in 2009 following a brief stint in NASCAR with Ganassi a year earlier. Franchitti was unstoppable upon his return to IndyCar. Teamed with Ganassi and driving the feared red No. 10 Target car, Franchitti reeled off three consecutive championships and won 12 races. Two of the wins were Indy 500s. He became the face of the series -- Franchitti always had crossover appeal for IndyCar thanks to an 11-year marriage to actress Ashley Judd, which ended in January -- because he was personable, well-spoken, popular in the paddock and passionate about the sport. It resonated with fans and made Franchitti one of IndyCars all-time greats. His 31 victories are tied for eighth on the all-time list, and his 33 poles are sixth. "Dario Franchitti has done so much for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, so it will be very disappointing to not see him in our cars next season," Ganassi said. "But simply put, Dario is a motorsports legend and will be sorely missed on the race track by everyone in the paddock and in the stands. His contributions to the sport of motor racing are too many to list, but I can tell you that they go way beyond what he has done on the track." Asked on Twitter if Franchitti had indeed retired, Judd replied: "Yes, with an extraordinary career, legendary achievements, aplomb & style." Franchittis last victory was the 2012 Indy 500, an emotional race that came seven months after defending winner Wheldon had been killed in a crash at Las Vegas. Franchitti battled teammate Scott Dixon over the final third of the race, jockeyed with Sato in the closing laps until Sato spun to bring out a caution, and led Dixon and Tony Kanaan across the finish line as three of Wheldons closest friends finished 1-2-3. It was a poignant moment for Franchitti, who was too familiar with death in the sport he loved. Moore died in the 1999 season finale at Fontana, and Franchitti to this day remains deeply affected by the loss. "Ill forever look back on my time racing in CART and the IndyCar Series with fond memories and the relationships Ive forged in the sport will last a lifetime," he said. "Hopefully in time, Ill be able to continue in some off-track capacity with the IndyCar Series. I love open-wheel racing and I want to see it succeed. Ill be working with Chip to see how I can stay involved with the team, and with all the amazing friends Ive made over the years at Target. "As my buddy Greg Moore would say, See you up front." Word of Franchittis decision spread quickly and drivers who never raced against him reacted with sadness. "I think to have him around and on the circuit is far better than him going an injuring himself again against doctors advice," said Nigel Mansell, who was at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for this weekends Formula One race. But those closest to Franchitti were most affected. "Dario was a hell of a driver and will be missed -- missed by everyone in racing around the world," said 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones. "He was my kind of guy. He wasnt afraid to put his foot down and go. It is really hard to believe that he had to give up racing, I know would he would have won more races, and maybe Indy a couple more times, had he been able to continue driving." Michael Andretti, who fielded Franchittis car for his first Indy 500 victory and first series championship in 2007, said he was shocked. "I thought he had one good year left in him, and I know he wanted to race beyond IndyCar," Andretti said. "So thats what I feel most bad about -- hes being parked by a doctor. Hes not going to be able to race the sports car stuff he had talked about. He wont race with his brother (Marino), Le Mans, all the things he wanted to fulfil." Dixon, who won the 2008 championship while Franchitti was in NASCAR, called his teammate a motorsports legend. "More importantly, I can call him a best friend," Dixon said. "There are very few people that have achieved as much in auto racing and knowing Dario, he wont go far as IndyCar racing is in his blood and I am sure he will stay involved somehow." Franchitti had lured good friend and former Andretti teammate Kanaan to the Ganassi stable for 2014, an announcement that was made at Houston two days before Franchittis accident. Kanaan said he was counting the days "to be his teammate again," but is grateful Franchitti will still be in the IndyCar paddock next season. "As much as it hurts not seeing him compete with me in IndyCar, Im delighted that he got out of that accident and is still here with us," Kanaan said. Franchitti defeated Will Power three consecutive years to win the IndyCar championship and the two developed a rare rivalry for the series. "We had some real battles out on the track over the last few years and I appreciated how fierce of a competitor he was," Power said. "His accomplishments in IndyCar are incredible and the sport will definitely miss him." His retirement leaves Helio Castroneves as the only active three-time Indy 500 winner trying to join A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. as a four-time winner. "I know he will continue to be a great ambassador for our sport and Im sure Dario has a lot more to contribute to racing, it will just be in a different way than driving an IndyCar," Castroneves said. Foyt, the only driver with more IndyCar titles than Franchitti with seven, said: "If the doctors tell him he should quit then he should listen to them. Im the opposite and never would listen, but I probably would have been a lot better off if I did. But Darios won a lot of races and championships so he has a lot to be proud of. My hats off to him." Franchitti could find a role with the Ganassi organization, or perhaps land in the television booth. Andretti suggested Franchitti would be a good fit as a consultant to a manufacturer. For now, everyone was still trying to adjust to the idea of racing without Franchitti on the track. "You pinch yourself everyday as firsthand you are witness to the talent, ability, work ethic and start-versus-win ratio of Dario Franchitti," Ganassi team manager Mike Hull said. "Having Dario represent all of us is whats right about motorsports. His representation of the integrity of a true champion is what sets him apart." Michael Crabtree Jersey . -- During Kansas shootaround on Wednesday before the Jayhawks faced Oklahoma, coach Bill Self told Wayne Selden Jr. Clive Walford Jersey . -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having an operation on a groin muscle. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elite-Tyrell-Adams-Raiders-Jersey/ .J. -- All those records, all for naught.My career has seen me do the strength and conditioning for some elite members of Team Quest, Reign MMA, and Black House. Its been a wild ride that has found me on the other end of the microphone and writing. Im now more of a media based personality that trains specialized clients, rather than a strength coach that does media from time to time. So when the opportunity came to do another fight camp, I jumped on it. Well, not exactly a fight camp. I dont intend on sparring. This is me showing fans what goes into the physical prep of a fighter. Its something every fan should experience. Not just MMA fans, but all sports. I always say you cant boo an athlete until youve trained like one. Without the sparring and the training injuries, this still isnt the total experience. If you follow along and try adding some of the treadmill sprint work, different lifting techniques and of course, the stretching, youll soon come to realize that MMA is actually a whole new level of tough. Never mind the technical aspect, lets get an appreciation for the workouts. For this blog, I want to give you the full experience. That means, training with a coach. Can I do it alone? Yes, Ive prepared some of the best of the best. I know that to get the best results, you need the best coaches. So I went where a few of my mentors and role models go. Troy Westwood is one of the fittest guys I know, hes the host of the Morning show on TSN 1290, Doug Brown played CFL and was one of the best of the best, Obby Kahn makes the best shawarma in Winnipeg, He also happens to have come back from injuries and illness that would have crippled lesser men. They all go see Jeff Fisher at Elite Performance in Winnipeg. So I knocked on the door. So far I have been through the testing day and I may be regretting the decision. Here is where the journey starts. I had a full medical work up to ensure no mistakes or simple injuries were caused during training. The worst thing that can haappen to any athlete is to lose technical and tactical days because a Strength Coach caused an injury in the gym. Jamize Olawale Jersey. . A mistake that can be easily avoided with an understanding of the body and making a program designed for the athlete. I now have this thanks to Fish. The next step is finding the athletes starting point, and ensuring you never over train or take steps back. My testing day set out to find my lactic threshold, anaerobic capacity, and over all muscle strength. I did 17 beautiful chin ups. Not bad considering Im 63 and 228lbs. I was proud.Im getting my work done with a professional. If you dont have access to this type of total committed training, try doing this to find your starting point next time you are at the gym. (Always consult a doctor before beginning any exercise program) Work with a spotter/counter/timer Complete as many push-ups as you can without stopping. Rest 3-4 minutes and repeat. Same thing for Chin Ups. Plank once until failure. Run as far as you can in 12 minutes record the distance you go in METERS (not miles or kilometers). This is called the cooper test. Plug the numbers into this equation - Basically I want you to subtract 505 from the meters you run. Then divide it by 45. Thats your VO2 max; feel free to compare it with the normal numbers that can be found on the internet. Its fun to know where you stand. Once you have your numbers, start to make them better. Ill retest at the end of this fight camp, a pro athlete would just get in the cage because the proof is in the punch. For us fans of the sport, we just get to train like a pro, and get better at being healthy. Join along; this will increase your respect for top pros. My hope is to go out and visit a few of my friends competing in the World Series of Fighting and get training beside them. In the meantime, Im going to be grinding out workouts thanks to Elite Performance. Check it out on twitter #Relentless. Wholesale NFL T-shirts China NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '