After an ill-fated move to NASCAR in 2008 (which ended after half a season) Franchitti returned to IndyCar in 2009, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. Franchitti won on his second start back in the series, and eventually took five wins as he won a second championship, again in a final race championship decider against Dixon and Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe. He retained the title in 2010, again with a final race championship win over Penske's Will Power; Franchitti's strong form on ovals – including a 2nd Indianapolis 500 victory – allowed him to overhaul Power by five points at the final race. His third consecutive and fourth overall title came in 2011, in which he battled Power for the championship the second time but the championship win ultimately was decided in favour of Franchitti, after the season's final race was abandoned due to a serious crash that resulted in the death of his close friend and former teammate Dan Wheldon. A new car was introduced for the 2012 season, in which Franchitti only scored a single victory – in the Indianapolis 500 – to become the tenth driver to win at least three Indianapolis 500s during a career.