ASHLEY JUDD - JUDD THRILLED WITH HUSBAND'S FATHER'S DAY RACE VICTORY

JUDD THRILLED WITH HUSBAND'S FATHER'S DAY RACE VICTORY

Actress ASHLEY JUDD celebrated Father's Day and the summer solstice by watching husband DARIO FRANCHITTI race to victory in the Iowa Corn Indy 250.
The driver became the first ever repeat winner of the IndyCar Series race on Sunday (21Jun09) when he claimed his second victory of the year as his devoted wife looked on.
Judd cheered the speedy Scot on and admitted she was nervous when he took such a large lead towards the end of the race.
She told ABC TV, "It's never over until it's over. I was hearing the countdown and things were looking good... the car's been fabulous, he asked for no changes, he managed the tyres beautifully, the stops were great... I'm excited and relieved."
And she used her post-race chat to coo about her "gentleman" race ace: "He has a fundamental courtesy and respect for his other drivers and I remember early on when I was just getting to know him and racing (and) there would be some beef on the track... and I saw that even as a young man he was a bit of an elder statesman... It endeared me to him.
"He's just a very personable and lovely man and I absolutely mean that in the best possible way."
Judd then wished all race fan dads a Happy Father's Day, and noted, "It's also the Solstice, so it's a cool day."
Franchitti, who moves up into second place in the IndyCar championship race, dedicated his win to his father in Scotland.