The next time he would love to do it in a race car.

Beginning at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Franchitti boarded a double-decker sightseeing bus and spent the afternoon traveling around the park, greeting fans and answering questions.

Franchitti says he would like to bring his racing success to the people of New York in a bigger way. "An Indy Car race through Central Park would be a lot of fun for us (the drivers)," he said. "It would be a great spectator event and the people of New York would love it."

Franchitti's win solidified his place among the great Scottish race-car drivers which include Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart. Franchitti is the only Scotsman to have won the Indy 500 twice during his career.

"We're lucky in Scotland to have a tremendous heritage in this sport," he said. "For a small country, we've had a lot of success in racing and I'm very proud to be a small part of it."