Frankfort, Ky. ? Actress Ashley Judd had a persuasive argument when Kentucky State Police stopped her husband for going 75 mph on the Bluegrass Parkway.

Dario “Speedwagon” Franchitti, a professional race driver, could handle 75 mph because he’s used to driving three times faster, she pointed out.

Adrian Fernandez waves a flag as he stands on his car following Saturday's time trials for today's CART Miller Lite 250 in West Allis, Wis. Fernandez won the pole with a speed of 168.712 in his Honda-powered Lola.

Trooper Todd Evans was unmoved, despite the couple’s pleasant demeanor and cooperation.

“I told them that it was not him I was that worried about, but everybody else on the parkway,” Evans said.

So Evans gave Franchitti his autograph on a ticket at 2:10 p.m. on April 20, after stopping the couple’s westbound silver 2000 Honda convertible on the parkway near the U.S. 127 interchange in Anderson County.

But Franchitti, who finished 19th in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, did not show up for his May 20 appearance in Anderson District Court, a court clerk said Friday.

Franchitti, 29, could have prepaid the $105 fine, but now it has jumped to $130 because he failed to respond to the ticket.

The court will notify officials in Tennessee, where Franchitti lives, about the ticket. If he fails to pay the fine, the state of Tennessee could take some administrative action, such as suspending his license.

Franchitti, who is scheduled to race today in The Milwaukee Mile, could not be reached for comment. His wife’s publicist’s office in Los Angeles had no immediate comment.

Evans, a trooper for 13 years, said the couple explained they were late for her birthday party in Tennessee. She turned 34 on April 19.

“She did most of the talking,” Evans said. “After I issued the ticket, she said there wasn’t any good way to say this, but they had been debating while I was filling out the paperwork in my cruiser if I knew who she was. She said her husband said I wouldn’t, but she thought I would.

“I told her when I first saw her, she looked familiar, but she didn’t look exactly like she does in the movies with that makeup and all.”