Fittipaldi to test at Daytona next week

ATLANTA -- The newest member of the Petty Racing tradition, Christian Fittipaldi, will be in Daytona Beach on December 20, 21 and 22 to receive an early Christmas gift.

	Christian Fittipaldi Credit: Autostock

An extensive testing session in preparation for the 2003 season. Fittipaldi, 31, and a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, will be getting some seat time at the Daytona International Speedway for the first time as he gets ready for his ARCA debut in February.

Comfortable at speeds of up to 240 miles-per-hour in various forms of open-wheel cars, this will be Fittipaldi's first taste of the 31-degree banking at the World Center of Speed.

The 2.5-mile tri-oval is a track where Fittipaldi has to become comfortable if he is to succeed in NASCAR and seat time is valuable to any driver.

"To drive the car is not difficult," said Fittipaldi. "I can run competitive times fairly easily. But there is a tenth or two that can only come with experience in the seat. And that tenth or two is the difference between a top-ten and a top-thirty. It is a big difference. Plus I have to go to school on drafting.

The drafting we did in open-wheel racing is the same concept but different in execution. So I have to get out there and see what it takes."

Christian Fittipaldi will be driving a combination schedule consisting of select ARCA, Busch Series and Winston Cup events as he prepares to compete full-time in Winston Cup in 2004 for Petty Enterprises. Fittipaldi will be taking the reins of the No. 44 Dodge Intrepid. A primary sponsor is still being sought for 2003.