Petty signs Fittipaldi for Busch-Cup seat in 2003

LEVEL CROSS, N.C. -- Petty Enterprises announced Wednesday that 31-year-old CART driver Christian Fittipaldi will drive a Petty Dodge Intrepid R/T beginning in 2003.

	Christian Fittipaldi. Credit: Autostock

The plans call for a combined Busch and Winston Cup program beginning next season that will lead to a full-time Winston Cup program with the team in 2004 and 2005. The team is currently looking for a primary sponsor for the program.

Fittipaldi's racing experience is impressive. After winning the Formula 3000 Championship in 1991, the Brazilian competed in Formula One from 1992-1994 and then moved to the CART Series in 1995. He has won twice in CART and now brings his diverse experience and impressive talent to Petty Enterprises and NASCAR.

"I've been looking at NASCAR over the last several years and knew I wanted to be a part of it," said Fittipaldi. "I've been part of one of the top teams in the CART series with Newman/Haas and I wanted to find a similar opportunity in NASCAR. Petty Enterprises is one of the top names in the sport. Their team is clearly on the way up and they have an impressive group of people and equipment working to take them to the top. I'm looking forward to being a part of it."

"Christian will be another bright new star in our sport," said Kyle Petty, CEO of Petty Enterprises. "It's exciting for us to have landed him. He's got tremendous experience and he's been very successful in every series he's raced in from Formula 3000 to F1 to CART. With our knowledge in this sport and his ability and experience as a driver, we're confident that he can win races and contend for Championships in the near future."

Fittipaldi currently drives the No. 11 Newman/Haas car in the CART FedEx Championship Series. He has four top-five finishes this season and is currently 9th in points. He has run a limited number of Busch series races in 2001 and 2002. His schedule in 2003 will consist primarily of Busch Series and Winston Cup races and possibly several ARCA races as well.

"We tested him in our cars in Lakeland (Fla.) and he was very impressive," said Petty Enterprises Vice President and General Manager Robin Pemberton. "He's clearly an incredibly talented driver, very smart and communicates well with the team. He's going to be exciting to watch."

Dodge is equally excited about adding Fittipaldi to their current stable of NASCAR drivers. Dodge Vice President of Motorsports and SRT Marketing Jim Julow said, "We're always looking at building for future success and it's rare you are able to add somebody with as much talent and experience as Christian. This is a great move for Petty Enterprises and a tremendous boost for Dodge and NASCAR."

Petty Enterprises has more wins than any team in NASCAR history and offers one of the most comprehensive marketing platforms in all of sports. In addition to its three Winston Cup teams, Petty Enterprises operates Richard Petty Driving Experience at 22 tracks across the country. The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America just completed its 8th and most successful tour and the Victory Junction Gang Camp for Kids is scheduled to open in the summer of 2004.