UAW-GM Quality 500 - Christian Fittipaldi Notes

Christian Fittipaldi Notes, Quotes: UAW-GM 500

‘NASCAR remains the best organization in America’

Returning behind the wheel of the #44 Bugles Dodge, this weekend Christian Fittipaldi and the #44 Bugles Dodge team head to the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway, located outside Charlotte, N.C., for Saturday night’s UAW-GM 500. The race, being held Saturday night, will mark the first time the fall classic has been scheduled for a Saturday evening. Fittipaldi and the team tested at the track to prepare for this weekend’s events. Veteran crew chief Greg Steadman will once again call the shots on pit road.

In the summer of 2002 Fittipaldi signed on to drive for the legendary Petty Enterprises. An open-wheel star, Fittipaldi, 33, is a former two-time CART winner (California Speedway and Road America) and Formula One World Championship driver. Fittipaldi is the only driver to run full time in NASCAR’s top series and to have raced full-time in Formula One and CART.

The thoughts of #44 Bugles Dodge driver Christian Fittipaldi heading into Lowe’s:

“We are looking forward to this race. We tested for it and we are looking forward to getting back to the track to see how what we learned will pay off. We learned and tried a lot of different things. Obviously the handling of the car is going to be different from the day to night, but I’ve got a good feeling for the track. It’s a fast track and is a lot like Texas and Chicago. They are fast tracks and a lot of being fast depends on handling. The better you handle the faster you are going to be. I have a lot of confidence in this team in giving me a good car throughout the weekend. It’s a big weekend for everyone and I am anxious to get back in the Bugles Dodge.

“In America, NASCAR is the best racing organization there is. If you are going to race here in America, and want to race against the best, then you need to be in NASCAR and the Winston Cup series. It’s the toughest and most challenging racing series there is. It also continues to be the fastest growing and most popular series too. There are not many racing series in America that can boast of racing in almost every major market in America. We race in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and the list continues to grow.

“It’s great to see this growth. Coming from CART, they are almost in survival mode over there. In NASCAR it’s almost the opposite. I go to do hospitality visits on Sunday mornings and there are hundreds of people from our sponsors like Bugles, Ferguson, and others to meet-and-greet. It’s great to witness the popularity of this sport. The fans are very passionate about it. NASCAR wants to continue to grow and big races like the one this weekend in Charlotte are proof of how big NASCAR really is.

“I think it’s important for the sponsors to see us race in front of such big crowds. It gives them much more exposure. I know it’s good for everyone to be in Charlotte, and close to home, but on the other hand you can’t just be all in one area. You have to go to a lot of different places and NASCAR does that too. I would really like to see us go to New York City or Denver, and that would be good for the sponsors too. I think NASCAR does a good job of spreading out, but also not forgetting its roots. It’s a good balance.

“You have to be impressed with what NASCAR has been able to do, and continues to do. They are the leaders of motorsports in America. It’s very different from other racing series in America. You just don’t see the involvement or the level of interest as you see in NASCAR. NASCAR is very popular and it’s the place to be if you are going to race in America. If you doubt it, just look at the fans this weekend.

“I have been fortunate enough to have one of the best organizations in all of motorsports to support me in my transition from open wheel to NASCAR. Petty Enterprises is one of the most recognized racing organizations in the world. I know fans everywhere get pretty excited to see Kyle (Petty), Jeff (Green), and myself race. I am just excited to race the Bugles Dodge in front of some of the most enthusiastic fans anywhere this weekend in Charlotte.”

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