GFS Marketplace 400 - Christian Fittipaldi Notes

Christian Fittipaldi Notes, Quotes: Michigan 400

Returning to the track is nice feeling

Returning to the track for the second time this season, Christian Fittipaldi and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s Michigan 400. The track is located just west of the city of Detroit in Brooklyn, Michigan. Fittipaldi drove the famed #43 Dodge at Michigan in a stock car earlier this summer, and returns with more experience in full-bodied stock cars.

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 first-ever Brazilian native to run full time in NASCAR’s top series and is the only ful-time NASCAR driver to have also raced full-time in Formula One and CART.

The thoughts of #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driver Christian Fittipaldi heading into Michigan:

“Lots of things have happened since June - both with this team and for myself as a driver. We’ve really grown together and have seen improvements in a lot of areas. Everyone knew going into the rest of this year that I was on a learning curve, and every week the goal is to try and level out that learning curve. I’ve gotten better, and this team has gotten better, but there is still a lot of work to do.

“A lot of good things can start right here at Michigan. It’s the first track that we can come back to and compare notes. We will be able to see what worked and what didn’t with me behind the wheel. That’s going to be a really big help for everyone. I will be more comfortable at Michigan. I understand the track and how it handles. It’s a big track, and it relies on a lot of handling and a ton of horsepower. Those are just two things that I better understand.

“The first time at Michigan I had a good idea of how to go fast around the track, but learning the car and how it reacts was all new. Everything from what it felt to being tight or loose to air pressures and the draft were things I had to learn. Those are things that you need to learn on the track and racing.

“There were 22 races left in the season when I got into the car here at Michigan in June. For us, that was just more bonus time that I had to learn in a Cup car. I was doing a lot of testing before that, but nothing beats racing with 42 others guys to find out what this is like. I am using this time to be fully prepared for 2004 and the future. That’s a lot of extra racing and seat time this season. It’s only going to help.

“It’s not only racing, but our testing schedule has been a full plate the last two months too. It doesn’t matter if it’s Milwaukee, Watkins Glen, Bristol, or wherever - I am getting on a lot of different tracks. This team just keeps going. There is no quit in any of these guys. They wake up, eat a bowl of Cheerios, and are ready to go. We are making the best of the situation we have here. We are focusing on improving each time we get on the track. It’s happening and now we just need to continue to get better.

“This is a challenging task on many different aspects. I had to get used to the team and the team had to continue to grow too, all at the same time. This is a different situation from what I’ve been in during the past, but this is what I want to do. I want to win races, this team wants to win races, and we are going to do whatever we need to do to get there. We’ve done a lot these last two months, and this Cheerios team is excited to get to Michigan and see some of the results start to pay off.”

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