Fittipaldi could stand in for Petty

Petty cracked several of his ribs in a crash during the Winston Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, but still participated in Friday's qualifying session, putting his car 28th on the grid. However, Fittipaldi replaced him for yesterday's practice session after Petty found his ribs too sore to drive with.

Petty will decide this morning whether he will participate in the race or not. "If I can get out of bed Sunday morning quick, I'll know it's time to go," he said. "If I get out of bed slow, I'll know it ain't going to be the time. I'm sore, and I've been cleared to race, but I'm too sore right now. Even though the doctors cleared me, mentally I can't clear myself.

"We're trying to build Petty Enterprises. Christian is somebody we've tagged to help us build back. This gives us an opportunity to take a look at him and it gives him an opportunity to drive. It also gives me an opportunity to get better."

Should Fittipaldi run in today's race, it would mark just his second race of the season after a one-off outing in the Daytona 500 for Andy Petree Racing. The Brazilian switched from Champ Cars to race for the Petty Enterprises in a mixed Winston Cup and Busch Series programme this year, but a lack of sponsorship has left the team unable to run him.