Fittipaldi seals Daytona 500 drive

The former CART star is switching to stockcars for 2003, and has signed a multi-year deal with Petty Enterprises, which this year will see him race in a mixed programme of Busch Series, ARCA and Winston Cup races. However, the deal does not include the prestigious season-opening event, leaving Fittipaldi clear to sign the one-race deal.

Team boss Andy Petree said: "We feel Christian will add a lot to our effort. He is a rookie at the big ovals but with his Formula 1 and Indy Car background, he is no stranger to going fast. We're looking for a very strong Speedweeks."

Fittipaldi recently secured a deal to race a Chevy-power Doran JE4 Daytona Prototype in the Daytona 24 Hours, which runs on February 1-2 and kicks off the Speedweeks festival that culminates in the Daytona 500.

"When February is over everybody is going to be tired of Christian at Daytona," said Richard Petty. "Hopefully he's going to run the 24-hour race, the ARCA race and the big race in Andy's car."