Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Fittipaldi still learning ropes in Winston Cup

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 | 10:37 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Two months into his career as a full-time NASCAR Winston Cup driver, Christian Fittipaldi has faced a steep learning curve.

A former Formula One and Championship Auto Racing Teams driver, Fittipaldi not only has had to learn new tracks, but adapt to a different, heavier racecar at the same time. Fittipaldi, who was not scheduled to enter the Winston Cup Series full time until next season with Petty Enterprises, replaced John Andretti in the No. 43 Dodge on June 10.

When the Winston Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the second time in two months, it will mark the first time Fittipaldi will have experience on a track in a Winston Cup car.

"Lots of things have happened since June --- both with this team and for myself as a driver," Fittipaldi said. "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."

Fittipaldi said he expects the experience gained from his eight Cup starts this season to start paying dividends this weekend at Michigan.

"A lot of good things can start right here at Michigan," he said. "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."

Fittipaldi finished 35th in his first start at Michigan, on June 15. His best finish in eight races this season is a 24th-place showing two weeks ago at Pocono Raceway.

"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," he said. "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.

"This is a challenging task on many different aspects. 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."

In 1992, Alan Kulwicki overcame a 278-point deficit with six races remaining and won the championship by 10 points over Bill Elliott. In 1985, Darrell Waltrip trailed Elliott by 206 points with eight races remaining and went on to win the championship by a staggering 101 points.

The way the Winston Cup points system is set up, a driver can gain -- or lose -- as many as 151 points in a single race.

Jimmie Johnson tops the NASCAR money list with $3,877,730 while Busch is a close second with $3,640,150 -- thanks in large part to his second-place finish and $1,027,101 payday.

Nine of the drivers in the top 10 on the money list have earned at least $3 million this season. Points leader Kenseth is 10th in earnings with $2,897,470.