Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA

CHAMPCAR/CART: Fittipaldi, Andretti on "The Jersey" Thursday

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (March 5, 2001) --- Current Newman/Haas Racing driver Christian Fittipaldi and previous team driver Michael Andretti will be appear as guest stars in an episode of the Disney Channel's original series, "The Jersey," ...

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (March 5, 2001) --- Current Newman/Haas Racing       
driver Christian Fittipaldi and previous team driver Michael Andretti   
will be appear as guest stars in an episode of the Disney Channel's     
original series, "The Jersey," on March 8 at 5 PM PT/ET and 4 PM CT.    
"The Jersey" is the No. 1 rated show on The Disney Channel, which is    
seen in approximately 62 million homes nationwide and is also seen      
internationally.                                                        

Fittipaldi and Andretti will join a roster of previous guests that include many of the world's top athletes. Some of the football greats that have appeared on the show include Steve Young, Kurt Warner, Payton Manning, Marshall Faulk, Terrell Davis and Doug Floutie. Basketball icons Lisa Leslie and David Robinson as well as National Hockey League heavy hitters Jeremy Roenick and Sergei Federov have also appeared on the show. Major League Baseball All-Stars Nomar Garciaparra and Gary Sheffield as well as other top athletes including Michelle Kwan, Brandi Chastain, Tony Hawk, Michael Johnson and Dominique Dawes, as well as many others have made a guest appearance as well.

Fittipaldi and Andretti shot the segment on October 25, 2000 at Irwindale


Christian Fittipaldi, MICHAEL (Galeota), CHRISTIAN (Copelin), and Michael Andretti. Photo: NHR.

Speedway in California prior to competing in the CART FedEx Championship Series 2000 season finale, The Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, on Sunday, October 29. After the segment was shot, Fittipaldi went on to win the Marlboro 500. The initial airdate of the show will coincide with the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series season opener in Monterrey, Mexico on March 11. Fittipaldi hopes the airing of the show will bring him the same luck as the shooting did.

"We filmed the episode a few days before our last race of the season and I won so I hope the show brings me the same luck at the first race


The Podium shot... Photo: HNR

of this season in Mexico since it airs right before the race," said Fittipaldi. "I definitely have no acting aspirations like my boss Paul (Newman) but being a part of a different world for the shoot was interesting. It got pretty confusing also because the real name of the star of the show is Michael (Galeota) and the name of the kid that turned into Michael on the show's name was Christian (Copelin). They kept saying 'Michael come here' or 'Christian do that' and none of us ever knew who they were talking to. I saw a tape of the show and I think it turned out well. It's important for our series to reach kids and turn them into race fans early. This is the No. 1 show on The Disney Channel so I can't think of a better way to reach them."


Christian in make up Photo: NHR.

"The Jersey," follows the fantastic athletic adventures of 15-year-old Nick Lighter, his cousin Morgan and his Monday Night Football Club friends. Nick inherits an old football jersey from his deceased grandfather, but it's more than an ordinary jersey - it's a magical portal into the world of professional sports. Its bearer is transported off the couch, onto the playing field and into the shoes, or in this case race car, of major sports celebrities.

In the episode entitled "Three Boys and a Nephew," Nick Lighter         
(Michael Galeota) desperately wants to be bumped-up to first string     
on the football team.  He tries to win points with Coach Clifford by    
babysitting his eight-year-old nephew, but the Jersey transports the    
boy into the race car of Andretti while he, Fittipaldi, and the other   
series drivers race at speeds over 200 mph.                             

Repeat performances of the show will air on Wednesday, March 14 at 5:00 PM; Tuesday, March 20 at 5:00 PM and Monday, March 26 at 5:00 PM. For behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the episode or photos, please contact Kathi Lauterbach at 317-297-8064.

-NHR-

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article IRL: Indy500: Treadway/Hubbard Racing files first entries for Luyendyk, Giaffone
Next article IRL: Schmidt names chief mechanic

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA