It looks like Roger Penske, right, is leaving CART for the IRL and will take Gil de Ferran, left, with him.

Penske is expected to have a press conference in Indianapolis next week to announce he's taking 2001 Indy winner Helio Castroneves and de Ferran to the rival IRL in 2002. It was thought the nine-time CART champions might leave de Ferran in CART to try for a third straight title but evidently that won't be happening.

"Roger told me he was out of CART, period," said Morris Nunn, who campaigned a two-car CART effort in 2001 and will be running one car in CART and one car in the IRL during 2002.

Asked if he wanted to leave CART's diversity for an all-oval series, de Ferran responded: "I don't know what is going to happen but, naturally, I would miss road racing because that's what I grew up with.

"But my allegiance is to Team Penske. My greatest ally is this team and I don't take that lightly."

Both de Ferran and Castroneves have one year remaining on their current contract.