Raleigh, N.C. ? Christian Fittipaldi will be switching his wheels next season, leaving CART and joining Petty Enterprises in a combined Busch and Winston Cup program.

The nephew of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi has been a regular in CART for eight years, all but the first with Newman-Haas Racing.

Petty said Fittipaldi will compete next year in the Busch Series as well as a handful of Winston Cup and ARCA events. If all goes as planned, the 31-year-old Brazilian would then move to NASCAR’s top stock car series full-time in 2004.