Sam Hornish Jr is adamant that he will return to IndyCar racing in the future, despite having turned his back on the IRL for next season.

The 28-year-old American, who is the most successful driver in the history of the championship with three titles and 19 wins - including last year's Indy 500 -, is leaving single-seaters to race full-time in NASCAR next season.

When asked if he would ever return to IndyCar's Hornish said: "I sure hope so.

"I hope they move the schedule so that somebody could do it. That's my goal. If I never ran in the Indy 500 again or an IndyCar Series race I would probably say I would be disappointed about that."

Hornish's departure to NASCAR, where he will remain with the Penske team with whom he has raced in his last two IndyCar campaigns, will affect the popularity of the series, as the Ohio driver was one of the biggest draws for fans.

This makes the winter a worrying time for series organisers, who have seen dwindling audiences at tracks and a lack of interest from sponsors and manufacturers over the past few seasons while NASCAR has gone from strength to strength.

But Hornish is certain that the championship will continue to remain at a high level.

"It will go on. It doesn't have any choice other than to," he added.

"It's the same way as if something would have happened to me at some point in time, if I got hurt it would have gone on without me then, the same as me going on and doing something else."

Hornish has already made his NASCAR debut, with two outings in the Nextel Cup and 11 in the secondary level Busch Series.

Jamie O'Leary / Eurosport