LONG POND, Pa. – While fans, sponsors and team owners wait for Danica Patrick to weigh her options - remain in IndyCar or test the waters with NASCAR - Sam Hornish Jr. is resolute in his career choice.

That's why Hornish, despite struggling to find traction in his second full Sprint Cup Series campaign, will be at Pocono Raceway today preparing the No. 77 Dodge for Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500.

"I'm waiting for the 'When are you going back to IndyCar?' questions to end," Hornish said with a sigh. "I do know that the better we do over here, the less of those questions that I get. I came to [NASCAR] to finish out my career being a stock car driver."

As speculation over Patrick's future has dominated the headlines in recent months, it has been easy to overlook that her career numbers in open-wheel racing pale in comparison to Hornish's. He is the only three-time champion in Indy Racing League history as well as winner of the 2006 Indianapolis 500.

"I was able to achieve more than I ever thought or dreamed in IndyCar, and I left there with a feeling like I never have to go back," Hornish said. "I had the opportunity to come over and run with a team that I knew would support me even if things didn't go as well as we wanted the first year. I knew that it was going to be difficult, but that's why I wanted to do it."

Hornish, who turned 30 earlier this month, jumped at the chance at winning a NASCAR title for owner Roger Penske. But Hornish led just two laps in his rookie season en route to finishing 35th in the standings, prompting Penske Racing to install former driver Travis Geisler, a year younger than Hornish, as crew chief last August.

The two hit it off almost immediately, and Geisler believes the pairing has the team headed in the right direction, especially on "flat" tracks such as Phoenix International Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Pocono. Hornish placed 10th or better at each of those minimally banked venues, posted a career-best sixth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway, and won a 40-lap showdown to earn a spot in the Sprint all-star event at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"We had a strong run [at Pocono] and were poised for our first top-five finish before it rained," Hornish said.

Since finishing 10th here in June, Hornish has finished 29th or worse in five of six races and has plummeted to 29th in the standings, eliminating him from title contention.

Despite going winless in his first 56 starts, Hornish is determined not to let his stock car racing career veer off course the way it has for other open-wheel stars such as Dario Franchitti, Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier.

"There is a lot for me to learn," Hornish said. "We just have had a lot of bad luck. It seems like if we could be at the wrong place at the wrong time, we've been there this year."

For inspiration, Hornish can look to fellow IRL and Indy 500 champ Juan Pablo Montoya, who has collected a career-high nine top-10 finishes this season, including an eighth-place effort at Pocono in June, to climb to 10th in the run to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Montoya, whose lone win in 93 starts came on a road course, has an average finish of 24.4 in five races at Pocono and knows the 2.5-mile triangular track poses a challenge to continuing his title hunt.

"It's very bumpy, it's really hard on tires, and it has very different race lines than anywhere else we go," he said. "It's kind of exciting and interesting."

Pennsylvania 500

The Track: Pocono Raceway is on Route 115 in Long Pond, Pa. Take the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476) to Exit 95. Take I-80 east toward Hazleton/Mount Pocono to Exit 284, head south on Route 115 for 3 miles.

Today's on-track events: ARCA Re/Max Series practice, 10:15 a.m.; Sprint Cup Series practice, noon; Sprint Cup Series qualifying, 3:40 p.m.

Television: Sprint Cup Series practice (SPEED, noon); NASCAR Live (SPEED, 1:30 p.m.); Sprint Cup Series qualifying (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.); NASCAR Now (ESPN2, 7 p.m.); Trackside at Pocono (SPEED, 7 p.m.).

Tickets: Call 1-800-722-3929 or check the track's Web site at www.poconoraceway.com. - Pete Schnatz