On the eve of qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sam Hornish Jr. was fastest once again.
But defending champion Dan Wheldon still owns the quickest lap of May.
"He's walking around with a swagger, so you know he's feeling pretty good right now," Wheldon said of Hornish, who has led six of the seven days this month when the weather was good enough to run.
That included Friday, the first uninterrupted day of practice, when Hornish topped out at 227.925mph (366.731kph) and attempted a simulated four-lap qualifying run. On the other hand is Wheldon, who hit 228.663mph (367.918kph) in a single lap last Sunday, but hasn't been able to push his car that hard for four laps.
"I can't do that right now," Wheldon said, "so that's just what we're working toward."
The English driver will have no choice during Saturday's qualifying, which was pushed back from last week because of rain.
Indy officials are hoping a fair weather forecast allows them to fill the 33-car field in what's setting up as a duel between the consistently quick Hornish and the superlatively fast Wheldon.
"Have these guys showed us everything they've got?" Hornish asked, nodding toward Wheldon and his New Zealand teammate Scott Dixon, who briefly pushed Hornish to second place on Friday with a lap of 227.322mph (365.761kph).
"I guarantee," Hornish said, "they haven't."
Wheldon didn't deny that his team is working on picking up speed.
"But I'm sure Sam's got more," he said.
If they're right, it may take the fastest laps of the month to win the pole.
"It will depend on conditions," he said. "But we're looking at between 228 and 229 [367 and 368], for sure."
It is understood that the Marlboro Team Penske of Hornish and the Target Chip Ganassi team of Wheldon, which have dominated the first three IRL races this season, are the ones to beat. While Wheldon is looking to build on last year's victory, Hornish is determined to overcome the problems that have plagued him in his first six years competing at Indy.
"The way I think we look at this year is we have a great opportunity here," Hornish said. "The big thing is how do you not trip yourself up, not make any mistakes?"
He's made plenty, crashing out of three races. And Hornish has yet to complete more than 196 of the 200 laps in the 500-mile (800km) race, and has not finished better than 14th. But winning the pole in Saturday's rain-delayed start of qualifying for the May 28 race would be a great way to get started on the turnaround for the two-time IRL IndyCar Series champion.
Hornish, in his third year with Penske, which has won 12 poles and 13 races at Indy -- both records -- set the early pace on Friday on the 2.5-mile (4km) oval. The American had a simulated four-lap qualifying run in which each lap was above 227mph (365kph), topped by a 227.281mph (365.695kph).
That's when Dixon briefly bumped him. But Hornish quickly rose to the challenge and came back with three more quick laps, including one at 227.925mph (366.731kph), the day's fastest.
Among the other fast drivers were Wheldon, two-time race winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil, Hornish's teammate, and former series champion Tony Kanaan, part of the Andretti Green Racing team, and also from Brazil.
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