Hornish, Wheldon look likes ones to beat

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 227.925 and attempted a simulated four-lap qualifying run. On the other hand is Wheldon, who hit 228.663 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.”

He’ll have no choice during today’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.

Thirty-one other cars posted speeds on the first day since practice began that rain didn’t cut short or wash out the on-track activity. Among the other fast drivers were Wheldon at 227.040, two-time race winner Helio Castroneves at 226.654, and former series champion Tony Kanaan at 226.104.

NASCAR Challenge

Kasey Kahne’s pit crew lost its title as NASCAR’s best, but rallied by putting the driver on the pole for the Nextel All-Star Challenge at Concord, N.C.

Kahne’s crew serviced his Dodge in 13 seconds to help put him in the top starting spot for tonight’s race. His crew was dethroned earlier this week in the Pit Crew Challenge, finishing second in the competition that spotlights NASCAR’s unsung heroes.

The qualifying format for the All-Star event is unlike any other race, in which the fastest lap wins the pole. In this race, the field is set by the combined speed of three laps and a pit stop.

Jimmie Johnson, winner of the 2003 All-Star race, qualified second and had the fastest pit stop at 12.2 seconds. Kurt Busch qualified third, followed by Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman.

NASCAR Trucks

Kyle Busch made it 2 for 2 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway by driving away to an easy victory in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Busch, who became the youngest winner in series history last year when he won the race at the age of 20, crossed the finish line an impressive 3.154 seconds ahead of runner-up Terry Cook.

“Drop the hammer wouldn’t be appropriate, because we did that all night,” said Busch, a four-time winner in 19 starts on the truck series.