Thousands of laps have been turned, 56 cars have been on the track and 35 drivers have taken to the wheel in preparation for the Greatest Spectacle of Racing, the Indianapolis 500.
On noon Sunday when Colin Powell, who drives the pace car, pulls onto pit lane and Reggie Miller, the honorary starter, waves the green flag, all that preparation comes to fruition as 33 drivers vie to get their faces placed on the Borg Warner trophy and to take a sip of milk.
This year, however, the competition is among the closest in history as several drivers are considered favorites to win.
"It's the most competitive race in the world, and I think it's probably going to be the most exciting race for a long, long time," Dan Wheldon, who has won three of the four IndyCar events this season and leads the series point standings, said. "That's what we're building for, but with the competition level, it's going to be a tough one."
Dan Wheldon, with teammates Tony Kanaan, who will start from the pole, and Dario Franchitti have regularly been on the top of the speed charts with Bryan Herta hanging around the bottom of the top 10 in speed.
"The car is really good," Herta said. "It doesn't seem to have the, it doesn't do the one lap. It just won't quite go the big one lap for some reason, but we're good in traffic, and I was able to run with my teammates and the Penske cars and some fast cars and felt very comfortable with that."
Roger Penske's two-car team of Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr., who start second and fifth, are also considered favorites for the 500, and the most likely Toyotas to win.
Danica Patrick and her Rahal Letterman teammates, Vitor Meira and Kenny Brack, have also lit up the track with fast lap times throughout the month.
Kanaan, Wheldon and Scott Sharp will comprise the front row of the race.
"The car was working well in traffic and seemed to be relatively quick as well, so things are good," Sharp said.
Row two features Patrick, Castroneves and Franchitti, while Meria, Kouske Matsuura and 1996 Indy 500 Champion Buddy Lazier make up Row Three. Lazier is the most experienced driver in the field with 12 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. Sharp is the only other driver with double-digit starts, with 10 of them.
But the speed charts and starting lineup aren't the only place to look for favorites, Richie Hearn argues.
"The fastest car usually doesn't win the Indy 500. It's the car that is the most consistent," he said.
Friday will be the final chance for drivers to take to the track, in a one-hour practice session on Carb Day.
"All in all, we're pretty happy and almost ready to go racing," Franchitti said.
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