Qualifying summary - Firestone Indy 400.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon swept the front row during MBNA Pole Qualifying for the Firestone Indy 400 on Saturday at the ultra-quick Michigan International Speedway.

Proving that the team's Toyota powerplants still had the edge over the competition despite the debut of Chevrolet's new Gen IV. Engine this weekend; Scheckter won the MBNA Pole with a blistering lap of 32.3657 seconds, 222.458 mph.

The pole was Scheckter's fifth career top starting spot and his second of the season. The young South African charger also won the MBNA Pole in June at Texas and his 0.0047secs margin over Dixon was the fifth closest in IRL series history.

Dixon will start on the front row for the sixth time this season. He won the pole for the last three events and this will be his fourth consecutive front-row start.

Both Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers will start on the front row for the third time this season. Scheckter won the pole at Texas, and Dixon started second, while at Kansas, Dixon won the pole and Scheckter started second.

Scheckter won the fourth consecutive pole for TCGR this season. Dixon won the MBNA Pole for the last three races (Richmond, Kansas, Nashville). Chip Ganassi's team have won six MBNA Poles this season in just ten races.

Scheckter will attempt to become only the third driver in the history of MIS to win two consecutive Indy-style events. Scheckter won the 2002 IRL IndyCar Series event at MIS. In 1979, Bobby Unser won the second race in the Norton Twin 126 event and came back later that year to win the Gould Grand Prix 150. In 1984, Mario Andretti won both the Michigan 500 and the Detroit News Grand Prix 200.

Scheckter and Dixon sweeping the front row marks the third consecutive year that teammates have started 1-2 at MIS in open-wheel events. Scheckter and Buddy Rice started 1-2 in 2002 driving for Red Bull Cheever Racing. In 2001, Team Rahal teammates Kenny Brack and Max Papis started 1-2 in the CART race at MIS.

Sam Hornish Jr gave the Chevy Gen IV. a successful debut as he qualified fourth alongside Helio Castroneves on the second row of the grid, only the third time this year the defending Champion has qualified inside the top five.

Al Unser Jr. qualified fifth, his best qualifying effort since he qualified second in September 2002 at Texas.