Chevrolet-powered teams occupied the top eight spots in qualifying, including a clean sweep of the Fast Six led by pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Team Penske entry.
The final practice on Friday’s Carb Day, though, saw Dixon lead a contingent of seven Honda-powered machines in the top 10 after he rattled off a flying lap of 227.206mph.
Although Dixon, a six-time IndyCar Series champion and 2008 winner of the Indy 500, believes the two manufacturers are closer in race running but also didn’t appear overly concerned with the speed element.
“Yeah, it's kind of hard to tell in race trim, to be honest,” said Dixon, who starts 21st.
“I'd say it seems more level, but they still seem to pull off and come back from fairly far back. It will be interesting to see how it is in the race. Obviously, I'm sure nobody was stressing the engine too much in that session, as well.
“Many a times the fastest car doesn't win, so you've just got to try and tick all the boxes, make sure you're covering everything, and see what the last sort of 20 or 40 laps give you and go from there. But I think we're in with a shot, and that's all you need.”
One piece of the puzzle that could play a factor is the likelihood of cooler track conditions. Throughout the week, including qualifying, the track temperature soared to a blistering 130F with the ambient hovering in the mid 80s.
With the threat of rain but at the very least overcast, conditions have the potential to be significantly cooler.
When asked by Motorsport.com during Friday’s post-practice media availability about what role that could play, both Dixon and McLaughlin provided some thoughts.
“The pack will just get tighter,” Dixon said.
McLaughlin followed up and stated: “Yeah, I agree. I think it will -- yeah, we'll get more grip, but everyone will get more grip, so I think we'll see the same gaps and stuff like that. It's a matter of being able to follow close enough when they make mistakes and capitalize.”
