BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) – Sam Hornish Jr. didn’t need much help the past two years from the Indy Racing League.

He does now.

The two-time defending IRL champion, who won a record five races in 2002, has not won this year and neither has any other driver using a Chevrolet engine.

The IRL stepped in last week in an attempt to help the competitive balance between drivers with Chevy engines and those with Toyota and Honda engines, which have been used for the first time in the series this season.

Hornish has been cleared to put the Gen IV Chevy Indy V-8 in his car during practice, qualifying and racing this weekend for the Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

“I look to lap the field, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” said Hornish, whose best finish this year was fourth at Richmond. “I’m looking for a really realistic top three, and hopefully a win.”

The next Chevy driver in the points standings will be able to race with the new engine Aug. 10 at St. Louis before all teams are able to use the new engine Aug. 17 at Kentucky.

Hornish started 20th Saturday night at Nashville, but still managed to finish 11th. He ranks eighth in the points standings.

“If the new engine is better, I’m sure Sam is going to be even more competitive,” said Gil de Ferran, whose Toyota-powered car led him to a victory last week.

Hornish is looking forward to using the new Chevy engine, but said he learned from the one he had during the first nine races this year.

“I think it probably made me a little bit better of a driver,” he said. “It made me more patient because you can’t afford to make mistakes.”

Hornish would like nothing better than to turn around his season in Sunday’s race because the two-mile oval at MIS is just 70 miles north of Defiance, Ohio, his hometown.

“I really consider Michigan International Speedway to be my home track,” he said.

MIS will host an IRL race for the second straight year after CART and the track did not renew their contract after 33 races in 2001, citing dwindling attendance and increasing sanctioning fees.

While 150,000 fans filled the stands and infield during June’s NASCAR race at MIS – and are expected to again in August – an estimated crowd of 30,000 was scattered in the 136,000-seat facility for its first IRL race last summer.

AP-ES-07-24-03 1603EDT