All but lost in the three-car photo finish at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago was the impressive debut of a young man who figures to become a fixture in the Indy Racing League.

Ed Carpenter's finishing spot (13th) didn't come close to reflecting how strong he ran for much of the race, as he stormed from 16th to fifth before falling back in the pack following his pit stops.

Besides making stepfather and IRL founder Tony George proud, Carpenter also showed that his education in the front-engined cars of the United States Auto Club helped prepare him for constant speeds at close quarters while running over 200 mph.

"Racing midgets, sprints and Silver Crown cars in USAC, you drive as hard as you can from green flag to checkered flag," reasoned the 22-year-old, who will make his second start in Sunday's show at California Speedway.

"It's the same mentality in an Indy car but, obviously, the races are longer and the speeds are faster."

Despite his lack of experience, Carpenter cooly smoked off Team Penske (Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves) on consecutive laps and dusted former IRL champ Kenny Brack in his charge to the front.

"Going into the race my first goal was to be patient and finish the race but I'm a sprint-car guy and when the green flag waved I just took off," he said. "The car felt so good and I just started picking off cars.

"It was pretty cool to pass Helio and Gil but I didn't feel like I was over-driving."

	Could Ed Carpenter be the next Sam Hornish Jr.? Some believe he's in that class.

Car owner Paul Diatlovich, whose PDM team hadn't run since Indianapolis, certainly wasn't expecting to see this rookie ripping through the field.

"I was absolutely stunned, flabbergasted," admitted Diatlovich, who gave two-time IRL champ Sam Hornish Jr. his initial IRL ride in 2000. "I mean, I'd watched Ed run in sprints and midgets and I knew he had good stock but this kid is the real deal.

"He's very mature for a 22-year-old kid. He's switched on, he knows what he is doing and he doesn't get flustered. The only time he got excited on the radio was when A.J. Foyt IV nearly put him in the fence.

"And the best was when he came on the radio and said, 'I just passed Helio.' I told him to keep digging and keep passing."

Diatlovich said Carpenter's conservative approach to pit stops is the only area he looked like a rookie.

"He was very tentative on pit entry, almost cautious, and running 40 mph when he could have been going 60," continued Diatlovich. "But once he got back on the track he was sensational.

"Tim (Wardrop, veteran engineer) gave him a good car to drive and Ed did a damn good job of driving it."

With George's deep pockets, Carpenter has always driven top-line equipment and he may be the only IndyCar rookie with his own motorhome.

And he's likely to get some financial help from his dad and end up at Pennzoil Panther Racing. But he's not a rich kid playing race driver. He's won in the combative USAC ranks and he's got talent to go along with his connections.

"I told his mother (Laura) during the race: 'Can I be this lucky and have the second Sam Hornish Jr.?'" said Diatlovich. "I've been fortunate to work with Emerson Fittipaldi, Tom Sneva and Sam during my career.

"Ed just may be in their league."

Sam still swinging

	Hornish Jr.

He's won two of the last three races, finished second in the other and only trails leader Helio Castroneves by 41 points with two races remaining in the 2003 IRL season.

That object growing larger in everyone's mirrors is Sam Hornish Jr.

"We would have been better off if we had the Chevy we are using now, but you have to play the cards you are dealt," said Hornish, speaking of the Ford-Cosworth-badged Gen IV Chevrolet engine that debuted in late July. "We have used it in four races and have two wins and two seconds. If we finished the three races we didn't finish, we would be leading the point standings.

"Last year, we knew we had to finish races and put points on the board. Now, we know we can win races and take chances. It is going to be very exciting coming into the final races."

The two-time IRL champ must win Sunday at Fontana, Calif., and next month at Texas to even have a shot at retaining his title but nobody is counting him out. Castroneves leads Scott Dixon by 12 points, Tony Kanaan by 14 and Gil de Ferran by 17.

"We need a little help with other people having problems and I don't like to wish that on them, but ...," smiled Hornish. "Stranger things have happened."

Robin Miller covers open wheel racing for ESPN and ESPN.com.