DANVILLE, Ind. -- At least three Hendricks County fuel stations set their prices for regular unleaded gasoline at more than $4 a gallon Friday afternoon before dropping them later in the day.

A Speedway gas station along U.S. 36 in Danville set its price at $4.099 a gallon at about 12:30 p.m. At least one other gas station in Danville followed suit, as did a Marathon station along U.S. 36 in Avon.

Motorists called and e-mailed 6News about the prices late Friday morning, and a 6News crew went to the area and confirmed the prices.

Later in the afternoon, the Speedway station lowered its price to $3.439 a gallon, which is in line with prices at stations in other parts of central Indiana. The two other stations that had been selling at $4.099 also cut their prices.

The Avon Marathon station sold regular unleaded gas at $4.099 per gallon for nearly four hours. At 5 p.m., that station's price for regular unleaded gasoline was $3.369.

Kenny Stoker, the owner of Avon Marathon station, said he set his price at $4.099 because the Danville Speedway did. He said he didn't know why the Speedway station had set that price.

"I'm one store. Speedway is the one that you ought to talk to," Stoker said.

No other station that offered $4.099 prices would comment.

The afternoon price jumps came as oil hovered at near-record highs of about $110 a barrel.

A cashier at the Avon Marathon station said most customers didn't realize they were paying more than $4 per gallon until after they pumped the fuel into their vehicles.

"I sent a few people along ... saying, 'If you're looking for cheaper, just keep going,'" he said.

In recent months, Indiana's gas prices have gone from being below the national average to consistently being about 20 cents above the national average.

On Thursday, California was the most expensive state in which to buy gas, with an average price of $3.61 a gallon, while the national average was $3.27 a gallon, according to AAA.