IRL qualifying rained off

Practice for the opening round of the Indy Racing League, the Delphi Indy 200 at Walt DisneyWorld Speedway in Orlando, Florida, lasted merely 20 minutes before the session was interrupted when the first spots of rain began to fall.

At a little after 2.30 p.m. local time, the official announcement was made: Qualifying has been cancelled. The grid for tomorrow's race instead will be determined according to car owner points in last year's IRL campaign.

Thus, defending champion Greg Ray will start from the pole in Team Menard's Dallara. Former motocross star Jeff Ward, making his first start at the wheel of A.J. Foyt's G Force, will line up alongside on the front row.

Row two will comprise Mark Dismore, who scored his maiden victory in the final race of the 1999 season, and Robby McGehee, who has switched from Conti Racing to Fred Treadway's team for the new season.

Former Indianapolis 500 champions Buddy Lazier (Hemelgarn Racing) and Eddie Cheever will form an all Riley & Scott third row, with the latter's Team Cheever entry the lone Infiniti-powered representative among the Aurora-dominated 26-car field.

Stephane Gregoire, who set the fastest time in practice with Dick Simon Racing's G Force will have to start 13th,while IRL debutant Al Unser Jr. is way back on the penultimate row, 24th, in Galles ECR Racing's G Force.

The forecast for race day is for a 30 percent chance of showers. As things stand, the IRL has rescheduled its final warm-up practice for 9.00 a.m., with the race still due to begin at 12.00 noon.

Starting line-up for the Delphi Indy 200: