Speed-fest continues in second practice

The 34-year old Swede negotiated the 1.5-mile Texas oval in just 22.821 seconds. Tony Kanaan maintained his strong form from the morning session by claiming second overall on 232.856 mph, while Paul Tracy and PacWest rookie Scott Dixon also eclipsed 232 mph.

"We're all pretty comparable," Brack stated. "Obviosuly it's better to be first than 25th, but everyone is so close that it's easy to go between the two extremes. We tried to do some long runs in the afternoon, but the car unfortunately broke down.

"I think the pole will be in the 230, 233 range," Brack added. "I'm pleasantly surprised, because I thought there would be a lot more turbulence with the Champ Cars compared to the IRL cars. I ran behind some guys and it felt OK, so I think the race will be a lot like Michigan and Fontana, with plenty of overtaking and side-by-side racing."

Kanaan was pleased to run second after concentrating on full tank runs in the afternoon. "We missed about an hour and 15 minutes of practice today with some minor problems, but fortunately the guys gave me a fast car out of the box," Kanaan said. "I haven't done any oval tests this year, but this wasn't a hard track to get around. It's nice to be up front, but I know from experience that it doesnt matter where you start. It's where you finish.

"The banking makes it feel like the car has more support or downforce than you would expect," the Brazilian added. "By yourself, it feels more comfortable than Michigan or Fontana. There is a lot less buffeting than we experience at those tracks, event though the speeds are very similar."

Tracy lost much of the morning session to what he called "engine management dramas," but the Canadian rebounded strongly in the afternoon. "I think it went pretty well," he said. "We're happy with the way the car is running. It's just a matter now of getting the car balanced in traffic through race simulations."

Bryan Herta was fifth fastest, with the top 10 rounded out by Max Papis, Dario Franchitti, Michael Andretti, Gil de Ferran and Cristiano da Matta. Alex Zanardi's troubled return to Champ Cars continued with a 23rd place result, while Mauricio Gugelmin was the first Champ Car pilot to meet the Texas walls. The Brazilian crashed his Toyota/Reynard with just two minutes remaining in the afternoon session but escaped injury.