CART refugees set pace at Homestead

Nunn's driver Felipe Giaffone set the pace with a 27.87s lap. Reigning CART title holder Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves closely followed him in Team Penske's recently confirmed two-car entry to the series, which carried full Marlboro signage for the first time.

"We had a very good day today," said de Ferran. "Because we haven't had the opportunity to run this car on any of these tracks, the more experience we can get, the better off we'll be in the long run. It almost feels like my first year in America because everything is so new to me."

Castroneves added: "We spent today just trying to learn how the cars handle at the track. We made some good progress today, but we still have work to do. Hopefully we can accomplish all of our objectives."

Indy Racing League regular Buzz Calkins set the fourth best time in the Bradley Motorsports entry with a 28.5s lap, ahead of '98 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever.