Indy 500 practice - day 3

"The cars were very nice to drive last year," Gordon said. "They're even nicer to drive this year. I'm fortunate that Tom (Knapp, Team Menard team manager) is on his game. He's working on the 500 all season long while working on all the other races."

Gordon recorded a fast lap of 223.120 mph around the 2.5-mile oval. He will be hoping to erase the memories of the '99 event, where he looked odds-on for victory in the closing stages, until he ran out of fuel and dropped to fourth.

For the second day running, CART veteran Al Unser Jr was second quickest. The ex-Penske star lapped at 221.861, in the Galles Racing G-Force-Oldsmobile.

CART stars Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser shook down their race and backup cars.

Greg Ray, Gordon's team mate, was third, while Eddie Cheever, who was fastest Sunday, was fourth at 221.506, and Scott Harrington was fifth at 221.397.

Pole Day qualifying takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 20. The final day of qualifications, MBNA Bump Day, is from noon-6 p.m. May 21.