Qualifying: Cold temperatures stop play

Practice was initially rained out, and when the cars did get to run once the track had dried, they were limited to 175mph because of the cold. The conditions did not improve, so qualifying was called off. An two-hour open practice session will be run on Saturday morning.

That means champion-elect Sam Hornish Jr will start from pole for the Chevy 500, which was postponed from its original September 15 date after the terrorist attacks on the United States.

The 1.5-mile oval has been resurfaced since the last time the IRL raced at Texas on June 9. That means it is important for the drivers to get as much track time as possible to get used to the new surface.

Buddy Lazier, who will start second in the race, said the limited practice run so far has not been a waste of time. "Most of us got a feel for the new pavement," he said. "Obviously we would have liked to do more. It was not a total throwaway day."