Scheckter sets practice pace

Scheckter's lap of 216.894mph in his Panther Dallara-Chevrolet during the second session topped Alex Barron's 216.596mph in his Red Bull Cheever Racing Chevy-Dallara. Scott Dixon, Scheckter's team-mate last season and the 2003 IRL champion, had the third-fastest lap of the day, 216.460 mph for Ganassi Racing.

But it was Scheckter, who led 491 laps with Ganassi last season but didn't win a race, who stole the attention Friday on Homestead's reconfigured 1.5-mile oval.

"The track has changed since last year, but I'm just concentrating on this deal now," Scheckter said of his new team. "Obviously it's going well. So far so good. I still have a lot to learn with them, but we're pleased with the way things are going."



Barron credited his renewed sense of stability with Friday's burst of speed. After serving as a replacement for three injured drivers last season, Barron starts the season with the same team he raced with the previous season. The last time that happened for Barron was 1999, when he returned to Dan Gurney's CART team.

"It's still a fairly new team, but things are coming together rather quickly," Barron said.

Other top laps Friday were turned by Dan Wheldon, the fastest Honda at 216.336 mph; Ed Carpenter, Barron's rookie team-mate; Mark Taylor, Scheckter's rookie team-mate; and Bryan Herta.