Thursday practice: Buhl rules

"We have the right package, we just have to get it done," Buhl said.

Sam Hornish Jr was second at 199.832mph in a Dallara-Oldsmobile Aurora, followed by Billy Boat's 199.622mph in a Dallara-Aurora. Buddy Lazier was fourth at 199.391mph in a Dallara-Aurora, with Greg Ray's 199.337mph in a Dallara-Aurora good enough for fourth.

Jeff Ward was the eighth fastest driver in Thursday's two practice sessions. Ward ran a lap at 198.156 mph with the returning Heritage Motorsports team, but could be expected to move up before Friday night's practice session.

He won the pole at Homestead/Miami Speedway in April and said this was his best chance of getting a victory in the IRL with longtime chief mechanic Mitch Davis. Now that the racing season is in the heat of the summer, Ward is still searching for that elusive first IRL win.

"We're going to be together for a while," Ward said. "This isn't our last shot, but it was our best shot to win this year. We ran well at Indy and we were confident we could get a sponsor before Indy and we landed Aerosmith, but that fell apart because of a deal they have with Dodge sponsoring their tour. Hopefully, we can find a sponsor for next year."

The 1.33-mile oval at Nazareth is paved with concrete instead of asphalt, which means the track temperatures will be consistent throughout the race.

The race is a sellout at the 33,000-seat Tennessee facility, which includes temporary grandstands to supplement the 25,000 permanent seats.