Andretti Fastest On Indy's First Day Of Practice

Indianapolis, IN (AHN) - Wednesday's second day was washed out, but Marco Andretti was the fastest of 31 drivers on the first day of Indianapolis 500 practice.

Andretti, a runner-up in the 2006 race here, turned the historic 2.5-mile oval at 226.599 mph in the No. 26 Team ride and second-fastest was Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan, who wheeled a lap of 225.269 mph.

"The Indiana Jones car is on it so far, but unfortunately it's still early. But we'll take it. Obviously I had a very big tow, but I think you need the mechanical balance to be able to stay flat so you can get a (good) time,'' said Andretti. "I've been very pleased with the guys so far. It was a good start, but this place changes."

Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon was third-quickest and Penske Racing's Ryan Briscoe was fourth, just ahead of Dixon's teammate Dan Wheldon. Briscoe's teammate, two-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves was sixth-fastest.

"We were able to run both cars today, which is good for our first day of practice. We finished in the in the top six, so I'm happy with our results. All in all, we're putting the pieces together, and by the end of the week hopefully we'll be where we need to be,'' said Castroneves. "It's like a chess game out here, and today we started playing out our strategy and positioning our pieces. I'll tell you, it's great to be back here at Indy, and I'm hoping for a successful month." Twenty veterans and 11 rookies combined for the most drivers to practice on the first day since 1999, when 33 drivers completed laps. There will be two more days of practice before qualifying on Saturday.