Drivers come out flying

The first day of practice saw cars battling like the title was at stake.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- It was only the first day of practice for the 2005 Indy Racing League season and already the competitors were wheel-to-wheel on the track.
Buddy Rice, last year's Indianapolis 500 winner and one of the favorites for the IndyCar Series championship this season, led the way Friday on the 1 1/2-mile oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a fast lap of 213.514 mph.
More impressive, though, was the way the competitors were running in the second session of the opening day of the Toyota Indy 300 weekend. They darted around the banked track like a swarm of bees, passing and being passed as if the championship depended upon the result.
"I think what you're seeing is some drivers moved around with their sponsorship and some of the big teams have added cars," Rice said. "We have 22 cars here, and I think the moves have compacted the field even more and made it even more competitive.
"With the rules package being the way they are and the way the engines are so close, I think you'll see qualifying [today] with the whole field separated by three or four tenths [of a second]. It will be that way all year. You can't afford to make any mistakes."
Close as can be
Friday's practice reflected Rice's words, with three-tenths of a second separating Rice's Honda-powered Panoz from the 13th-place Dallara-Toyota of IRL champion Tony Kanaan.
Bryan Herta was close behind Rice at 213.148 in a Honda-powered Dallara, followed by Tomas Scheckter's 213.025 in a Chevrolet-powered Dallara. The top Toyota driver was former series champion Scott Dixon, sixth at 212.194.
Rice began last season as a little-known fill-in for injured Kenny Brack, a former series champion and Indy winner. But he won the pole here and quickly established himself as a key part of Team Rahal.
Now, coming back as the team's No. 1 driver, Rice's goal is a championship.
"I have just as good a chance as anybody," he said. "You saw what our car did last year and our car is just as strong as anybody's. As close as everybody is in this series, I think there's eight to 10 guys who can win the championship.
"What it comes down to is who makes the fewest mistakes. Last year, Kanaan didn't make any and he won the championship."
Rice, third in 2004 points, was alluding to Kanaan finishing every lap of every race last year on the way to the title.
Last year, Honda-powered cars dominated the series. Except for victories by Team Penske drivers Sam Hornish Jr., here, and Helio Castroneves in the season-finale at Texas -- both in Toyota-powered cars -- Hondas won every race. Chevrolets were also-rans.
Everyone is expecting Toyota to be more competitive this season, but Chevrolet, which is being used only by Scheckter and Panther Racing teammate Tomas Enge, is a big question mark.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.