INDY OPENS.(Competition)

The first weekend of Indianapolis 500 practice went off without a hitch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as 10 of the 13 newcomers passed through the four-phase rookie-orientation program with no issues. Will Power led the way with a lap of 220.694 mph, with E.J. Viso second at 220.445 and Oriol Servia third at 220.102. There were no accidents as the drivers on the track racked up a total of 661 laps.

Alex Lloyd was among those who passed his test, but his behind-the-scenes news drew the most attention. He now has two-time Indy winner Arie Luyendyk as a driving coach and Andy Brown, the engineer behind Sam Hornish Jr.'s two IndyCar Series championships, setting up his car.

Practice continues, with May 10 as the first day of qualifying for the May 25 race.

WILKERSON TAKES NHRA LEAD

Independent runner Tim Wilkerson won his second Funny Car race of the last three events, at Gateway International Raceway, to take the points lead for the first time in his 12-year career. In his Chevrolet Impala, Wilkerson ran 4.874 seconds at 317.27 mph to beat rookie Mike Neff's 4.886 seconds at 321.58 mph in a Ford Mustang.

Top Fuel winner "Hot'' Rod Fuller and Pro Stock victor Kurt Johnson scored their first wins of the year. Fuller outran points leader and reigning champ Tony Schumacher, 4.525 seconds to 4.583 seconds; Johnson powered away from Dave Connolly, 6.631 to 6.651.

"The emotions are out of control,'' said Wilkerson, now 24 points ahead of Ashley Force. "We're pretty proud of this accomplishment. I'm surprised to be in the points lead at this time of the year. It's something that's never happened before, so it's special.''