ESPN IndyCar

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- If Homestead-Miami Speedway president Curtis Gray gets his wish, future races at the track will be run at night, beginning with a trio of NASCAR races in November.

To do it, the track will have to install lights and work out the details with local officials and the TV networks that broadcast the races.

"It's something we're seriously looking at,'' Gray said Sunday during the IndyCar Series season-opening Toyota Indy 300. "Our fans have asked for it.''

Gray said he thought about the lights last year when the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship came down to the season-finale at Homestead.

"Everything went fine last year but to have a race end early because of darkness in that situation, it's a risky proposition from our standpoint,'' he said. "And the networks like to have later starts.

"We're talking to the sanctioning bodies and networks to get their input.''

The NASCAR season will end here the third week of November with a Craftsman Truck Series race, a Busch Series event and the Cup finale.

Gray also said there is no truth to the rumor that NASCAR is considering moving the July race at Daytona International Speedway to the end of the season instead of finishing at Homestead.

"We feel like we have the perfect track in the perfect market to end the season,'' he said. "It's a great market for the sponsors and the teams and fans from all over the country like coming down here the third week of November.''

Chevy's bad luck
Neither of the two Chevrolet-powered Panther Racing cars in Sunday's 22-car IndyCar field was around at the end of the 300-mile event.

Tomas Enge started third but fell out of contention early with a gearbox problem that put him out of the race after 41 laps.

Panther Racing teammate Tomas Scheckter, who started from the pole, appeared on the way to a much batter fate, leading 13 laps and remaining in contention until he got caught up in an eight-car crash on the 159th of 200 laps.

Kosuke Matsuura, trying to pass Scheckter on the outside during a restart following the last of seven caution periods in the race, slid sideways, hit Scheckter and ignited the scary accident.

"The 55 came outside of me on the restart and lost it,'' Scheckter said, referring to Matsuuras car. "It's really unnecessary. Peoples lives are at stake, and this guy takes out half the field.''

"We had a perfect weekend until then,'' Scheckter declared. "Everybody at Chevrolet has worked hard, and I was taking it easy in the race. We were just getting ready to crank up the fuel mixture and make a run for the win.''

Matsuura at first said he thought Scheckter hit him but, after watching a TV replay, the Japanese driver was apologetic.

"I was driving on the outside and got up into the tire marbles and dust,'' he said. "I spun and hit Scheckter. I am very sorry for the other drivers that crashed. It was a tough day.''

GM Racing, which plans to withdraw its Chevrolet engines from the IRL after the 2005 season, is working only with the two-car Panther team this year. After such a promising start to the weekend, IRL program manager Joe Negri was disappointed.

"It's clear that Chevrolet was competitive, but the outcome confirmed what we already knew,'' Negri said. "When you have two cars in the field, any incident or misfortune can take you out of the race. Accidents happen, gearboxes fail, and that's all part of racing.

"We're leaving this race disappointed with the final result, but we're very encouraged by the outstanding performance of the Chevy Indy V-8 and the entire Panther Racing team this weekend.''

Good start
Team co-owner Michael Andretti was smiling happily Sunday after Andretti Green Racing drivers Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan finished first and third in the season-opener.

The same two drivers battled for the 2004 IndyCar Series championship, with Kanaan holding off the Englishman for the title.

He was particularly pleased by Wheldon's fourth IndyCar victory.

"We just had a great race,'' Andretti said. "Pit stops were perfect, the car was perfect. It's just a great way to start off the season.

"A lot of people questioned how we were going to start off the season, if we were going to sit on our laurels,'' the former driving star added. "It's a long season and a lot can happen, but it's a real good way to start.''

Not so for the other two AGR drivers.

Dario Franchitti was the first driver out of the race, finishing only 12 laps before his Honda engine went up in smoke. Bryan Herta was in contention throughout the race until getting caught up in the big crash on lap 159. He wound up 14th.

Miscellaneous
The crowd for the IndyCar opener on a warm, sunny day was estimated at 30,000. ... Wheldon, who won $100,400 for the victory, averaged 142.033 mph. ... The top finishing rookie Sunday was Paul Dana, who was 10th, eight laps behind the winner.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press