New Zealand driver Scott Dixon has hit the ground running in his return to the race track.
The five-time IndyCar champ has qualified second for the season-opening race in Texas on Sunday (NZ time).
The event comes after a delay of almost three months in the US-based series starting because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier, Dixon topped the timesheets in the lone practice session for the race.
The 2008 Indy 500 winner bided his time but showed he had not lost any of his speed in fine conditions and high temperatures at Texas Motor Speedway.
Dixon clocked a top speed of nearly 350km/h on the second-last of the 60 laps he completed during the session.
"I probably left a little on the table, which is somewhat frustrating," he said after qualifying on the front row of the grid.
"But all three Chip Ganassi Racing cars are running well. Hopefully we can get the PNC Bank car back in Victory Lane here in Texas."
Reigning series champion Josef Newgarden claimed pole position for the race, with his Team Penske team-mate Simon Pagenaud qualifying third.
"It's great to be back doing what we love," Newgarden said.
"I love driving an Indy car and getting to work with these great people at Team Penske. We just have a blast trying to make these cars fast.
"I don't want to say I was surprised. It felt like the car was quick. I didn't know if we had enough to beat Dixon. He looked really good in his qual trim, but I thought the XPEL car was great. I just tried to do as much as I could to stay flat."
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