IRL: Power tops first Edmonton practice

Will Power posted the fastest single lap of practice for the Rexall Edmonton Indy race in Canada, according to a tweet from @IndyCarPR.

Our View The remainder of the top five were Raphael Matos, Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and the Canadian favorite Paul Tracy.

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IRL: Several tests on tap

Most of the Indy Racing League drivers tested at a variety of locations this week in preparation for the upcoming season. According to OpenWheelWorld.net, they were:

Watkins Glen International: Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Mario Moraes, Mike Conway, Milka Duno, Justin Wilson and Richard Antinucci.

Richmond International Raceway: Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Dan Wheldon, Raphael Matos and E J Viso.

Chicagoland Speedway: Ed Carpenter (in a Firestone tire test).

Iowa Speedway: Dario Franchitti

Our View: Practice makes perfect, so put a tickle file in your computers for the appropriate week and then watch these drivers closely in open practice sessions when that race rolls around.

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IRL: Fastest rookie Matos gains confidence

Raphael Matos has gained confidence with his qualification run that places him 12th on the grid for his first career Indy 500, according to IndyCar.com.

"It was a big accomplishment for team and for myself," said Matos about setting the fastest time among rookies. "Being the fastest rookie means a lot to me and being the quickest of the second day means a lot to me as well. It gave me a lot of confidence, which allowed me to work on race setup. The car ran flawless all month and we're proud to be here today.

Our View: The Indy 500 starts 33 cars, which is the IRL's biggest field of the year, but that is still relatively small and allows for some great dark horses. Matos could be one of these.

IRL: 11 more in the Indy 500 field

The second day of qualification is in the books at Indy and two-thirds of the field is now set.

Raphael Matos posted the fastest time of the day and rounds out row four.

Row five will be made up of Paul Tracy, Vitor Meira and Justin Wilson.

Row six will be made up of Hideki Mutoh, Ed Carpenter and Dan Wheldon.

Row seven will be made up of A.J. Foyt IV, Scott Sharp and Sarah Fisher.

And finally, Davey Hamilton qualified 22nd to take the final spot on the roster.

Our View: The pressure is off these drivers, but the remaining hopefuls have to sweat all week until next Saturday's session.

IRL: Four rookies complete orientation

Four rookie contenders, Robert Doornbos, Raphael Matos, Alex Tagliani and Mike Conway, completed all four stages of the Rookie Orientation Program for the Indy 500 and are ready to begin practicing and attempt to qualify for the biggest race of their careers, according to IndyCar.com. Nelson Philippe completed three of four phases and Stanton Barrett got through two before the track closed; they will have from 9 am to 2 pm on May 6 to complete the remainder.

Our View: Rookie orientation is designed to insure that these drivers can manage their car in increasingly difficult conditions. They go progressively faster and maintain more tightly controlled lines in order to test their abilities before they find themselves in heavy traffic at 220 mph.

IRL: Matos tries to be perfect

Raphael Matos will try to keep Luczo Dragon's perfect record intact of qualifying on pole day for the Indy 500 intact, according to a press release from the team. Ryan Briscoe qualified seventh for them in 2007 and Tomas Scheckter took the 11th and final slot in 2008.

Our View: Briscoe could manage only a 23rd-place finish in his start, however, and Scheckter was 24th, so Matos might not be your best option regardless of how he qualifies.