IndyCar tests on repaved Texas surface

Seven Verizon IndyCar Series teams and 14 drivers took part in the first test at Texas Motor Speedway since the 1.5-mile oval was repaved and its first two turns were reduced from 24 to 20 degrees of banking.

All full-season entrants, barring Dale Coyne Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, spent Wednesday learning the nuances of the new racing surface as well as helping the series to gather data on how various level of downforce worked in race-like scenarios. The new Harding Group team, which will make its debut at the Indy 500 with Gabby Chaves behind the wheel, also took part in the brisk test.

Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon posted the fastest laps in both sessions while using Charlie Kimball's No. 83 CGR Honda, setting a 219.362mph lap in the morning and a 220.432mph tour in the afternoon.

"The ambient conditions really affect a winged car quite a bit," Dixon said. "It's probably 20 degrees cooler than what it's going to be when we run later down the road (in June). [We're] trying to take a lot of information in and try and make the best judgements and have something that works for everyone."

In the morning, where teams concentrated on individual run, Team Penske's Will Power ran second behind Dixon.

"The track changed a lot," said Power, whose lap of 215.781mph in the No. 12 Chevy was well shy of Dixon's best. "There's a lot of grip once rubber goes down. There's no tire degradation so it really looks after the tires a lot."

Fellow Honda driver Graham Rahal shadowed Dixon in the afternoon session dedicated to group running with the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry.

"So far, so good," he said after producing a 219.172mph lap. "The bottom lane seems to have a pretty good level of grip. When we get up off the bottom lane, it is a little slippery right now. With the (NASCAR) Cup rubber and everything else, it is going to take some time for that to come in. I know we will put on a good show when we come back in two months."

2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud was encouraged by the changes in Turn 1 and 2.

"It's a different layout for sure," the Team Penske driver said. "The radius in Turn 1 changed quite a bit. The exit of Turn 2 is so different it definitely helps, I believe, side-by-side racing. It's just about us understanding how to make the tires work with the race track the best way possible."

The Rainguard Water Sealers 600 takes place on Saturday, June 10.