As omens go, the start of the SunTrust Indy Challenge seemed to have a very bad one. Jacques Lazier ran into the wall before completing the first lap, bringing out a caution flag. During his interview soon after that—a guy who doesn’t finish a lap gets interviewed?—Lazier managed to say how sorry he was to let down the Novicomm LED Lighting Technology team.

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—Dario Franchitti was walking from his car to the team’s transporter Tuesday night when a trio of crewman from a rival team strode past. “Welcome back, Dario,“ they shouted. Franchitti smiled and returned the greeting. It’s good to be back home. The Scot has returned to open-wheel racing after taking a shot at NASCAR following the 2007 season, when he won the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series championship.