Lazzaro impresses in Homestead test.

The merger between Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Treadway-Hubbard Racing appears to be paying dividends before the 2002 Indy Racing League season begins with newly appointed driver Anthony Lazzaro turning some highly impressive laps in his first off-season test with the team at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

If their initial test is any indication, it looks like the pairing of team owners Sam Schmidt and Fred Treadway and driver Anthony Lazzaro will be a fast and productive one in the 2002 Indy Racing League season.

Lazzaro completed 180 miles of testing last Thursday and Friday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in his first test since being hired as the full-time driver for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. His quickest time on day one around the 1.5-mile oval was 27.83 seconds, but he sliced that top time to the 27.20-second range (198.4mph average) during Friday's test session aboard the No. 99 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Racing Special Dallara-Chevrolet.

That time would have put Lazzaro in the fourth row of the starting line-up last April in the Indy Racing League event at Homestead-Miami. Davey Hamilton, driver of the No.99 Dallara, which was at the time competing in only its second event, qualified 13th with a best speed of 196.1mph.

Not only was it Schmidt's first test with Lazzaro, who ran with Schmidt at Gateway and Texas last year, it also was the first test for the team since Treadway Racing took over the team's technical operations.

"The objective yesterday was to get Anthony comfortable with the car and start the communication process between Anthony and (team engineer) Tim (Neff) and the Treadway mechanics," Schmidt said on Friday. "Everything went smooth with no mechanical difficulties whatsoever. We were happy we were able to run that speed with a full-tank load.

"Our objective wasn't to reach top speed. It was to have a nice, comfortable car."