BALTIMORE -- Constructing a chicane on the Pratt Street main straightaway was the most prudent and effective solution to alleviate the effects on the IZOD IndyCar Series car from a bump in a section of the pavement abutting the light rail tracks during the initial practice session Aug. 31 for the Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT.

Asphalt for a two-curb chicane was to be installed overnight for practice and the three rounds of qualifications (12:05 p.m. ET) Sept. 1 and the Sept. 2 race as grinding of the section that bisects Pratt Street early in the afternoon didn't yield the desired results. A tire barrier to simulate a chicane was erected for the late afternoon practice.

Groups for the first round of qualifying will be determined from the morning (9-10 ET) practice session.

Click it: Practice 2 results | Post-practice news conference audio

Removal of the chicane to slow cars about 100 feet before the rail tracks, widening of the right-hand Turn 1 and reshaping Turns 5-6 (also the pit entrance) were alterations to the circuit based on driver feedback from the inaugural race in 2011. Construction started July 30 under the direction of NZR Consulting, and the company and its local workforce didn't take control of the full 2.04-mile, 13-turn course until late Aug. 30.

"After last year it was unanimous among us drivers that we could take the chicane out to create another passing zone going into Turn 1," said Tony Kanaan, a driver representative to the sanctioning body. "Those railroad tracks sit on rubber so they're not the same as a year ago. I think it was a great response between us drivers, INDYCAR, (NZR Consulting president) Tony Cotman and the city to be able to change it quickly.

"We worked hard with Tony the past three months to change the track and one of the things we asked for was to change Turn 6 as well. They made the change and we still don't think it's right so we're going to work on that corner again. It's the challenges we face on temporary street courses, and it was the best solution to both problems to put on a good show."

The compromise isn't totally new to most of the drivers (llast year's chicane had three curbs).

"It's bumpy like we expected. It's a track we'll just have to deal with this weekend," said Ryan Briscoe, who won the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 26.

A 30-minute session completed the first day with defending race winner and IZOD IndyCar Series championship points leader Will Power pacing the 25 entries with a lap of 1 minute, 21.4572 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car.

"It's the same for everyone and it's another street course that we have to learn to be quick at," said Power, who enters the penultimate race of the season with a 36-point lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport. 

Simon Pagenaud, who clinched the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award at Sonoma, was second quick (1:21.4883) in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car.

Click it: Watch highlights of the first practice session

Said Pagenaud of the morning session: "The first lap I thought the tires were a little bit cold, but second lap I was pretty sure there was a problem there. It is unfortunate. But, then again, it is a street circuit. Those things happen pretty much anywhere."

Scott Dixon, driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, was third (1:21.7211) and Rubens Barrichello (1:21.9194) in the No. 8 BMC/Embrase KV Racing Technology car. James Hinchcliffe was fifth in the No. 27 Team GoDaddy.com car for Andretti Autosport.

"Obviously, 95 percent of the track is going to be the same tomorrow as it was today. It's just the chicane might have a little different profile, but at least we had a chicane to work with at the end of the day today," Hinchcliffe noted.

Nineteen of the 25 entrants completed at least three laps in the truncated morning session, with Marco Andretti topping the time sheet with a best lap of 1 minute, 21.0211 seconds in the No. 26 Team Dr Pepper Ten car.