Homestead, Fla. ? This might be the first time in Michael Andretti’s career that second place made him happy.

Andretti’s debut Saturday as a car owner was wildly successful. Tony Kanaan gave the new Andretti-Green Racing team the pole and a front-row sweep for the opening event of the IRL season.

Kanaan knocked Andretti off the pole for today’s Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“In this team, we all want each other to do well,” Andretti said. “I was rooting for Tony like crazy to get a good lap.”

Andretti and two partners bought the former Team Green and moved it this year from CART to the IRL. He brought with him Kanaan and Dario Franchitti.

A hard crosswind in the turns, the sun beating down and temperatures near 90 made qualifying difficult on the 11¼2-mile oval. Former CART champion Andretti, the first driver to take a lap, went 203.014 mph.

His speed seemed like a good bet to hold up for the pole, especially after Sam Hornish Jr. made his run. The two-time defending IRL champion and winner of the last two Homestead races came up short at 202.982.

Andretti remained at the top of the board until Kanaan, eighth in line, drove his Honda-powered Dallara around the track at 203.560.

“Mike and me are working together to be as strong as we can be,” Kanaan said. “After he qualified, he talked to me and gave me time to adjust myself and find out more about the track.”

Andretti said he messed up his fast lap, pinching off the third and fourth turns.

“Up to that point, I was really fast,” he said. “Our cars are identical, and I passed on the information to Tony, and he made the adjustments on his car.

Michael Andretti, left, and Tony Kanaan pose for photos after the teammates took the top two qualifying spots for the Toyota Indy 300. Qualifying was Saturday for today's race in Homestead, Fla.

“I was really happy when he got that lap because I was really concerned that the Penskes could beat us.”

But Team Penske drivers Helio Castronves and Gil de Ferran, also former CART standouts who finished second and third to Hornish for last year’s IRL championship, weren’t able to challenge for the pole.

Castroneves was fourth at 202.419, and de Ferran fifth at 201.979. They drove Toyota-powered Dallaras.

Former series champion Scott Sharp, who crashed in practice, was next at 201.739 in a backup Toyota-Dallara.

Franchitti gave Andretti’s team the seventh spot at 201.393. Kenny Brack, the 1999 IRL champion returning to the series after three years in CART, was eighth at 200.986.

“If any of us win the race, I’ll be as happy as if I had won,” said Andretti, who plans to retire from driving to concentrate on being a team owner after the Indianapolis 500, the fourth race of the year.

Andretti is excited about this race.

“I’m hoping it will come down to the three of us fighting it out tomorrow,” he said. “Dario’s really been focusing on the race, and, at this point, we think he probably has the best race car.”

Toyota and Honda engines, both new to the series, consistently have been the fastest during the winter testing. Chevrolet, which dominated the IRL in 2002, has been well off the pace.

After Hornish’s Chevrolet-Dallara, the next-quickest Chevy-powered car was Sarah Fisher’s Dallara, 13th at 198.338.

Andretti said he expected Hornish to be competitive over 300 miles today regardless of his engine package.

“I’m sick of those rumors,” Andretti said. “Anybody who is counting him out is crazy.”

Hornish appeared content with his starting position.

“Yesterday, we were doing long runs and making sure the car runs good,” the 23-year-old driver said. “We know that our car handles well in traffic.”