Firestone Firehawk 600

The Firestone Firehawk 600 was to be the second attempt to run an open-wheel race on a high-banked oval. Texas Motor Speedway, which opened in 1997, is classified as an intermediate oval with a length of 1.5 miles (2.4 km). The turns are banked at 24°. By comparison, the turns at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are only banked at 9°, and those at Michigan International Speedway are 18°.

Texas Motor Speedway was originally designed with a dual-banking layout. The steep 24° banking on top would accommodate NASCAR races. A secondary 8° banking below was designed for the faster open-wheel machines. While the track was under construction, CART had expressed interest in holding a race at the facility, but upon closer examination of the unusual dual-banking system decided it was not feasible. The secondary banking design was ultimately deemed a failure, and in 1998, the turns were reconfigured. The dual banking was removed in favor of a larger apron, and after unrelated difficulties during the NASCAR events, the turn transitions were corrected.

The rival Indy Racing League (IRL) had run what is now the DXC Technology 600 at Texas since 1997, along with a fall race from 1998 to 2004. IRL cars were slower than their CART counterparts (due to their less powerful naturally aspirated engines) and this, combined with a higher downforce chassis, allowed them to handle the steep banking.

After the success of the IRL events, CART expressed renewed interest in holding an event at the track. Over the summer of 2000, negotiations were ongoing, with a tentative date of May 6, 2001 set for the inaugural event.[4] When the 2001 CART schedule was released, the race was scheduled for April 29, 2001, and was set to air live on ABC.[4][5] However, it was eventually switched to sister network ESPN.

The first CART test session began on December 19, 2000. Kenny Bräck, a former IRL driver who had previously raced at Texas while with that series, was the first driver to take to the track.[9] The target speeds were set at 225 mph.[9] Bräck completed over 100 laps, with a top lap over 221 mph.[10] CART chief steward J. Kirk Russell, track officials, Bräck, and Team Rahal expressed satisfaction with the test and the data collected.[10] CART set its rules package for the race as utilizing 37 inHG manifold pressure (down from 40[6]) and installing the Hanford device on all rear wings.[10] However, Gossage told NBC Sports in 2016 that Bräck was not going full throttle during the test.[1]

While CART did not arrange a full-field open test,[7] several private tests followed. The second series of private tests, scheduled for three days, began February 21, 2001. The entire week was hindered by rain and cool temperatures.[11] Patrick Racing and driver Jimmy Vasser were the first teams to take to the track.[12] On the first day, rain kept the track closed until 11:30 a.m. A busy afternoon saw Vasser drive over 100 laps, with a top lap over 215 mph (346 km/h). Vasser reported it was "fairly easy to drive flat out"[12] and said the track was somewhat bumpy.[12] The team claimed to have accomplished all of their goals in the abbreviated half-day session, and canceled the remaining two days they had scheduled for the test.

Team KOOL Green tested at the track on February 22 with driver Dario Franchitti.[13] He completed 190 laps with a top lap speed of 225.7 mph (363.2 km/h). Top trap speeds may have been as high as 228 mph (367 km/h).[7]

Like Patrick Racing the day before, Team Green canceled their second scheduled day of testing when they felt they had accomplished their testing goals after only one session.[13] Franchitti expressed reservations about the track's roughness[13] and reported pulling 3 Gs in the corners.[11] He also predicted that two-wide racing would be possible during the race.[11]

PacWest Racing also tested at the track on February 22 with rookie driver Scott Dixon[14] and Maurício Gugelmin.[11] In 55 degree weather, Dixon drove about 140 laps, with a top speed close to 225 mph.[14] Gugelmin also reported the ability to drive flat out around the track.

However, Gugelmin told Gossage and CART officials in a March 19 teleconference that he didn't believe CART could run a race at TMS. He claimed that the "wing configuration was wrong," and the cars were "too fast" for the track.[1]

Also at the track on February 22 was Penske Racing with driver Hélio Castroneves[11][14] and Walker Racing with driver Tora Takagi.[11] Castroneves had a fast lap at about 226 mph.[15]

All scheduled testing for February 23 was canceled due to rain.[11] During the week, no incidents were reported. Tora Takagi, however, suffered gearbox trouble, and completed only 20 laps of testing.[11]

Olvey contacted Dr. Richard Jennings, a former flight director at NASA and professor of aviation medicine at the University of Texas. They discussed the known levels of human tolerance of vertical g-loads. Jennings replied that the human body could not tolerate sustained loads of more than 4-4.5 g.[25] CART determined that the race could not be run at more than 225 mph (362 km/h) without raising safety concerns over g-force induced Loss Of Consciousness (g-LOC).[32]

The night before the race, CART officials attempted to make last-ditch efforts to curtail speeds by having the teams take downforce out of the car, and reduce horsepower.[7] According to Zizzo, they felt that they could not slow the cars down by more than three or four mph without risking engine failure. One proposal, seriously considered, would have called for a makeshift chicane of cones along the backstretch.[1]

However, by Sunday morning, time was running out to make changes necessary to hold the race safely. The morning warm-up session was canceled. Two hours before the scheduled start, the race was postponed. Over 60,000 fans were sent home. The move came after Kniefel and CART president Joe Heitzler had a series of meetings with drivers, owners and sponsors. All parties agreed that it didn't make sense to hold the race under the circumstances.[25]

At a press conference, Heitzler did not blame the track. Rather, he stressed that officials could not in good conscience allow a race with such serious concerns about the safety of the drivers. Olvey added that the drivers were experiencing g forces well beyond the limits of "human tolerance"[1]–a problem that would have likely been exacerbated since the temperature was an unseasonably warm 80 °F (27 °C). There was fear of the possibility that drivers could suffer "grey-outs" or lose consciousness from g-LOC. It is also likely that the high g-loads would have been outside the design limits for the HANS device, which was required for all CART races at oval tracks.

Gossage was harshly critical of CART's decision. He argued that CART assured him it could run the race even though it had not conducted more extensive tests at the track. Russell argued that there was no time due to scheduling conflicts. Michael Andretti added that there was no real way to simulate ≈26 or more cars in a race.[7] ESPN's Robin Miller later said that CART should have known there was a problem the minute the first driver clocked 230 mph (370 km/h) on Friday.[7]

CART officials held out the possibility of rescheduling the race, but there was no room in the schedule and it was ultimately canceled. The race marked the first and only time a CART race would be canceled outright due to driver safety issues.[31]

Speedway Motorsports, the owner of Texas Motor Speedway, sued CART on May 8 for breach of contract. Damages cited included issuing refunds for over 60,000 tickets, purse, the $2.1 million sanction fee, and additional compensation for promotional expenses, lost profits, and other damages.[33]

During the suit, it subsequently emerged that CART had ignored repeated requests to conduct testing at TMS before the aborted race. On October 16, the two parties settled for an undisclosed amount.[33] Terms were not disclosed, but estimates were between $5–$7 million.[33] A contract that included a race for 2002 and 2003 was annulled.[33]

In the aftermath, the handling of the incident was widely criticized by fans and media.[7][34][35][36] While the sanctioning body was commended by many for choosing not to put its drivers in danger[7][37] the race was largely viewed as a debacle, a low point for the slumping series,[7][34] and very damaging to the organization in the months and years to come.[35] CART reported that it spent $3.5 million for the settlement and legal costs, resulting in a $1.7 million loss for the third quarter of 2001. CART declared bankruptcy and was sold in 2003, became known as Champ Car, and never attempted to return to Texas Motor Speedway. Ultimately it was absorbed into the Indy Racing League in 2008.

• 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship

• Champ Car information on race