Background
The Firestone Firehawk 600 was to be the second attempt to run an open-wheel race on a high-banked track designed for NASCAR racing. 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° oval. By comparison, the turns at Indianapolis are only banked at 9 degrees, and those at Michigan are only 18°.
TMS was originally designed with a dual-banking layout. The steep 24° banking on top would handle NASCAR races. A secondary 8° banking below was designed for the faster open-wheel machines. CART had expressed interest in holding a race at the facility, but after closer examination of the unusual dual-banking system, decided it was not feasible.
The rival Indy Racing League had run what is now the Firestone 550 since 1997, along with a fall race from 1998 to 2004. IRL cars are slower than their CART counterparts. Combined with their normally aspirated engines and a higher downforce chassis, the IRL cars were able to handle the steep bankings. The secondary banking design was deemed a failure, and in 1998, the turn transitions were reconfigured, and the dual banking was removed, in favor of a larger apron.
After the success of the IndyCar Series event, CART desired to hold 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. When the 2001 CART schedule was released, the race was scheduled for April 29, 2001, and was set to air live on ABC. However, it was eventually switched to sister network ESPN.
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