The Firestone Firehawk 600 was a planned American open-wheel car race scheduled for April 29, 2001 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The event was sanctioned by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and was the third round of the 2001 CART season. It was scheduled for 248 laps around the oval track. However, the race was postponed and ultimately canceled due to concerns about driver safety, as the high speeds the cars sustained through the circuit's long corners (which had 24° of banking) could potentially have led to drivers experiencing g-force induced loss of consciousness. It was the only race in CART history that was canceled outright for safety reasons. Kenny Bräck was awarded one point for qualifying on pole position at an average speed of .
Background
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 . 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. 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.
Initial concerns
The expectations for dangerously high speeds were an early concern, and even led to rumors of cancellation or moving the race to the infield road course. Unlike their IRL counterparts, CART cars had much more horsepower from their turbocharged engines, and less downforce and drag. They were thus expected to traverse the circuit much faster. TMS would have been the highest-banked track for a CART race since Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1983. The high banking and sharp turns were expected to impose unprecedented g loads on the drivers and cars. A test was scheduled for December 18, 2000 in order to address concerns.
TMS president Eddie Gossage wrote to CART management urging them to mandate certain suspension components, among others, to improve safety for the event. CART driver Maurício Gugelmin expressed that the drivers would face a challenge, but was confident that CART would find the solutions needed to conduct the race. Gugelmin also noted that "stronger parts will be necessary because of the loading generated by the banking."
Testing
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. The target speeds were set at 225 mph. Bräck completed over 100 laps, with a top lap over 221 mph. CART chief steward J. Kirk Russell, track officials, Bräck, and Team Rahal expressed satisfaction with the test and the data collected. CART set its rules package for the race as utilizing 37 inHG manifold pressure (down from 40) and installing the Hanford device on all rear wings. However, Gossage told NBC Sports in 2016 that Bräck was not going full throttle during the test.