Firestone Firehawk 600
| Texas Motor Speedway | |
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| Race information | |
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| Circuit length | 2.371 km (1.482 mi) |
| Race length | 588.008 km (367.536 mi) |
| Laps | 248 |
| Last race (2001) | |
| Pole position | |
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| Podium | |
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| Fastest lap | |
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The Firestone Firehawk 600 was a CART series race scheduled for April 29, 2001 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It was scheduled for 248 laps around the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) oval at TMS. However, it was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to concerns about driver safety.
The race was sponsored by Firestone and Pioneer Corporation.
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 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 after 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 had run what is now the Firestone 600 since 1997, along with a fall race from 1998 to 2004. IRL cars were 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 banking.
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