CART counters track's claims for compensation

TMS says CART must pay back its sanctioning fee and race purse, and also pay damages, after the race was postponed with just three hours notice on driver safety grounds. But Champ Car racing's sanctioning body says it, "intends to defend itself against this counterproductive and meritless action and believes it will prevail."

The race was postponed when drivers running on the 1.5-mile banked oval were effected by high G-loadings as average lap speeds passed 235mph. However, TMS argues that CART knew in advance what the potential problems would be and is demanding several million dollars in compensation.

In a prepared statement, CART said: "Apparently the complaint stems from CART's postponing of the Firestone Firehawk 600 on April 29 in Fort Worth, Texas due to CART's concerns for the unprecedented physical demands placed upon its drivers.

"CART finds it curious that Texas Motor Speedway apparently has decided that focusing its energies in a lawsuit against CART for hyperimaginative damages is more important than accepting the seriousness of the driver safety issues raised at its track.

"In fact, Texas Motor Speedway's legal action seems to belie its own statements immediately after the race was postponed. In a press release issued April 29, a [TMS] executive was quoted as saying, 'driver safety is the number one concern for everyone. There are certainly enough tragedies in our sport and nobody wants anyone to get hurt'."

It added that, "CART believes any legal action that trivialises driver and fan safety must be defended against at any cost."