CART prepares to can Texas

CART president Joseph Heitzler is set to speak to the press within the next hour (approx 18:00 BST, 12:00 Texas time), but it remains unclear if the race will be run at a later date.

Kenny Brack took the pole at a speed of 233.447mph, but average speeds in the race itself were tipped to rise to around 238mph in the draft. Additionally, many drivers were concerned about enduring high G-loadings for a full race distance, with some already complaining of dizziness and nausea.

In an effort to cut speeds, CART originally announced two mandatory changes - the fitting of a 1.5-inch Gurney tab to the cars' rear wings and a reduction in boost pressure from 37 inches to 36 - and granted the teams a 30-minute warm-up session to acclimatise themselves to the new rules. However, no drivers ventured out onto the track with the changes, and it now appears that behind the scenes lobbying has resulted in a decision to can the event.

The CART drivers' safety representative, Mauricio Gugelmin, suffered severe bruising in a high-speed accident on Friday and had already elected to miss the race. Points-leader Cristiano da Matta also crashed heavily during yesterday's (Saturday's) practice sessions.

More news as we get it.