Franchitti: We've all got our work cut out in Texas

The Firestone Firehawk 600-kilometre race will be the first CART event on the high-banked Fort Worth track. Doubts had been raised over track safety after several drivers - including Franchitti - tested at the 1.5-mile banked oval, but modifications have since been made and the race goes ahead as planned.

"It's a new track for the series and there wasn't much testing done here during the off season," said Franchitti. "I was fortunate to get one day of testing in, so at least we won't be starting from ground zero at Team Kool Green. This race is going to be a real challenge for the teams, and it's these situations where having excellent engineers really pays off.

"But there's no doubt we've all got our work cut out for us. It's a big, fast track and you really want the car to be as close to perfect as possible every time you're out there."

His team mate Paul Tracy, currently fourth in the points and three places ahead of Franchitti, is approaching the race with a positive attitude.

"I look at the race in Fort Worth and see a bunch of points just waiting to be picked up," he said. "Dario learned a little about this place when he was here testing, so I'm confident that between the two of us we'll get the set-up we need. I like fast tracks and side-by-side racing, and I think we'll see a lot of that during the race.

"Fortunately, it's a long race so we can make adjustments if we need to. But I'd sure like to hit it on the money early in the weekend."

Dale Coyne Racing has announced it will not contest the Texas CART race due to a lack of budget for its Lola-Fords, which it fielded for Team PRG drivers Luiz Garcia and Michael Krumm in the opening rounds. Coyne hopes the team can find sufficient funds to return later in the season.