Texas Motor Speedway's square corners came under heavy criticism from NASCAR in its early days and required a facelift or two while Championship Auto Racing Teams had to postpone a 2001 race because speeds topping 235 mph were disorienting drivers.

But, since 1998, the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval has become the calling card of the Indy Racing League.

In the 11 Indy-car races staged at TMS, eight have been decided by a victory margin of less than one second -- including five of the closest in IRL history.

And it will be the stage upon which Sunday's showdown for the 2003 Indy-car championship is acted out between Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Sam Hornish Jr.

"Texas always produces great racing and it's definitely one of my favorite tracks," said two-time IRL champ Hornish, who won last year's title by nipping Castroneves by .0096 of a second in the season finale at TMS.

"The package we run allows us to run hard and close all day."

Does it ever. The second show in '98 featured what amounted to a 12-car trophy dash for two hours. Jeff Ward earned his first and only IRL win by .0111 of a second over Al Unser Jr. in 2002 and Hornish nipped Scott Sharp for a 2001 triumph by .0188 of a second. "Everyone is always asking, 'Why is the racing so great at Texas Motor Speedway?' and I think the answer to that question lies in the design of the racetrack," said Unser, who won last June's Bombardier 500 at TMS. "Specifically, the banking at Texas makes the racing so much better. We race on quite a few 1.5-mile ovals, but Texas is a whole different show because of the banking, and, in my opinion, that's what makes Texas so exciting.

"As a CART driver, I used to watch the IRL races in Texas and it was a track that I always wanted to race on because it looked like the drivers were having so much fun."

The fact IRL cars run higher downforce and less horsepower than their CART counterparts on ovals is a formula that breeds breathtaking, if not daredevil, closeness at 220 mph. Fortunately, all the rubbing and interlocking of wheels has never produced a catastrophic multiple-car crash.

"The downforce, the horsepower of the engines and the smoothness of a track like Texas are the perfect combination for good racing," said Phil Casey, IRL senior technical director and former Indy-car crew chief. "We have changed the aero package from last year, giving us a little more flexibility in increasing or decreasing the amount of downforce for each track where we run.

"The drivers are able to go side-by-side the way they do because they will stick to the track -- they're very stable."

Unser, who joined the IRL full-time in 2000, also gives his fellow drivers a pat on the back.

"Because of the number of times we've raced at Texas, they know what to expect each time we go there," said the two-time Indy 500 winner. "They're comfortable to race the way they do around there, only inches apart all day long. It's mentally and physically challenging to them, but they know what to expect and are comfortable to do it.

"We know the car will stick and not slide into a guy six inches away. It will be side-by-side the last 20 laps and that tends to make for a pretty good show."

Good enough to hook former NASCAR star Darrell Waltrip.

"I love NASCAR racing but I've never seen anything like the IRL," said D.W. "Those cats put on the best show in racing and I always try to watch."

Stay tuned for Sunday afternoon.

Robin Miller covers open wheel racing for ESPN and ESPN.com.