In many years, Phoenix served as the CART season opener. After a feud between the track ownership and CART series officials, the track was dropped from the CART schedule after 1995, and immediately switched to the Indy Racing League beginning in 1996.
Phoenix served as a key event in the CART schedule for many years. Nevertheless, a disagreement between the track proprietors and CART officials led to its removal from the CART schedule after 1995, and it subsequently moved to the Indy Racing League starting in 1996.