Oval course

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the USA is the most famous oval course in the world

Oval courses are permanent motorsport racetracks which, as a round course , in contrast to street or city ​​courses , only have curves in one direction. Mostly there are left turns; the course is therefore traveled counter-clockwise . The up to four curves have a very different elevation depending on the course . This enables particularly high speeds to be achieved on oval courses. This type of route, which is often found in the USA, is called the speedway . Smaller oval racetracks, on which motorcycle speedway events take place, are not oval courses in the narrower sense.

distribution

Oval racetracks are found predominantly in North America, in the USA far more frequently than other racetracks. Canada and Mexico each have around a dozen smaller ovals, mainly for national offshoots of the US NASCAR Xfinity Series .

In Europe, the Lausitzring in Germany, the Rockingham Motor Speedway in England, the Raceway Venray in the Netherlands and the Tours Speedway in France are the only permanent courses of this kind. Between 2001 and 2003, the Eurospeedway Lausitz and the Rockingham Motor Speedway took place The American Champ Car Championship races are held, as well as the ASCAR races until 2007 , a former European touring car racing series. The short tracks in Tours and Venray have been organizing oval races since 2010 as part of the American-licensed NASCAR Whelen Euro Series .

Historically, oval tracks existed at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza and in Mallory Park, UK . The Formula 1 race of Italy took place on the oval track in Monza in the 1950s. The former “fastest race track in the world” (quote from German media from the end of the 1940s), the German Grenzlandring , which surrounds the city of Wegberg near Mönchengladbach , is an egg-shaped oval, originally built with concrete paving . However, the oval shape is comparatively uneven and the elevation minimal.

Other large oval courses are located in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil , Welkom in South Africa, Rafaela in Argentina, Melbourne in Australia, Puebla in Mexico and Motegi in Japan. However, the meaning of these ovals is very limited for international racing. The Twin Ring Motegi held the last official race of the IndyCar Series in 2010. In 2008, Danica Patrick was the first woman to win a race in a world-famous major racing series.

Differentiation of the oval courses

According to route length

Type Explanation and examples example Pictures
Short track Short Tracks are oval courses less than a mile in length, the shortest of which are 0.2 miles. A large number of these racetracks can be found in the USA, mostly in every major city. Routes like Mansfield Motorsports Park or Martinsville Speedway are hardly elevated. On these routes, the pace differs greatly between the curve and the straight. Other routes, such as the Bristol Motor Speedway , on the other hand, are extremely elevated. In general, it can be said about short tracks that they exude a stadium atmosphere, as they are surrounded on all sides by sometimes steeply rising grandstands. The spectators can see the entire racetrack from almost every seat, but this sometimes causes problems with poor exhaust gases. Such short tracks can be compared to a modern coliseum. Local races are held almost every weekend on many short tracks. Apart from a few well-known tracks, such as Martinsville, Bristol or Nashville Fairgrounds, there are hardly any national series racing events on short tracks. Martinsville Backstretch.JPG
The Martinsville Speedway is a typical short track.
Speedway Also widespread in the USA are the oval courses , known only as speedways , with a length of one to two miles. Sometimes this term is also used generally for all oval courses. In the NASCAR technical term, the Speedway are referred to as Intermediate . Many of these stretches are so banked that the speed hardly differs between straight and curve, it is sufficient to slightly take off the accelerator ("lift"). Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2011.jpg
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a typical speedway.
Super speedway Very long stretches of two miles or more are called super speedways . Most of them specialize in either formula or NASCAR races. Very high speeds are achieved on them, which as a rule no longer differ between straight lines and curves. The Speedways Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway , which specialize in NASCAR races, have a very strong cant (over 30 °). At NASCAR, only these two oval courses are now referred to as the Superspeedway, and the other Superspeedways in Pocono, Indianapolis, Michigan, California and Texas (World) are assigned to the intermediate routes. The reason lies in the fact that only in Daytona and Talladega, the so-called "Restrictor Plates", so air restrictors , are used to slow the speed of the cars. After Bill Elliott achieved the fastest lap ever driven by a NASCAR vehicle in 1987 with 212.809 mph (342.410 km / h) and there was an accident with injured spectators in the following race, the top speed in later races was about 190-200 mph throttled. No air flow limiters are used in the IndyCars and therefore no distinction is made between the individual super speedways. The approximately two-mile-long Auto Club Speedway in Fontana is officially the fastest racetrack in the world. On her Gil de Ferran achieved on October 28, 2000 in qualifying the fastest lap ever driven on a circuit with an average speed of 241.428 mph (388.537 km / h). TalladegaSuperspeedway2.jpg
Talladega Superspeedway - the largest active superspeedway in the world

According to route shape

The courses also differ in the number of curves. Ovals usually have four curves, but only two of them are really noticeable. With the Americans, a curve is usually divided into Turn 1 and Turn 2 (or Turn 3 and Turn 4 ). The odd number ( Turn 1 and Turn 3 ) indicates the entry into a curve. Turn 2 and Turn 4 , on the other hand, are the exits. The 2nd corner is also known as the "chute" on some routes, as it is easier for the driver to understand which corner is meant. "Curved straight lines" are accepted as simple straight lines. At the start and finish there is the S / F straight , the back straight is the back straight . Other courses, such as Indianapolis , also have four turns, but there are four individual 90 ° turns connected by long or short straights.

shape Explanation and examples example Pictures
Classic oval The classic oval race tracks consist of two long straights, which are connected by two long curves. The first oval tracks in the USA, the Milwaukee Mile (1903) and the Nashville Speedway (1904) belong to this group. In the USA, some oval with this line shape are called paperclips, i.e. paper clips, if the two straight lines are long and the curves have a small radius. The Milwaukee Mile.PNG
The Milwaukee Mile as a classic oval
D oval With a D-oval, one of the two long straight lines of an oval, usually the start and finish straight, is laid out in the form of a long arc. This curve can be driven like a straight line and thus enables high average speeds. This design was mostly used in the superspeedways, such as the two-mile twin tracks Michigan International Speedway / Texas World Speedway , which were built in the late 1960s, or the California Speedway , which opened in 1997 . There are also short tracks and speedways that are D-shaped. These include the one-mile long Rockingham Speedway and Pikes Peak International Raceway , the short oval Richmond International Raceway and Myrtle Beach Speedway or the newly built Iowa Speedway . Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Speedway.svg
The layout of the California Speedway .
Tri-oval A shape widely used in modern ovals are courses with three curves, so-called tri-ovals. A distinction is made between ovals, which have been created in a real triangular shape, and modified D-ovals as sub-shapes. With the triangular ovals, the curves are simply numbered 1, 2 and 3. The third straight has a special name (mostly long straight or short straight ). The Pocono Raceway is an example of a classic triangular oval. With its length of 2.5 miles, it is considered a super speedway . However, each of the three curves has a different curve radius and a different superelevation. This asymmetry makes it very difficult for the teams to set up a car well. Pocono is often referred to as “The superspeedway that drives like a road course” because of its low elevation. This is a superspeedway that drives like a road course. The only German oval course, the EuroSpeedway Lausitz , is also a triangular tri-oval.
The racetracks Las Vegas Motor Speedway , Kentucky Speedway , Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway , built between 1997 and 2001 , also form part of the tri-ovals. However, they do not have a classic triangular shape, but are modified D-oval. Instead of laying out the start and finish straight as a long curve, a kink would be built in here, which counts as a third corner, so to speak.
Pocono Raceway.svg
The triangle of the Pocono Raceway The Kentucky Speedway is a modern tri-oval (modified D-oval).
Kentucky Speedway.PNG
Quad oval A quad oval has four independent curves, which are numbered 1 to 4. As with the tri-ovals, there are also sub-shapes:

The first sub-shape are the ovals, which have a real square shape. This is the case, for example, with the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway , which has the shape of a rectangle. The English Rockingham Motor Speedway is also one of the quad ovals, although this is not symmetrical in contrast to the Indianapolis racetrack. The Emerson Fittipalti Speedway in Brazil is designed as a trapeze.
The second form of quad-ovals are modified tri-ovals. Instead of a kink in the start and finish straight, there are two kinks here , which are connected by a short straight line. Some major NASCAR circuits were built in this form. The pioneer was the Charlotte Motor Speedway . In the 1990s, the Atlanta Motor Speedway , which previously existed as a classic oval, was converted into this shape. After all, the Texas Motor Speedway, which opened in 1997, also has this special shape. Incidentally, all three of these racetracks are owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and are a trademark of that track owner.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway.svg
The layout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Texas Motor Speedway track layout
TexasMotorSpeedway all.PNG
Oval with "dogleg" Some oval stretches have a so-called "dogleg". This is the English expression for a sharp curve and means a kink on a straight line. The best known examples of an oval course with a "dogleg" are the closed Nazareth Speedway, the Walt Disney World Speedway and the still active Phoenix International Raceway. All three courses are one mile each. Nazareth Speedway.PNG
The Nazareth Speedway , with a "dogleg".
Egg shape The Darlington Raceway has a special shape . Here the oval is “egg-shaped”, which means that the first two curves have a larger radius than the last two. This layout was created because a farmer did not want to sell his property and the route was built anyway. But the Twin Ring Motegi and the Gateway International Raceway were also built in this egg shape in the mid-1990s. Since it is practically impossible to have a suitable vehicle setup in every curve for such routes, these routes are particularly difficult to drive. Darlington raceway.svg
Track layout of the Darlington Raceway
Bean or kidney shape A special example of a special form of the oval track was the Trenton Speedway , which was closed in 1980 and was an oval track in its basic form, but had a back straight that was slightly bent inwards. Originally it was a classic 1-mile oval, which was expanded to 1.5 miles in 1969 and was given the well-known "kidney bean" shape. Trenton Speedway.svg
The Trenton Speedway , with the "Kidney Bean Curve".

Oval race

Oval courses are an art in themselves, especially from the perspective of the actors. European motorsport fans like to call such courses somewhat derogatory as "noodle pot", which is supposedly always the same. But if you compare the approx. 25 different courses of the NASCAR Cup Series , you will notice, even as a layperson, that no two oval are alike. You only drive in the left direction, but the curve radius, curve superelevation, straight line superelevation, number of bends and many other peculiarities of each route must be observed. Races on oval circuits have a long tradition. Ordinary horse racing tracks were originally used for automobile races. Even today, for example, some motorsport events (including rally evaluation tests) take place on trotting tracks.

1907 opened the first built for motorsport competitions race track, the oval of Brooklands in the UK, the two differently long and excessive steep turns had. A former racecourse in Milwaukee was also converted into an oval course with elevated curves and a solid surface. The Milwaukee Mile developed from 1903 and is still in use today.

Typical racing situation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup in Daytona

In most oval course races, so-called slipstream driving plays a crucial role. Headwind always makes it difficult for the front runners to gain a lead, while the following riders in the slipstream of the leaders can more easily follow. On fast oval courses, no braking or shifting is necessary due to the curve elevation. While an overtaking maneuver on normal circuits usually takes place in the braking zone of a curve, on oval circuits the vehicles can drive side by side for long laps. This keeps the field tightly closed. The racing strategy, which is often referred to as "high-speed chess", is therefore of fundamental importance. Most of the race is about staying in the lead lap - also known as “stay on the lead lap” , whereas the exact position is of secondary importance. Only at the end of the race is there a direct fight for positions. Due to the elevation in the curves, you can overtake inside and outside. This makes it almost impossible for the leader to close the curve by driving a battle line . In extreme cases, it can happen that a leadership position at the beginning of the last lap is undesirable, as you are only an easy victim because of the slipstream. Legendary in this regard is a 2000 ChampCar series race at Michigan Speedway , in which Juan Pablo Montoya lost the lead to Michael Andretti shortly before the last lap , then took it back to be overtaken again and in the end the race nonetheless thanks to the slipstream of the rounded Tarso Marques to win wafer-thin.

At the 2008 NASCAR autumn race in Talladega, 28 out of 43 drivers led at least 1 complete lap. This is a new record in NASCAR.

If at all possible, pit stops only take place during one of the very numerous race neutralizations, otherwise with lap times of 20 to 30 seconds a lap deficit of one lap is almost inevitable; in Bristol (lap time 15s) not infrequently much more. A pit stop at the wrong time can destroy any chance of a good position; If, on the other hand, a stop under green can be avoided at the very end, this can also give an actually inferior car a chance.

The American racing series of the NASCAR Sprint Cup (touring cars) drives almost exclusively on oval courses. The American IndyCar Series (formula cars) holds slightly less than half of the races on oval courses. The American Champ Car Series had only a few oval races on its calendar. There are also smaller classes, such as the NASCAR Nationwide Series , the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series or the ARCA . One of the most important motorsport events of all, the Indianapolis 500 , also takes place on an oval course. There are also countless small, regional and unknown oval series.

In Europe, too, there is an organization, the Stock Car Speed ​​Association (SCSA), which NASCAR has as a model. So far, oval races have not prevailed in Europe.

Many oval tracks have now installed lighting, so races can be continued or started even after dark. These night races are considered a special attraction by fans. Especially with the NASCAR series there are many so-called night races on routes such as B. in Daytona, Bristol, Richmond, Charlotte (Lowes) or Darlington.

List of paved oval sections

See also: List of NASCAR racetracks
See also: List of IndyCar / ChampCar racetracks

There are several dozen asphalt or concreted oval stretches in almost every major city or town in the US alone. There are more than 2000 pieces all over the world. This is an example list for some of these well-known oval courses with a length of at least 0.5 miles (0.8 km) or the organization of a national race as part of the ARCA / NASCAR series or the IndyCar series .

International

Route name place Route sketch Length (
km)
Cant Opening,
closing
Events
Comments
Front straight Curve 1 Curve 2 Back straight Curve 3 Curve 4
Autódromo Miguel E. Abed Puebla , Mexico
classic shape
2.011 no <4 ° <4 ° no <4 ° <4 ° 2005 local racing series (active)
Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
Trapezoid
3,000 no <4 ° <4 ° no <4 ° <4 ° 1996
2001
Champcar
1996–2000 In
2011 the racetrack was demolished to make way for facilities for the 2012 Summer Olympics .
Lausitzring Klettwitz , Germany
triangle
3.255 no 5.7 ° 5.7 ° no 5.7 ° not existent 2001 Champcar
2001 & 2003
Mallory Park Kirkby Mallory , England
classic shape
1.609 no flat flat no flat flat 1956 local racing series
Phakisa Freeway Welkom , South Africa
Tri-oval
2,414 9 ° 12 ° 12 ° 3 ° 12 ° 12 ° 1999 Copy of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Venray Raceway Venray , Netherlands
classic shape
0.880 10 ° 25 ° 25 ° 10 ° 25 ° 25 ° 2009 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
Rockingham Motor Speedway Corby , England
asymmetrical trapezoid
2,380 3.5 ° 7.0 ° 7.9 ° 3.5 ° 7.9 ° 7.0 ° 2001 Champcar
2001-2002
Sanair Super Speedway Saint-Pie , Quebec , Canada
Equilateral triangle
1.33 no 4 ° 6 ° no 4 ° not existent 1983 No national racing events have taken place on the Tri-Oval since 1991, but the oval can be rented for private purposes. The CART Championship was held here from 1984 to 1986 .
Thunderdome Melbourne , Australia
Quad oval
1.797 4 ° 24 ° 24 ° 6 ° 24 ° 24 ° 1987 AUSCAR
Tours Speedway Tours , France
classic shape
0.720 no 10.5 ° 10.5 ° no 9 ° 9 ° 2012 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
Twin Ring Motegi Motegi , Japan
Egg shape
2,492 1.7 ° 10 ° 10 ° 5 ° 10 ° 10 ° 1997
2011
CART / IRL
1997–2010
The elevated curves of the oval were damaged by the March 2011 earthquake. A repair of the oval is not planned, the oval track has been closed. The last IndyCar race took place on the circuit at the end of 2011.

United States

Superspeedways

Surname place Route sketch length Curve superelevation Opening
closure
Seats Events
remarks
California Speedway
( Auto Club Speedway )
Fontana , California Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Speedway.svg 2.029 / 2.00 miles 14 ° (11 ° front straight; 3 ° back straight) 1997 92,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champ Car (1996-2002)
IndyCar Series (2002-2015)
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach , Florida Daytona International Speedway.svg 2.50 miles 31 ° (18 ° front arc; 3 ° back straight) 1959 168,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis , Indiana Indianapolis Oval.svg 2.50 miles 12 ° (9 ° straight line) 1909 (asphalted in 1961) 258,000 IndyCar Series
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn , Michigan Michigan International Speedway track map.png 2.00 miles 18 ° (12 ° front straight; 5 ° back straight) 1968 137,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champ Car (1979-2001)
IndyCar Series (2002-2007)
Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario , California Quad oval (rectangle) 2.5 miles 9 ° (curves 1–4) 1970
1980
- The racetrack was closed in 1980 and demolished the same year. In 1997 the California Speedway was opened not far from it .
Pocono Raceway Blakeslee , Pennsylvania Pocono Raceway.svg 2.50 miles 14 ° (Turn 1); 8 ° (turn 2); 6 ° (Turn 3) 1968 77,000 IndyCar Series
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Texas World Speedway College Station , Texas Texas World Speedway-Superspeedway.svg 2.00 miles 22 ° (6 ° straight line) 1969
2016
- Indycar (1973–1979)
NASCAR Grand National (1969–1981)
The route will be demolished in 2016.
Talladega Superspeedway Talladega , Alabama Talladega Superspeedway.png 2.66 miles 33 ° (18 ° anterior borrow; 2 ° back straight) 1969 143,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Speedways (Intermediate)

Surname place Route sketch length Curve superelevation Opening
closure
Seats Events
remarks
Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton , Georgia Atlanta International Speedway.svg
Atlanta Motor Speedway.svg
1.522 miles
1.54 miles
24 ° (5 ° straight line) 1960 (converted to Quad-Oval in 1997) 125,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champ Car (1979–1983)
IndyCar Series (1998–2001)
Charlotte Motor Speedway
( Lowe's Motor Speedway )
Concord , North Carolina Charlotte Motor Speedway diagram.svg 1.50 miles 24 ° (5 ° straight line) 1960 165,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (1997–1999)
Chicagoland Speedway Joliet , Illinois Chicagoland Speedway diagram.svg 1.52 / 1.50 miles 18 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 11 ° (Turn 3 & 4); 5 ° (front curve) 2001 75,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (2001-2010)
Darlington Raceway Darlington , South Carolina Darlington raceway.svg 1,366 miles 25 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 23 ° (Turn 3 & 4); 3 ° (straight line) 1950 63,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Gateway International Raceway St. Louis , Illinois Gateway Motorsports Park diagram.svg 1.25 1.27 miles 11 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 9 ° (Turn 3 & 4); 3 ° (straight line) 1997 60,000 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champ Car (1997-2000)
IndyCar Series (2001-2003)
Homestead Miami Speedway Homestead , Florida Homestead-Miami Speedway track map - Speedway.svg 1.485 / 1.50 miles 20 ° 1995 (rebuilt in 1997 and 2002) 65,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champ Car (1996-2000)
IndyCar Series (2001-2010)
Kansas Speedway Kansas City , Kansas Kansas Speedway diagram.svg 1.52 / 1.50 miles 15 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 10 ° (Turn 3 & 4); 5 ° (front curve) 2001 (rebuilt in 2012) 82,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (2001-2010)
Kentucky Speedway Sparta , Kentucky Kentucky Speedway.svg 1.48 / 1.50 miles 14 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 10 ° (Turn 3 & 4); 4 ° (front curve) 2000 (rebuilt in 2015) 107,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (2000-2011)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas , Nevada Las Vegas Motor Speedway diagram.svg 1.50 miles
1.544 miles
20 ° 1996 (rebuilt in 2007) 156,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (1997-2011)
Marchbanks Speedway
Hanford Motor Speedway
Hanford , California Marchbanks Speedway (Hanford Motor Speedway) map.svg 1,375 miles 14 ° 1960
1970
- NASCAR Grand National (1960–1961)
Champ Car (1967–1969)
Nashville Superspeedway Lebanon , Tennessee Nashville Superspeedway diagram.svg 1,333 miles 14 ° 2001
2011
50,000 NASCAR Nationwide Series (2001–2011)
IndyCar Series (2001–2008)
Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth , Texas TexasMotorSpeedway.svg 1.455 / 1.482 / 1.50 miles 24 ° (5 ° straight line) 1996 213,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series
Trenton Speedway Trenton , New Jersey Trenton Speedway.svg 1.5 miles Curves 1-2 10 °; Curves 3-4 15 °; Dogleg 4 ° 1900
1980
- The racetrack was closed in 1980 and dismantled in 1983.

1 mile ovals

Surname place Route sketch length Curve superelevation Opening
closure
Seats Events
remarks
Chicago Motor Speedway Chicago , Illinois Chicago Motor Speedway.svg 1,029 miles 0 ° 1999
2002
- The racetrack was completely dismantled in 2009 after the grandstands were removed in 2005. The last race took place in 2002.
Dover International Speedway Dover , Delaware Dover International Speedway.PNG 1.00 miles 24 ° (9 ° on a straight line) 1966 144,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (1998–1999)
Milwaukee Mile West Allis , Wisconsin The Milwaukee Mile.PNG 1,000 / 1,015 / 1,032 miles 9 ° (2.5 ° straight line) 1903 (asphalted in 1954)
2015
40,000 Champ Car (1979-2006)
NASCAR Nationwide Series (1993-2009)
IndyCar Series (2004-2015)
Nazareth Speedway Nazareth , Pennsylvania Nazareth Speedway Trackmap.png 0.935 / 0.946 / 1,000 miles 2.7 ° (Turn 1, "dogleg"); 3 ° (Turn 2 & 3); 4 ° (Turn 4 & 5) 1910 (paved in 1987)
2004
- In 2004 the racetrack was closed and the grandstands dismantled. The route itself is still there but unused.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon , New Hampshire New Hampshire Motor Speedway.PNG 1.025 / 1.058 miles 12 ° (1 ° straight line) 1990 105,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champ Car (1992-1995)
IndyCar Series (1996-1997, 2011)
Phoenix International Raceway Avondale , Arizona Phoenix-international-raceway-2011-new.svg 1,000 miles
1,022 miles
11 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 9 ° (Turn 3 & 4) 1964 (rebuilt in 2011) 77,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champ Car (1979–1995)
IndyCar Series
Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain , Colorado Pikes Peak International Raceway.svg 1.00 miles 10 ° 1997 62,000 IndyCar Series (1997-2005)
NASCAR Nationwide Series (1998-2005)
Rockingham Speedway
(formerly North Carolina Speedway )
Rockingham , North Carolina Rockingham Speedway.svg 1,017 miles 22 ° (Turn 1 & 2); 25 ° (Turn 3 & 4); 8 ° (straight line) 1965 35,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup (1965-2004)
Walt Disney World Speedway Orlando , Florida Walt Disney World Speedway diagram.svg 1.00 miles 10 ° (Turn 1); 8.5 ° (Turn 2); 7 ° (Turn 3) 1996
2015
- The racetrack and the grandstands were demolished in 2016.

Short tracks

This is only a small selection of well-known short ovals. There are more than 60 paved oval racetracks in the US, most of them between 1/3 and 1/2 mile long.
Surname place Route sketch length Curve superelevation Opening
closure
Seats Events
remarks
Birmingham International Raceway Birmingham , Alabama Birmingham Interational Raceway.svg 0.625 miles 1946
2008
- The circuit and the grandstands were demolished in January 2009 after the opening of the Barber Motorsports Park in 2003 .
Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol , Tennessee Bristol Motor Speedway map.png 0.533 miles 26 ° (10 ° straight line) 1960 160,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Evergreen Speedway Monroe , Washington EvergreenSpeedway.svg 0.646 miles 8 ° (straight line 4 °) 1954 (asphalted in 1960) 15,000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (1995-2000)
Flemington Speedway Flemington , New Jersey FlemingtonSpeedwayMap.svg 0.625 miles Curves slightly inflated 1915 (asphalted 1990)
2002
- The racetrack was completely demolished in 2005, including the grandstands. The last race took place in 2002.
I-70 Speedway Odessa , Missouri I70SpeedwayMap.svg 0.540 miles 30 ° (curves); (Front straight 4 °; back straight 7 °) 1969
2008
- The racetrack was closed in 2008. The route is still there but unused.
Iowa Speedway Newton , Iowa Iowa Speedway.PNG 0.894 / 0.875 miles 14 ° (10 ° back straight; 4 ° front curve) 2006 30,000 NASCAR Xfinity Series
IndyCar Series
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
(formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park )
Clermont , Indiana IndianapolisRacewayParkMap.svg 0.686 miles 12 ° 1958 30,000 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Mansfield Motorsports Park Mansfield , Ohio Mansfield Motorsports Park.png 0.440 miles 16 ° (front straight 8 °) 2004 25,000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2004-2008)
Martinsville Speedway Martinsville , Virginia Martinsville Speedway track map.png 0.526 miles 12 ° 1947 65,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Memphis International Raceway Memphis , Tennessee Memphis International Raceway diagram.svg 0.75 miles 11 ° (4 ° back straight; 3 ° front curve) 1998
2010
35,000 NASCAR Nationwide Series (1998–2009)
Since 2010 no national racing event on this circuit.
Mesa Marin Raceway Bakersfield , California MesaMarinSpeedwayMap.svg 0.500 miles 17 ° 1977
2005
- The racetrack and the grandstands were demolished in 2005.
Music City Motorplex
(formerly Nashville Speedway , Fairgrounds Speedway )
Nashville , Tennessee NashvilleSpeedwayMap.svg 0.596 miles 18 ° (3 ° straight line) 1904 (asphalted in 1958) 15,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup (1958–1984)
NASCAR Nationwide Series (1984–2000)
Myrtle Beach Speedway Myrtle Beach , South Carolina MyrtleBeachSpeedway.svg 0.538 miles 13 ° 1958
2020
- NASCAR Nationwide Series (1988-2000)
North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro , North Carolina NorthWilkesboroSpeedwayMap.svg 0.625 miles 14 ° 1947
2011
- The circuit was first closed in 1996 and reopened in 2008. In 2011 it was closed again, but not dismantled.
Richmond International Raceway Richmond , Virginia Richmond International Speedway.png 0.542 miles
0.75 miles
14 ° (8 ° back straight; 2 ° front curve) 1946 (rebuilt in 1986) 107,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IndyCar Series (2002-2008)
Salem Speedway Salem , Indiana SalemSpeedwayMap.svg 0.555 miles 33 ° (straight line 15 °) 1947 15,000 ARCA Racing Series
South Boston Speedway South Boston , Virginia classic oval 0.40 miles 12 ° (front straight 10 °) 1957 10,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup (1960–1971)
NASCAR Nationwide Series (1982–2000)
Thompson Speedway Thompson , Connecticut ThompsonInternationalSpeedwayMap.svg 0.625 miles 26 ° 1940 (asphalted 1960) 13,000 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
USA International Speedway Lakeland , Florida USA International Speedway - Lakeland Fl.svg 0.75 miles 14 ° 1995
2008
- The racetrack and the grandstands were demolished in 2012.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Talladega '87 changed sport forever
  2. NASCAR homepage, Pocono Raceway Profile. (No longer available online.) Www.nascar.com, archived from the original on April 3, 2012 ; accessed on May 28, 2012 .
  3. ^ Stock Car News, Trenton Speedway. www.stockcar-news.de, accessed on December 31, 2013 .
  4. a b c d e f CART
  5. a b c d e f g h i j k NASCAR
  6. Texas World Speedway set to close
  7. a b c d e f g h i IRL