Race Track Classification

Race Track Classification 

We have been working very hard to give you more information about NASCAR and about the race tracks NASCAR competes on. Like many people I was one of those people who incorrectly believed that NASCAR was all about a bunch of people driving on an oval turning left all the time. 

If you are someone who is already a NASCAR fan you would know all about this. If you are someone who is new to the sport let me correct you. Many of the tracks are oval yes, but many have slight variations. There are two road courses that are used and for many the ultimate race tracks are the super speedways. 

This post is here to help you and give you more information on the track layouts, size and Shape.

Track Classification in terms of Size.

Short tracks

A short track is an oval less than 1.0 miles (1.6 km) long. The majority are .5 mile or shorter. Because of the short length and fast action, tracks like these are often referred to as "bullrings." NASCAR short tracks include Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond. The tracks are short so these races have 500 laps at times and because of the great action they are often night races.


Mile Ovals

You guessed it 1-mile (1.61 km) ovals are a common length for oval track racing. The ovals are not all exactly 1 mile in length they may vary slightly. A good example is Phoenix. Mile ovals generally don't have very intense banking, however Dover is a very definite exception to this.

Speedway

Tracks that are 1 to 2 miles (1.6 to 3.2 km) in length. These tracks make up the majority of the tracks used in NASCAR. These tracks have very slight differences if compared to each other. Examples include Las Vegas, Atlanta, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Chicagoland and Charlotte.

Super speedways

A minimum of 2.0 miles (3.2 km) in length. The most famous of these Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway, both 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.The longest super speedway is the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.It is 2.66 miles (4.28 kilometers) long, and holds the current record for fastest speed in a stock car, lapping at an average of 216.309 mph (348.116 km/h) and reaching 228 miles per hour (367 km/h) at the end of the backstretch.Another example is Michigan International Speedway (2.0 miles), Fontana (2.0 miles), and Pocono Raceway (2.5 miles). 

Track classification (shape)

 

Paper clip ovals

 

 

The "paper clip" oval. The track layout looks like a paperclip. A layout of two long straights, connected by two, sharp turns with very slight banking. Very challenging courses. The best example is Martinsville.

Tri-ovals

 

A tri-oval looks a lot like an isosceles triangle with rounded corners. The circuits have a straight backstretch, and the main straightaway has a "tri-oval" curve The main stretch is skewed and the start finish is generally located on the "tri-oval" or 5th turn. 

Doglegs

 

 

Some oval tracks have minor variations, such as kinks or what are known as doglegs. A "dogleg" is a defined as a soft curve down one of the straights. This Skews the oval slightly.  Phoenix is a great example of a dogleg shape. When a track has a right-hand dogleg,the track is called a "kidney bean" shape.

Quad-oval

 

 

This is a tri-oval with a "double dogleg". The quad-oval is almost identical to the tri-oval in  layout. The key in this track is that the start/finish line segment falls on a straight section. 

D-shaped oval

 

 

 

Another common shape variation. The D-Shaped oval has a straight backstretch, with a long, sweeping front stretch. Great example is Auto Club Speedway. 

Road Course

 

Conventional racing tracks with many twists and turns. Two Examples are Sonoma and Watkins Glen.