How to Recognize Different NASCAR Tracks

NASCAR racing tracks are not all created equal. In fact, most go well beyond your typical flat, oval-shaped track. This is a good thing, as the variations in NASCAR tracks help keep the sport interesting. There are four main types of NASCAR tracks, and it's a good idea for fans to be able to recognize them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Recognize the Different Types of NASCAR Tracks

1. Expect excitement on a short-course track. These tracks are under a mile in length. Because short-course tracks don't provide drivers with much distance to travel, it makes collisions more likely to happen. In fact, accidents happen most frequently on short-course tracks.
2. Appreciate the beauty of a super speedway. Super-speedway tracks are a minimum of 2.5 miles in length. They also have higher banks on the sides than other tracks. This provides lots of opportunity for the top positions to change frequently throughout a race.
3. Enjoy a good, solid day at the races on an intermediate track. Intermediate tracks are just what their name implies--a track that is longer than a short course and shorter than a super speedway. Most NASCAR tracks fall into this category.
4. Watch something out of the ordinary at a road-course track. Road-course tracks are not uniformly flat and have both left and right turns. Parts of these tracks are often unpaved, making them into real roads. Few drivers have mastered the art of the road course, so there is always excitement in the air at these sorts of races.
5. Recognize the different shapes of NASCAR tracks. In addition to the standard oval, some NASCAR tracks are tri-ovals (a triangle/oval hybrid) and quad-ovals (like a rectangle with rounded edges). These three different track shapes can be a part of any style of NASCAR track.

Tips & Warnings

• Restrictor plates are required on most super-speedway tracks. This is to keep speeds down to a reasonable level in order to reduce the risk of serious accidents.
• Thus far, there are only two road courses in the NASCAR circuit. These are the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, and the Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York.
• The steeper the degree of the turns on a track, the higher the risk of serious accidents becomes. This is especially true on short-course tracks where there is not much room for error in driving. Spins, crashes and flips are all most likely to happen at very steep turns.