How many types of tracks does NASCAR race on? Exploring the diverse landscape of stock car racing

There is a long-standing myth that NASCAR always races on oval circuits and the cars go round and round, which makes the sport boring for NASCAR as well as non-NASCAR fans. However, this is not entirely true, as the most elite form of American motorsport races on various tracks with multiple layouts.

Given below are some of the NASCAR track types and names, along with their details:

Short Tracks in NASCAR: Bristol, Iowa, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, Richmond

Bristol Motor Speedway:

This track is situated in Bristol, Tennessee, and is 0.533 miles long. It is oval in shape and as of 2021, it has a seating capacity of 146,000.

Iowa Speedway:

This track is situated in Newton, Iowa, and is 1.3 miles long. It is a D-shaped oval in shape and as of 2,023 it has 30,000 seats.

Martinsville Speedway:

This track is situated in Ridgeway, Virginia, and is 0.526 miles long. It is a paper-clip-shaped track and can hold between 44,000 and 65,000 fans depending on the configuration.

North Wilkesboro Speedway:

This track is situated in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and is 0.625 miles long. It is oval in shape and has a 25,000-strong crowd capacity.

Richmond Raceway:

This track is situated in Henrico County, Virginia, and is 0.75 miles long. The track has a unique D-shape outlay and has a 51,000-strong crowd capacity.

Road Courses in NASCAR: Charlotte Roval, Chicago Street Course, COTA, Sonoma, Watkins Glen

Charlotte Motor Speedway:

This track is situated in Concord, North Carolina, and is 1.5 miles long. It is a quad-oval-shaped track and can accommodate 95,000 fans as of 2021.

Chicago Street Course:

This track is situated in Chicago, Illinois, and is a 2.2-mile-long street circuit. It is one of the major tracks on the calendar.

Circuit of The Americas:

This is one of the most important tracks in the United States, situated in Austin, Texas. It is a 3.426-mile-long track and has a capacity of 120,000.

Sonoma Raceway:

It is a track situated in Sonoma County, California, and is a 2.520-mile road racing course. The track has a capacity of 47,000 and is a FIA Grade 2 circuit.

Watkins Glen International:

This track is situated in Watkins Glen, New York, and has different layouts for different races such as Sports Car and Road Course. It is a FIA Grade 2 track and has a 38,900 crowd capacity.

Superspeedways in NASCAR: Daytona and Talladega

Daytona International Speedway:

This track is situated in Daytona Beach, Florida, and has multiple layouts for different forms of motorsports, such as the primary 2.5-mile high-speed tri-oval and many more.

Talladega Superspeedway:

This track is situated in Lincoln, Alabama, and is a 2.66-mile-long track. This is also the longest NASCAR oval and has an 80,000 - 175,000 capacity, depending on the configuration.

Special courses in NASCAR: Indianapolis and Pocono

Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

This track is situated in Speedway, Indiana, and is a 2.5-mile-long rectangular-oval track. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, it is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world and the home to the renowned Indy 500.

Pocono Raceway:

This track is situated in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, and is a 2.5-mile-long Triangle Oval track. This Tricky Triangle has a 76,812 crowd capacity.

Intermediate Tracks in NASCAR: Atlanta, Darlington, Dover, Kansas, Las Vegas, Michigan, Nashville, New Hampshire, and Phoenix.

Atlanta Motor Speedway:

This track is situated in Hampton, Georgia, and is a 1.54-mile-long track. It is a quad-oval-shaped track and has a maximum crowd capacity of 71,000, as of 2015.

Darlington Raceway:

This track is situated in Darlington, South Carolina, and is an oval-shaped track in operation since 1950. The track has a crowd capacity of 47,000.

Dover Motor Speedway:

This track was formerly known as Dover Downs International Speedway, and is situated in Dover, Delaware. It is yet another Oval track with a 58,500-strong crowd capacity, and is 1.03 mile in length.

Kansas Speedway:

This track is situated in Kansas City, Kansas, and is a 1.5-mile-long track. It is Tri-oval in shape and has a crowd capacity of 48,000 as of 2019.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

It is situated in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and is a 1.5-mile-long track. This track is Tri-oval in shape and has a crowd capacity of 80,000.

Nashville Superspeedway:

This track is situated in Lebanon, Tennessee, and is Tri-oval in shape. It is a 1.330-mile-long Speedway with 25,000 crowd capacity as of 2021.

Michigan International Speedway:

It is situated in Brooklyn, Michigan, and is a moderate-banked D-shaped track. It has a crowd capacity of 56,000 as of 2018 and is a 2-mile-long track.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

It is situated in North Loudon, New Hampshire, and is 1.058-mile-long track. It is an oval-shaped track with a 76,000 seated capacity.

Phoenix Raceway:

It is situated in Avondale, Arizona, and is a 1-mile long track. The shape of the track is a low-banked Tri-oval, and the stands have a capacity of 42,000.