What is the difference between an oval and a road course in NASCAR?

NASCAR may be known for its oval tracks but the American stock car racing series also holds races on road courses. The two different track layouts complete a 36-race season where road courses are also part of the playoff rounds.

Oval and road courses pose different challenges, with drivers like Christopher Bell showing promise on the latter. Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin admitted racing on a road course isn't his strong suit. "Road courses are by far the weakest part of the 11 car, you know. And it's not the 11 car, it's the 11 driver," said Hamlin on his Actions Detrimental podcast last March 2024.

Both track layouts produce high-octane racing but how do these two differ from each other?

NASCAR Oval Racing

Anyone who has watched a NASCAR race before has heard of Cup cars only turning left. This is the case for oval track racing, with tracks like the Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway listed among the notable ones on the calendar. As the name suggests, drivers have to race their way to the checkered flag around an oval.

Oval racing has become a staple in the sport cemented by the Daytona 500, which is regarded as the racing series’ biggest race held at the start of a season. Meanwhile, the final race for the Championship 4 at the Phoenix Raceway is also an oval track.

Syndication: Daytona Beach News-Journal (Source: Imagn)

An oval track generally consists of two parallel straights and four turns. Although, there are a few exceptions, such as the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, which consists of three turns, hence the Tricky Triangle moniker.

Depending on the track, drivers can average a lap speed of around 180 mph (290 kph). This is made possible by the absence of slow corners normally seen on road course tracks. With that much speed, along with high banking angles, NASCAR doesn’t green light racing on oval tracks in the rain for safety reasons.

NASCAR Road Course Racing

On the other hand, road course racing consists of various turns similar to renowned tracks around the world hosting F1 and GT races. As such, drivers have to turn right and left to win the race.

Fans watching a race on a road course should expect different racing techniques. Instead of drafting, the track will test the drivers’ braking skills more, especially during cornering where late braking hands a huge advantage. Their shifting should also be on point when entering and exiting a corner.

NASCAR: Grant Park 165 - Source: Imagn

Since NASCAR primarily races on ovals, road courses are in the minority, with only five on the 2024 calendar. Some of these include the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the Sonoma Raceway and the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the famous Circuit of the Americas. The racing series has also expanded its portfolio and hosted its first street race in the city of Chicago since last year called the Grant Park 165.

One unique road course called a roval is held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Spanning 2.32 miles, this roval track combines a high-banking oval and an infield road course consisting of 17 turns.

While road courses fall under one track category only, ovals mainly have three, namely short (under one mile), intermediate (between one and two miles), and superspeedway (over two miles).