What are your favorite race tracks? | Column

Tim
By Tim Suddard
Sep 30, 2022 | Column | Posted in Columns | From the Oct. 2020 issue | Never miss an article

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

In our world, rattling off how many tracks you’ve raced at, or at least driven, is a badge of honor. It’s a common bench-racing topic.

Recently, I put another notch in my belt by driving Thompson Speedway in rural northern Connecticut. This wonderfully tight, fun and seemingly very safe track got me thinking again about how many tracks I’ve driven and which ones are my favorites.

I took a look on Wikipedia, and there are more than 80 road race tracks listed in the United States. There are the big, famous tracks, like Daytona and Road Atlanta, and the not-so-famous ones, like Roebling Road, Gingerman and even PBIR.

Of course, some of them, like Riverside and Bridgehampton (two that I luckily did get to drive), are now defunct. And sadly, Miller Motorsports Park’s fate isn’t quite decided. Hopefully someone comes in and saves the day before it gets turned into yet another housing development.

Of these 80-plus tracks, I’ve been blessed to run nearly three-fourths of them, from Lime Rock (underrated, perhaps because of its diminutive size, but actually one of my favorites) to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

What are my top tracks? That’s tough. I’ve mentioned a few already, but VIR needs to be on that list. I also really like the Hutchinson Island course at Savannah; the venue is pretty darned cool and is right next to downtown Savannah, so it makes for an awesome event weekend. Mid-Ohio and Barber are right up there as well. 

As an old autocrosser at heart, I prefer the tighter tracks: Hallett, Thompson and Atlanta Motorsports Park (although this one has a surprisingly long straight). Of course, I also get a kick out of the very fast tracks, like Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.

Although I live 15 minutes from Daytona International Speedway, I consider Road Atlanta to be my home track. I probably run there more than anywhere else. Still, that downhill through the start/finish line scares the crap out of me every time I go through it. Man, that is a fast track.

And then there are the championship tracks. There is some debate over which tracks are worthy of hosting a championship event. History, top speed and number of passing zones all play into this often bandied-about discussion.

At first, the SCCA Runoffs bounced between Riverside and Daytona every year. In 1971, this event found a seemingly permanent home at Road Atlanta, but then it started moving around again in the ’90s. Its next longtime home at Heartland Park was centrally located, but racers complained that the track wasn’t suited to this level of event. 

I’ve been there, but not to race, so I cannot judge. I can say that when the event started moving to more famous tracks, entries started to go up again.

NASA held their championships first at Mid-Ohio and then at Miller. The Miller events struggled to gain traction, partially because no one had been waiting their whole life to drive Miller and partially because it was too far from both coasts. Now NASA has both East and West Coast championships at more famous tracks, and this system seems to be working.

Tracks with storied histories simply tend to draw more interest, even if driving them can be a punishing experience. Sebring may be the roughest track on earth (a title it must wrestle away from the old Nelson Ledges). But still, everyone wants to say they’ve raced at Sebring. Having run a ChumpCar enduro there at night and in the rain, I can tell you that Sebring is a super cool place to race–for a few minutes. I felt like I knew what it was like to contest the rain-soaked 1965 12-hour race at that legendary track.

So how have I managed to sample so many tracks? One reason is that I’ve been in motorsports since 1982. In more than 30 years, you get around.

Another reason is that a lot of car and tire manufacturers turn journalists loose on race tracks when they want to show off new products. Recently I got to revisit Road America, Las Vegas and Gingerman that way. I can tell you there are worse ways to make a living than driving a new M3 at nearly full tilt at Road America. 

If you’re looking for access, I guess becoming an automotive media person is one way to drive these tracks. Becoming a pro racer or factory test driver is another way. Some guys I know just keep entering events and clicking off tracks as they work their way through their bucket lists.

One of the quickest and most practical ways to hit a whole bunch of tracks is to enter the One Lap of America. If you run this one-week event five years in a row, you’ll hit most of the major and minor tracks in the country–and have a heck of a lot of fun along the way.

So how about you? How many race tracks have you driven? What are your favorites? Send me your thoughts. Heck, if we get enough input, maybe we’ll turn this whole discussion into another feature story on favorite race tracks. If nothing else, you can rest assured I will acknowledge every email, pass it on to my editor, and write you back.

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Comments
imgon
imgon HalfDork
1/17/21 10:12 a.m.

My list of tracks I've been too is pretty short, only 10 or so but hands down is Watkins Glen  with Wiskey Hill in Palmer  MA and Lime Rock as the next best. My bucket list has VIR hopefully this year or next. The Glen just flows so well and the history of the track make it alot of fun

Purple Frog (Forum Supporter)
Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
1/17/21 10:35 a.m.

Road Atlanta my favorite by far.

After that in no special order: (I've had a fortunate life)

Mosport,  Watkins Glen,  Road America, VIR,  Laguna Seca, Lime Rock, Pitt Race, Barber, Mid-Ohio

Each is special in its own way.  Notice I like big tracks with grass on both sides of the pavement. smiley  And areas of the country that are great to visit.  (Food, scenery,History,  museums, etc)

Second tier:

Roebling Road, Sebring, Daytona (afterall I am a SEDIV guy)

Third tier:

CMP, New Jersey, Topeka, Thompson

Didn't get to do Indy...  frown

Since Mrs Frog is always along: It needs to be a "complete experience"...  Dining favorites:

Lime Rock:  Woodland   or   When Pigs fly

Road America:  Siebkins

Laguna Seca: Nepthe Inn

Roebing Road:  Girls - The Pink House   Guys - The Shrimp House

Watkins Glen:  Lunch - Village Marina   Bar -  Seneca Lodge     Dining - Red Newt

 

jimbbski
jimbbski SuperDork
1/17/21 11:15 a.m.

There's tracks that I've raced at and those that I have only driven so in order of ranking.

Best racing:

Blackhawk Farms - First track I raced at and still my favorite.

Gingerman- Fun, safe track.

Grattan - Roller coaster type track with blind turns and one long straight.

Autobahn - Closest to home.

Road America - Fun in a fast car but can be scary in a slow one due to the fact that you have to keep your foot planted on the "Go Pedal"  at times even when your mind say lift!

 

Most fun driving:

Road America

Watkins Glen

Mid Ohio

Heartland Park

Indianapolis Raceway Park

Putman Park

Nelson Ledges

 

L5wolvesf
L5wolvesf HalfDork
1/17/21 11:16 a.m.

Most fun to drive - Sears Point, Carlsbad (gone now), Hallett, Las Vegas (no under the current Vegas tack), Second Creek (gone now)

Most laps at - Riverside Intl (gone now), Willow Springs

captdownshift (Forum Supporter)
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
1/17/21 12:36 p.m.

Palmer, Sebring, Road America, Mont-Tremblant 

frenchyd
frenchyd PowerDork
1/17/21 1:58 p.m.
jimbbski said:

There's tracks that I've raced at and those that I have only driven so in order of ranking.

Best racing:

Blackhawk Farms - First track I raced at and still my favorite.

Gingerman- Fun, safe track.

Grattan - Roller coaster type track with blind turns and one long straight.

Autobahn - Closest to home.

Road America - Fun in a fast car but can be scary in a slow one due to the fact that you have to keep your foot planted on the "Go Pedal"  at times even when your mind say lift!

 

Most fun driving:

Road America

Watkins Glen

Mid Ohio

Heartland Park

Indianapolis Raceway Park

Putman Park

Nelson Ledges

 

Elkhart Lake ( Road America) is an absolute blast in a slow car if  and only if  you are with other slow cars.  Group 1 is prewar and MGT series. 
Thundering  down the main straight with the windshield  folded down tonneau stretched tight  and  the driver sliding down in the seat so all 54 horses  will maybe let you reach 75 mph 

Racing in the Bahama's was basically street circuits. The first ran around Ranfurley's circus which always had the thrill of  the overflowing fountain providing a nice little slippery spot  where the water ran across the track. Later track was longish straights followed by tight corners. Chasing Sir Sterling Moss in the Aston Martin DBR2 with my own Black Jack special let me follow the master and understand his brilliance. 
Finishing second to him after a week of racing was my greatest effort in a lifetime of racing. 

Olemiss540
Olemiss540 Reader
1/17/21 3:19 p.m.

Road Atlanta by far. Then Mid O second probably. 

Barber is next tier along with NCM, Road America, and Hallett. 

Putnam the tier after that (but still fun and lots of runoff) along with Topeka.

Scraping the bottom is St Louis (Gateway).

Want to try out NOLA and the new track in Lake of the O this year. 

 

rustomatic
rustomatic Reader
1/17/21 5:07 p.m.

I've done Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, and Sonoma (or Sears Point or Infineon, depending on your decade).  Sonoma was by far the most fun (most like a river road I lived on for eight years before leaving CA), as most geezers who do these tracks usually agree.  I've done the most laps at Thunderhill, which always made whatever car I was in feel slow.  I both fear and look forward to doing Road Atlanta, from which I now live about 60 miles away.  I haven't been on such a high-speed track, so my car's brakes are somewhat in doubt . . .

There is much to look forward to in normal, post-vaccination times.

lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter)
lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) HalfDork
1/17/21 6:19 p.m.

NHIS, Loudon NH

buzzboy
buzzboy Dork
1/17/21 7:53 p.m.

Sebring was a religious experience. I had played it on Forza for years then on my first lap out I was like "I've been here before!" Forza even got the cadence to the squares of concrete correct around 17 and 17a. It also helps that I took checker with the instructions "drive for a half hour and we've won" which made for an amazing final 1.5 hour stint.

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