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 …
I've only ever raced on one track (for a decade) and that was Waterford Hills. You need to try it, say on their vintage weekend, in the Triumph. If you think Lme Rock is compact Waterford outdoes it.
Waterford Hills
Gingerman
Mid-Ohio
Hallet
Moroso Park, back when it was still called that
Nashville Speedway road coarse
New Hampshire Speedway road course
Portland
All were with the Alfa Club, most were the national convention time trial. Waterford and Gingerman were where we hosted some fun track events. Waterford is my favorite, but Hallet is a very close second- both were fun to drive in an Alfa.
Pittsburgh International Race Course
Summit Point Main
Summit Point Shenandoah *
Nelson Ledges (pre-repave)
Pocono (Majors configuration, parade laps only)
* = favorite/home track
All tracks were driven in an HPDE event, except Pocono.
I'm a bit behind here: Little Talladega, Road Atlanta, Barber, Mid Ohio, Nashville Speedway, I've done a hillclimb too, but not sure that counts. Of those, Barber is probably my favorite.
NCM. I need to do more track days. :-(
I've been on Lime Rock, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen, Monticello, NJ Thunderbolt and Lighning, Palmer, Pocono, Summit Point, Mosport, Thompson and Tamworth. Would love to go to get to a bunch of the south east tracks, VIR, Road Atlanta, Roebling Road, Daytona etc. My favorite up my way is Watkins Glen, it just flows so well.
Added trivia bit: From what I understand, Thompson is the oldest purpose-built road course racetrack in the US.
Carolina Motorsports Park-Home track. Fun but the surface sucks big ones. It's tight enough to be fun in our slow Benzs but was also lots of fun in the 928 I got to drive there once.
Charlotte Motor Speedway-Nascar experience. I count it.
Road Atlanta-Jesus was that track fun, and in a manual swapped XJ6 to boot. The car was fast enough to feel out the long sweepers but not so fast to scare me. Flat through the final turn!
Sebring-Such an amazing and huge track. We were running a bit off pace with 31 lbs/hp but it was everything I expected. I love how I already knew the track from Forza and it was exactly like I expected, weird bumps through 17-17a included. Fastest I've seen our car on track, 88mph going into 7.
National Corvette Museum-Absolutely love this track. Paved paddock, air conditioned bathrooms, awesome elevation change and a great mix of fast and slow corners. I do wish we'd gotten the full track though.
Barber-Disney Land for racers? I say pretty much the same things about Barber as I do about NCM. I've had one of my most memorable battles there, 5 laps between me in a V6 SN95 and my friend in a 302 swapped Fairlylame.
Gingerman-I really like the layout and the elevation change but I wish the track was a bit wider. It made passing more difficult which means almost impossible with how hard passing already is for us.
VIR and NJMP (both tracks) are awesome with plenty of run off room.
If we're just talking road race tracks.
Lime Rock
Road Atlanta
Sebring
Moroso track a Palm Beach
New PBIR track at Palm Beach
Went to Pocono once but it was pouring buckets with 6" standing water in places.
Tremblant and Mosport have long been favorites of mine.
Watkins Glen, VIR, and Sebring are also way up there for me.
The updated PIRC (formerly Beaver Run) and Calabogie were fun venues to race. They’re long with some technical sections. Lots of passing zones.
Got a late start, so my "collection" is pretty small. Gingerman, Grattan and MIS (track laps only, but I'm counting it)
Of that small sample, Grattan is my favorite. Elevation changes, "the jump", off camber and blind corners, a huge back straight, followed immediately by what feels like an impossibly tight turn (but isn't). Finding speed there really feels like an accomplishment. Cons: Facility could use an update, not a lot of overrun/safety margin on some of the tricky bits. Can't even imagine trying to pass here.
Gingerman: Would probably be my favorite . . . if I wasn't driving a Miata. Great facility, great people, great track. It just feels sort of "Driving Miss Daisy" without power. I'd love to go back some day in something with 4 more cylinders.
MIS - if you've never had a chance to toss a car into the high banks and feel it stick, you need to.
I really miss Bridgehampton.
Texas World Speedway (RIP)
MSR Cresson (all three configurations)
MSR Houston
Eagles Canyon Raceway
Mid America Motorplex
High Plains Raceway
Pueblo Motorsports Park (sort of)
Hallett
NCM
Summit Point
Road America
Autobahn (North)
Memphis Motorsports Park
Road Atlanta
Sebring
Carolina Motorsports Park
Gingerman (just fun laps)
Gateway (one lap, then wall)
NOLA
The more I drive particular tracks the more I tend to like them. It takes a weekend to even start to understand the subtleties and where you can really go fast. High Plains is still one of my favorite. Sebring, Road Atlanta and Summit are in the running as well. My long term goal is to do laps at at least 50 tracks before I hang up my helmet. I have two more new ones that are semi local to do in the next year and then whatever One Lap throws at us for 2019.
Waterford Hills, Grattan, M1 Concourse, and MIS.
Summit Main
Summit Shenandoah (also my favorite/home track, be there tomorrow!)
Summit Jefferson
VIR all configurations
CMP
New Jersey Lightning
Watkins Glen long
Lime Rock (also a favorite)
Nelson Ledges
PittRace
Utah Motorsports Campus (formerly Miller Motorsports Park)
New tracks are very exciting! I’d love to get to more.
Road Atlanta -- in the dark, in the rain. After putting in so many laps there, it was like our Civic Chumpcar suddenly gained 50hp. The only time in a 14hr race that we weren't a rolling chicane. Awesome.
AMP -- This is a great place to do HPDE if you have a lower HP car. It's very technical, visually interesting, and features a lot of design elements from some of the best tracks in the world. If you have a high HP car, the back straight sweeper into the tight, downhill, off-camber T1 will test your brakes and your balls. SCCA TNiA here last year was one of the most relaxed, fun events. Didn't even change tires or tow.
CMP -- I've done over 1000 laps in Lemons here. Flat through the kink. I'm pretty sure belt sanders are less abrasive, than the track surface. The facility is great in that old-school track way. It feels remote -- way out in the country.
Roebling Road -- Did my first track day ever here, and from sharing war stories I'm not alone. Seems like this track was a first for many. Flat and sandy. Haven't been there in a long time.
Sebring -- this is a 14hr tow for me. Glad I did it once. Love bugs, flash floods, pissed off fire ants, and rough as hell. This is the ultimate endurance course.
Nelsons Ledges, back in the late '90's when it was really crappy
Mid Ohio
Mt Tremblant. Both original and redone
NHIS
Autobahn
Hallett
Miller Motorsports Park (outer loop and full course)
Continental Divide Raceway
Second Creek Raceway
Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway
Pueblo Motorsports Park
Woody Creek Raceway
High Plains Raceway
Hastings
Miller Motorsports Park is amazing. It could host F1, easily, it's that caliber of facility. Why it never really had any professional series there (Although I did see ALMS there once) boogles me. Totally mismanaged, as usual.
Watkins Glen-first version of present track
Lime Rock- More laps than I can coun't.
Pocono- several versions of the infield courses.
Mosport-never really figured how fast I could go.
Waterford Hills-Can't believe they do actual racing there. Would make a great kart track.
Shenandoah.
Sebring
Daytona 24 hour course
LimeRock
New Hampshire
Mosport
Waterford Hills
Gingerman
Road America
Mid Ohio
Road Atlanta
Las Vegas (Infield)
Fontana (AAA)
Willow Springs, Horse Thief Mile
Buttonwillow
Sonoma
I don't know why but Hallett's calling my name!
If we count cars and bikes, I've got:
I've visited Sonoma (when it was Sears Point) and Laguna Seca, but only as a spectator in both cases.
I'm just getting into track driving (and ideally racing soon) but so far I've been out at:
NJMP Thunderbolt
Watkins Glen (probably my favorite track in the US)
Lime Rock.
All awesome in different ways
If we count racing horses (and we don't), my personal count is 50 racetracks.
Got a ride on the road course at Daytona a few weeks ago, so as for Motorsport tracks, I'm up to one. That was a good one to start with, since I work across the street from the grandstand.
You'll need to log in to post.
