Unique oval tracks

This thread shall be dedicated to sharing unique oval tracks.

Very few sources have pointed it out but the turns at Bristol Motor Speedway are different radii

Here's another: Mount Lawn Speedway

EDIT Did some more digging after posting this.  And in an age of news about race tracks off all types being torn down, some good news.  Racing stopped there in 1997, but just re-started in 2021.  We don't lose them all!

Odsal stadium near where I grew up.  Used to watch F1 and F2 Stock cars there in the 80's.  390 yard oval built around the outside of the Rugby pitch.

Note.  BRISCA Stock cars are more like Sprint cars here.  These are F1 stock cars.

Modern

80's

Only image available of McCormick Field Raceway which hosted the Cup Series once

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

wowzas, I've never seen cars like that before! Tell us more! 

In reply to SpeedwayFan :

That reminds me of an old one here in Richmond, Mooers field went from hosting ball games to races back in the 1950s

hunter47 said:

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

wowzas, I've never seen cars like that before! Tell us more! 

Similar in concept to Sprint cars here.  They are called Stock cars as they use a stock block.  Normally a Chubby, but any American big or small block is allowed I think up too 9L, but I'm not sure the rules.  Around 650-700hp.  Chassis is a spaceframedized ladder chassis.  Live rear axle with long trailing arms.  Beam front axle with long leading arms.  Weight 1350kg.  Run on dirt and tarmac.

Most of my career has been at ovals. So, I'm intrigued by this post.

Here's one to bite on.

Mahoning Valley Speedway - Lehighton, Pa. - 1/4-mile paved oval

You never stop turning. Racing can be like Talladega, but on a 1/4-mile, with two lines of traffic throughout the race - and yes, sometimes the big one happens (on a small scale).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChmVss95_2A

Can I cheat a bit as this isn't an oval, but a Grand Prix circuit.  Most F1 fans know the very first official F1 world championship race was the British Grand Prix in 1950 at Silverstone.  But in 1955, 57, 59, 61 and 62 it was held at Aintree, on a circuit set up inside the Grand National horse track.  So while the horse track is sort of a modified oval, the GP circuit followed part of the perimeter with various sections going inwards.  A Bit like the Indy Roval if you like.  YOu can see the horse track 'oval'ish around the outside in the pics below.  

Rockingham Oval also in the UK.  Built in 01, closed permanently in 18.  Held CART races in 01 and 02 and lot's of ASCAR, European NASCAR Series for a few years as well.

Another from the UK.  Am I showing my heritage here?  The famous Brooklands was built in 1907, two years before Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2.75 mile banked oval and the location of numerous races, speed, time and distance records etc. Also it was an airfield, and even today on what's left of the original site, Mercedes have one of their experience centers.

OK, one more from across the pond.  Wimbledon grayhound stadium had a race track as well from 1962 until 2018 when the area became part of a low emissions zone in London and racing was stopped.

Doesn't exist anymore but here's a unique one

Louisville Motor Speedway

Another: Memphis Motorsports Park oval

A tri oval with different sized turns

What about a kidney beat-shaped short track? It would basically throw a right-hander into the mix.  

Following. I'm loving this. 

Also, and this is a question for Wally, but which Long Island short track basically had a gates through the Turn 1-2 wall that opened for access to the pits? Was that Islip? 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I know Freeport did, and pretty sure Islip did as well. 
 

For oddly shaped ovals there's Pocono, a tri-oval with pretty much no banking and the grandstands on the wrong side of the track so that everything goes as far away as humanly possible. 

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

I'll add that Riverhead Raceway has its gates in turns three and four. For some reason, those gates see the wildest wrecks over the years.

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I know Freeport did, and pretty sure Islip did as well. 
 

For oddly shaped ovals there's Pocono, a tri-oval with pretty much no banking and the grandstands on the wrong side of the track so that everything goes as far away as humanly possible. 

Hey I've been to that one...somehow it's worse than watching road course  racing where you can only see 1-2 corners. It's truly a feat of engineering!

Summerville Speedway was my local track and had it still been in existence I would have never gotten into autocross and road racing. 

I'd be one of those rednecks running the clay on Saturday night. Probably 4cyl Stock or Thunder and Lightning class. 

Unfortunately, by the time I could afford to build a car the track turned into a neighborhood. 

I remember Islip from watching ABC's wide world of sports in the 70's.  They'd run figure 8 and a demolition derby.  Good fun.

It's stunning the number of tracks that could be supported with both entrants and spectators back in the day.

In reply to J.A. Ackley :

I used to help a couple guys that raced in Riverhead.  One of them loaned a car to his brother in law to try out and on about his third lap he split the car into pieces on the pit entrance.  

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

They were incredible promotors there.  The figure 8 championship was huge, and the got the cup cars to run a few times.