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Ten Great American Tracks Everyone Must Drive

  • <p>Nestled in the hills of Northern California's wine country are 16 sweeping turns across two and a half miles, many of which are off-camber, making for a hell of a challenge. Drivers of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series take it on every year. And when you connect the turns and get the rhythm right, it is a beautiful thing. </p>
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    Sonoma Raceway

    Nestled in the hills of Northern California's wine country are 16 sweeping turns across two and a half miles, many of which are off-camber, making for a hell of a challenge. Drivers of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series take it on every year. And when you connect the turns and get the rhythm right, it is a beautiful thing.

    Brian Cleary/Getty Images
  • <p>At this 1.5-mile track tucked among northwestern Connecticut's verdant hills, the fastest lap here is just 43 seconds. With just seven turns, it is a simple layout that is deceptively tough. Since nearly everything in New England is old, Lime Rock Park is one of America's oldest tracks, dating back to 1956—a place that John Fitch, America's Le Mans legend, called home.</p>
    2/10

    Lime Rock Park

    At this 1.5-mile track tucked among northwestern Connecticut's verdant hills, the fastest lap here is just 43 seconds. With just seven turns, it is a simple layout that is deceptively tough. Since nearly everything in New England is old, Lime Rock Park is one of America's oldest tracks, dating back to 1956—a place that John Fitch, America's Le Mans legend, called home.

    Brian Cleary + Getty
  • <p>Contrary to popular belief, the Corkscrew isn't the scariest corner on the track. Nor is it scary at all. No, it's the uphill stretch and then the 180-foot tall elevation change, back down to earth, that makes this place seem like a roller coaster. With blind crests and technical apexes, MRLS is an exhilarating rush no matter what you're driving—or riding. </p>
    3/10

    Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

    Contrary to popular belief, the Corkscrew isn't the scariest corner on the track. Nor is it scary at all. No, it's the uphill stretch and then the 180-foot tall elevation change, back down to earth, that makes this place seem like a roller coaster. With blind crests and technical apexes, MRLS is an exhilarating rush no matter what you're driving—or riding.

    Robert Laberge/Allsport/Getty Images
  • <p>B-17 bombers once roared off from Sebring's Ullman Straight, during World War II, and since 1952, the racing has been no less epic. Part of Sebring's excitement is still due to its Air Force roots, atop a former runway both bumpy and unforgiving, channeled by menacing concrete walls and beating up on car and driver alike. The other part, during the 12 Hours of Sebring, is due to Florida's unique species of party animals. It's hard to tell who has it the best.</p>
    4/10

    Sebring International Raceway

    B-17 bombers once roared off from Sebring's Ullman Straight, during World War II, and since 1952, the racing has been no less epic. Part of Sebring's excitement is still due to its Air Force roots, atop a former runway both bumpy and unforgiving, channeled by menacing concrete walls and beating up on car and driver alike. The other part, during the 12 Hours of Sebring, is due to Florida's unique species of party animals. It's hard to tell who has it the best.

    RacingOne/Getty Images
  • <p>America's newest Formula One track is also America's only representation in the highest echelon of motor racing—and for good reason, too. Watching a legion of gorgeous race cars charging up the straight into the hairpin of Turn 1 is only bested by charging up it yourself, in your own car—before navigating the S-turns an barreling down the back straight. Fortunately, COTA fills its calendar with plenty of track days for both manufacturers and enthusiasts alike.</p>
    5/10

    Circuit of the Americas

    America's newest Formula One track is also America's only representation in the highest echelon of motor racing—and for good reason, too. Watching a legion of gorgeous race cars charging up the straight into the hairpin of Turn 1 is only bested by charging up it yourself, in your own car—before navigating the S-turns an barreling down the back straight. Fortunately, COTA fills its calendar with plenty of track days for both manufacturers and enthusiasts alike.

    Mark Thompson/Getty Images
  • <p>Watkins Glen used to be the home of the US Grand Prix, which it hosted for nearly twenty years. There's real history in the beautiful upstate New York track, playing host to every legend from the Golden Age of F1,and after they left, Can-Am, IMSA, CART, IndyCar, even NASCAR. Full of precise, interconnected segments that open up with great rhythm, if you can conquer the sharp-as-a-knife Turn 9, you're golden.</p>
    6/10

    Watkins Glen

    Watkins Glen used to be the home of the US Grand Prix, which it hosted for nearly twenty years. There's real history in the beautiful upstate New York track, playing host to every legend from the Golden Age of F1,and after they left, Can-Am, IMSA, CART, IndyCar, even NASCAR. Full of precise, interconnected segments that open up with great rhythm, if you can conquer the sharp-as-a-knife Turn 9, you're golden.

    Bob Harmeyer/Archive Photos/Getty Images
  • <p>Legend says that the curve at Turn 1 as determined by the turning radius of the bulldozer that plowed it. The four men who built VIR in 1957 weren't professionals at all, and that's why such quirks, like the Oak Tree hairpin, built around its enormous and eponymous landmark which unforunately fell a few years ago, feel organic, spontaneous, and a thrill to challenge. </p>
    7/10

    Virginia International Raceway

    Legend says that the curve at Turn 1 as determined by the turning radius of the bulldozer that plowed it. The four men who built VIR in 1957 weren't professionals at all, and that's why such quirks, like the Oak Tree hairpin, built around its enormous and eponymous landmark which unforunately fell a few years ago, feel organic, spontaneous, and a thrill to challenge.

    Brian Cleary/Getty Images
  • <p>The home of "Thunder Valley" is a beautiful, modern track that's honed the skills of amateur and professional alike. Tricky hill-cresting turns, flat-out kinks, and plenty of room for passing has made this a favorite place for showdowns from IMSA, American Le Mans, NASCAR, SCCA, and motorcycles. And for what it's worth, it's also renowned for having some of the cleanest trackside bathrooms in the country. </p>
    8/10

    Mid-Ohio

    The home of "Thunder Valley" is a beautiful, modern track that's honed the skills of amateur and professional alike. Tricky hill-cresting turns, flat-out kinks, and plenty of room for passing has made this a favorite place for showdowns from IMSA, American Le Mans, NASCAR, SCCA, and motorcycles. And for what it's worth, it's also renowned for having some of the cleanest trackside bathrooms in the country.

    Brian Cleary/Getty Images
  • <p>This may just be one of America's fastest racetracks. There are few experiences as exhilarating as navigating the downhill esses with perfect visibility and a perfect line. Connect the dots, come up the hill to the fast left-hander, and let the gentle elevation guide you up the back straight. Careful, though: that downhill stretch has witnessed some spectacular race car backflips. </p>
    9/10

    Road Atlanta

    This may just be one of America's fastest racetracks. There are few experiences as exhilarating as navigating the downhill esses with perfect visibility and a perfect line. Connect the dots, come up the hill to the fast left-hander, and let the gentle elevation guide you up the back straight. Careful, though: that downhill stretch has witnessed some spectacular race car backflips.

    Brian Cleary/Getty Images
  • <p>The tiny town of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, was home to some of America's earliest sports car racing. The road course was built nearby in 1955 and its configuration has hardly changed, hosting the early days of SCCA as well as IMSA and NASCAR. Nearby Siebkens bar plays host to America's original Mecca of motorsport. Incidentally, Paul Newman filmed his 1969 film Winning here, which got him interested in motorsports, changing his life from an actor to a racer. </p>
    10/10

    Road America

    The tiny town of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, was home to some of America's earliest sports car racing. The road course was built nearby in 1955 and its configuration has hardly changed, hosting the early days of SCCA as well as IMSA and NASCAR. Nearby Siebkens bar plays host to America's original Mecca of motorsport. Incidentally, Paul Newman filmed his 1969 film Winning here, which got him interested in motorsports, changing his life from an actor to a racer.

    Brian Cleary/Getty Images
<p>Nestled in the hills of Northern California's wine country are 16 sweeping turns across two and a half miles, many of which are off-camber, making for a hell of a challenge. Drivers of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series take it on every year. And when you connect the turns and get the rhythm right, it is a beautiful thing. </p>
<p>At this 1.5-mile track tucked among northwestern Connecticut's verdant hills, the fastest lap here is just 43 seconds. With just seven turns, it is a simple layout that is deceptively tough. Since nearly everything in New England is old, Lime Rock Park is one of America's oldest tracks, dating back to 1956—a place that John Fitch, America's Le Mans legend, called home.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, the Corkscrew isn't the scariest corner on the track. Nor is it scary at all. No, it's the uphill stretch and then the 180-foot tall elevation change, back down to earth, that makes this place seem like a roller coaster. With blind crests and technical apexes, MRLS is an exhilarating rush no matter what you're driving—or riding. </p>
<p>B-17 bombers once roared off from Sebring's Ullman Straight, during World War II, and since 1952, the racing has been no less epic. Part of Sebring's excitement is still due to its Air Force roots, atop a former runway both bumpy and unforgiving, channeled by menacing concrete walls and beating up on car and driver alike. The other part, during the 12 Hours of Sebring, is due to Florida's unique species of party animals. It's hard to tell who has it the best.</p>
<p>America's newest Formula One track is also America's only representation in the highest echelon of motor racing—and for good reason, too. Watching a legion of gorgeous race cars charging up the straight into the hairpin of Turn 1 is only bested by charging up it yourself, in your own car—before navigating the S-turns an barreling down the back straight. Fortunately, COTA fills its calendar with plenty of track days for both manufacturers and enthusiasts alike.</p>
<p>Watkins Glen used to be the home of the US Grand Prix, which it hosted for nearly twenty years. There's real history in the beautiful upstate New York track, playing host to every legend from the Golden Age of F1,and after they left, Can-Am, IMSA, CART, IndyCar, even NASCAR. Full of precise, interconnected segments that open up with great rhythm, if you can conquer the sharp-as-a-knife Turn 9, you're golden.</p>
<p>Legend says that the curve at Turn 1 as determined by the turning radius of the bulldozer that plowed it. The four men who built VIR in 1957 weren't professionals at all, and that's why such quirks, like the Oak Tree hairpin, built around its enormous and eponymous landmark which unforunately fell a few years ago, feel organic, spontaneous, and a thrill to challenge. </p>
<p>The home of "Thunder Valley" is a beautiful, modern track that's honed the skills of amateur and professional alike. Tricky hill-cresting turns, flat-out kinks, and plenty of room for passing has made this a favorite place for showdowns from IMSA, American Le Mans, NASCAR, SCCA, and motorcycles. And for what it's worth, it's also renowned for having some of the cleanest trackside bathrooms in the country. </p>
<p>This may just be one of America's fastest racetracks. There are few experiences as exhilarating as navigating the downhill esses with perfect visibility and a perfect line. Connect the dots, come up the hill to the fast left-hander, and let the gentle elevation guide you up the back straight. Careful, though: that downhill stretch has witnessed some spectacular race car backflips. </p>
<p>The tiny town of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, was home to some of America's earliest sports car racing. The road course was built nearby in 1955 and its configuration has hardly changed, hosting the early days of SCCA as well as IMSA and NASCAR. Nearby Siebkens bar plays host to America's original Mecca of motorsport. Incidentally, Paul Newman filmed his 1969 film Winning here, which got him interested in motorsports, changing his life from an actor to a racer. </p>
Blake Z. Rong

There are race tracks, and there are race tracks: iconic places where brave racers have fought to bitter ends, the places well worth the pilgrimage. Visiting them is one thing, but you can't call yourself a car enthusiast until you turn a wheel in anger while rounding the oak tree at Virginia International Raceway, or come in blind to the hill atop Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's legendary Corkscrew. To drive these is to be a part of history.

From Road & Track