Best NASCAR Track (2019)

Ohio's Eldora Speedway, nicknamed "The Big E," was purchased by NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in 2004. Today, the historic half-mile clay racing oval features a video board over turn two and luxury suites atop turn three. In addition to hosting the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the track also hosts The Kings Royal, one of the biggest sprint car races in the country.
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At one time the home of the F1 US Grand Prix, today Watkins Glen’s biggest race is its annual NASCAR date that sees its two top tier series competing on a double header weekend. The fast lefts and rights of this upstate New York have seen more than a few daring last lap moves and the “bus stop” on the back stretch is a legendary spot for intrepid drivers to make up time.
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Daytona plays host not only as the start of the season, but the mid way point as well. Whether you’re making the track to the beach for the Great American Race or the summer time 400 mile classic under the lights, a forgettable race at Daytona is an extremely rare occurrence.
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The oval at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, nicknamed the “Magic Mile” or “Martinsville on steroids,” has seating for 77,000 spectators who turn up to watch the New Hampshire 301, part of the NASCAR “Race to the Chase.”
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Weathered pavement has caused this two mile D-shaped oval to turn into one of the most breathtaking races of the season. Wide turns and several grooves of racing have led to plenty of last lap passes and side by side finishes in recent years and this southern California track now hosts a must-watch weekend of racing.
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Atlanta has the widest surface of any mile and a half circuit under NASCAR jurisdiction but that doesn’t stop the racing from being as hectic as any short track out there. The turns may be a mile wide but the surface is nearly two decades old and grip is hard to come by. A high speed game of slip and slide is what ensues when the green flag drops and cars take off three and four wide into turn one.
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The Monster Mile, the world’s fastest one-mile oval, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Since 1969, Dover’s high-banked track (24 degrees in the turns, 9 degrees on straightaways) and top speeds have produced some of the most exciting races in NASCAR. Dover’s upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on Oct. 6 is the 100th NASCAR Cup Series event in the track’s history.
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Arguably the track that invented the concept of bullring style short track racing, Bristol is all about beating and banging to get the upper hand over the field. The formula here is as simple as it is effective. Throw out all the aero R&D, fuel mileage predictions and careful strategy because this track is all about having the muscle and will power necessary to make the guy in front of you move out of the way.
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The mile-long, low-banked oval at ISM Raceway in Arizona hosts two NASCAR race weekends each year. A $178 million renovation in 2018 included new and upgraded grandstands, as well as a a move of the start and finish line to Turn 2 for a more thrilling race experience.
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NASCAR’s oldest track has hosted races since the late 1940s, and while the racing surfaces have changed from dirt, to asphalt to a hybrid patchwork, the paperclip shaped short track, tucked away in southern Virginia, has never failed to be a high point in the NASCAR season. It is also one of the most important and harrowing races in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs: The Chase.
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