Favorite Tracks/Circuits

[00steven]

Didn't know where to put this seeing as I'm asking for all of racing in general. But I want to know what are your favorite tracks/circuits? I'm going to do my top 5 for both ovals and road and street circuits.

Ovals

1. Indianapolis
2. Talladega
3. Daytona
4. California
5. Martinsville

Road and street circuits

1. Watkins Glen
2. Toronto
3. Road America
4. Long Beach
5. Circuit Gilles Villneuve

[555-04Q2]

Current Favourite = Spa
Old favourite = the old Kyalami of the 60's

[slorydn1]

I have too many to name, but thanks for putting this up here! If I hadda be pressed,

I'd have to say Spa, pre-2001 Hockenheim, Road America, the Nurburgring Nordscheliffe, Le Mans, the full course at Watkins Glen-not the short course NASCAR uses-all road courses that really feel like you are going somewhere, taking a trip, versus driving on a circuit.

As for ovals I'd have to go with Darlington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas, Indy (when Indy cars are on the track, the Cup racing there has been sub-par at best) Richmond, and Bristol before they screwed it up in 2008.

Yes, I said it- I actually like the three "cookie-cutter" tracks. I always laugh when people call them that-they resemble each other in appearance as D shaped ovals with condo's but they are 3 completely different tracks. Charlotte and Texas are 1.5 milers,yes, but with different banking angles, very different transitions off the corners-and Atlanta is 1.54 miles.

I'll use my favorite driver as an example. He has won at Charlotte and Atlanta, yes, but his overall record at Charlotte is absolutely putrid, whereas he is the winningest driver (in Nationwide) at Texas, and although he doesn't have a cup win there, his overall record there is pretty stout. He has won in all three series at Atlanta, but his average finish has suffered due to various engine issues or wrecks over the years. He always says that the 3 tracks don't drive anything alike, and that he really enjoys racing at Texas and Atlanta, but shows up to Charlotte with a bad attitude the second he drives through the tunnel.

Turn 2 at Charlotte is usually a wreck fest because drivers are constantly getting loose and spinning there, and Turn2 at Texas causes many wrecks as well, but for the exact opposite reason, drivers are plowing like a dump truck up off and either hitting the wall or the car to their outside.

The quad oval from Turn 4 to Turn 1 is much more squared off at Charlotte than the other two.

The one thing they all have in common is speed. The fastest qually laps in the Sprint Cup series have alternated between all 3 tracks right after repaves and Atlanta still holds the fastest Q lap of any track since the restrictor plate era started at Slowtona and Yawnadega back in 1988 (197.478 mph for the 1997 Napa 500 set by Geoffrey Bodine-right after the configuration of the track to the current D-Oval).

[wedge]

As for ovals I'd have to go with Darlington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas, Indy (when Indy cars are on the track, the Cup racing there has been sub-par at best) Richmond, and Bristol before they screwed it up in 2008.

If you can say that about Indy then what on earth is Richmond doing on the list? OK, its not on the schedule anymore but that oval was truly awful for Indycars.

[00steven]

I think he meant he likes it for NASCAR.

[harvick#1]

Ovals:

Indy
Nazareth (don't know if it still exists, but awesome physical track)
Pikes Peak (same, although I think its a test track now for some teams)
Darlington
North Wilksboro

Road Courses

Circuit Le Sarthe (le mans)
Spa
Oran Park (dont know if its still around but its a blast on Toca 3 with the Aussie v8's)
Road Atlanta
Bathurst
Brno

plenty more, I would love to be crazy rich and just go around the world finding the best road course

[intheway]

No Monaco? I know it's given us some boring races over the years, but just watching on-board footage of anyone in an F1 car there sends shivers down my spine.

[00steven]

No Monaco? I know it's given us some boring races over the years, but just watching on-board footage of anyone in an F1 car there sends shivers down my spine.

Monaco is my favorite F1 circuit, I just prefer some of the North American circuits better.

[Senninha25]

My current favourites
Spa-Francorchamps
Monaco

My old favourite
Imola (70's-1994 layout, nice flowing circuit, good balance between low speed and high speed sections)

[slorydn1]

If you can say that about Indy then what on earth is Richmond doing on the list? OK, its not on the schedule anymore but that oval was truly awful for Indycars.

I think he meant he likes it for NASCAR.

Yep, thats exactly what I meant

I thought I was being clear enough when I put "when Indy cars are on the track, the Cup racing there has been sub-par at best" in parenthesis right after mentioning Indy but maybe it would have been better to mention Richmond first, then Indy with the explanation....sorry