Track Types and Groupings

NASCAR Series

DFS NASCAR players, handicappers and fantasy players that group tracks with similarities have more data from more races to make better decisions. Here are the current tracks on the schedule and the defunct or inactive tracks.

Tracks Filter

Select a track from the buttons below to show the different track groupings this track is a part of.

Track Type and Grouping Ideas

I've collected some track groupings for you to compare. These groupings come from my site (frcs.pro), ifantasyrace.com, driveraverages.com and NASCAR.

Accupredict

Flat Tracks

  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Iowa Speedway
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Martinsville Speedway
  • Nashville Superspeedway
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Pocono Raceway
  • Richmond Raceway
  • World Wide Technology Raceway

Accupredict 'Flat' Group

Accupredict

Large Oval Tracks

  • Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Auto Club Speedway
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Chicagoland Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • Kentucky Speedway
  • Michigan International Speedway
  • Texas Motor Speedway

Accupredict 'Large Oval' Group

Accupredict

Restrictor Plate Tracks

  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Talladega Superspeedway

Accupredict 'Restrictor Plate' Group

Accupredict

Road Course Tracks

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Daytona Road Course
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
  • Portland International Raceway
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International

Accupredict 'Road Course' Group

Accupredict

Steep Tracks

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)
  • Darlington Raceway
  • Dover International Speedway
  • Homestead Miami Speedway
  • Knoxville Raceway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

Accupredict 'Steep' Group

Granular

High Speed / Technical RC

  • Watkins Glen International

FRCS

Granular

High Speed RC

  • Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
  • Road America

FRCS

Granular

Non-Technical RC

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Daytona Road Course
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

FRCS

Granular

Technical RC

  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Sonoma Raceway

FRCS

Primary Similar Tracks

Atlanta Motor Speedway

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Track Type: 1.5 Mile Low Wear Intermediate Track (Quasi-Superspeedway)

Track Note: Throw away your old Atlanta notes because it's essentially a new track. For 2022, Atlanta's been repaved and reconfigured.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Auto Club Speedway

  • Darlington Raceway
  • Homestead Miami Speedway
  • Michigan International Speedway

Track Type: 2.0 mile High Tire Wear Intermediate

Track Note: Auto Club is a two-mile oval like Michigan, but the track surface is very different. Tire-wear is a big factor at this venue.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Bristol Motor Speedway

  • No true similar track, study Bristol Motor Speedway as a unique track.

Track Type: Short

Track Note: Study Bristol as a unique track.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)

  • No true similar track, study Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt) as a unique track.

Track Type: Short

Track Note: Study "Bristol Dirt" as a unique track. The dirt surface is a game changer.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Charlotte Motor Speedway

  • Kansas Speedway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Texas Motor Speedway

Track Type: 1.5 Mile Low Wear Intermediate Track

Track Note: Charlotte is a D-shaped oval, but it's starting to become more of a unique track with others re-configuring over the years. Put emphasis on studying other low-wear 1.5 mile tracks.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course

  • Daytona Road Course

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: Among the road courses, focus on studying "Rovals" for fantasy preparation but don't neglect overall road course racing prowess.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Circuit of The Americas

  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: Make sure you study drivers overall road course racing prowess. I would lean on that more then what happened in 2021 in the rain.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Darlington Raceway

  • No true similar track, study Darlington Raceway as a unique track.

Track Type: High Tire Wear Skill Intermediate Track

Track Note: Study Darlington as a unique track, but also study how driver have performed at high-tire wear tracks.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Daytona International Speedway

  • Talladega Superspeedway

Track Type: Plate

Track Note: Daytona and Talladega are plate tracks but they race differently. Daytona is much more narrow and Talladega is a lot wider.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Daytona Road Course

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: For fantasy preparation for the Daytona Road Course I would focus on Rovals, but make sure you don't overlook overall road course racing prowess.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Dover International Speedway

  • No true similar track, study Dover International Speedway as a unique track.

Track Type: Skill Intermediate

Track Note: Study Dover as a unique track. If you want to make a stretch you can say it's similar to Darlington and Bristol.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Homestead Miami Speedway

  • Auto Club Speedway
  • Darlington Raceway

Track Type: 1.5 mile High Tire Wear Intermediate

Track Note: Homestead is the most symmetrical 1.5 mile track on the schedule. Tire wear is extreme at this south Florida track.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

  • Pocono Raceway

Track Type: Big Flat

Track Note: Pocono and Indy are the two big flat tracks on the schedule. I include Auto Club and Michigan as secondary similar tracks because big horse power is key here, and it's also extremely important at those two venues.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: The Indy Road Course was new for NASCAR's top series in 2021. Although it is "Roval" like, I think traditional road courses have higher correlation.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Kansas Speedway

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Michigan International Speedway

Track Type: 1.5 Mile Low Wear Intermediate Track

Track Note: I view Kansas as sort of a "mini-Michigan."

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

  • Kansas Speedway

Track Type: 1.5 mile Intermediate

Track Note: Las Vegas is an intermediate track where historically tire-wear hasn't proven to be a huge issue. Track position is very important here.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Martinsville Speedway

  • No true similar track, study Martinsville Speedway as a unique track.

Track Type: Short

Track Note: Study Martinsville as a unique track. It's not comparable to any other track on the schedule.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Michigan International Speedway

  • Auto Club Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway

Track Type: 2.0 Mile Low Wear Intermediate Track

Track Note: To prepare for Michigan study Kansas. It can be viewed as a "Mini-Michigan."

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Nashville Superspeedway

  • No true similar track, study Nashville Superspeedway as a unique track.

Track Type: 1.33 mile Concrete Flat Intermediate

Track Note: Nashville is a unique track. It's 1.33 miles and concrete. It's almost a mix between Dover and some shorter-flat tracks.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Richmond Raceway

Track Type: Shorter Flat

Track Note: For fantasy preparation for New Hampshire, make sure you study how drivers performed at Richmond and Phoenix.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Phoenix Raceway

  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Richmond Raceway

Track Type: Shorter Flat

Track Note: New Hampshire and Richmond are two shorter-flat tracks where the level of correlation should be high. I view Phoenix as sort of a reverse Richmond.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Pocono Raceway

  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Track Type: Big Flat

Track Note: I include Auto Club and Michigan as secondary similar tracks because big horse power is key here, and it's also extremely important at those two venues.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Richmond Raceway

  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway

Track Type: Shorter Flat / Short

Track Note: New Hampshire and Phoenix are the two shorter-flat tracks where the level of correlation should be high. I view Richmond as sort of a reverse Phoenix.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Road America

  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: I would focus on studying non-rovals, but don't neglect overall road course racing prowess.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Sonoma Raceway

  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Road America

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: Sonoma is a very technical road course. Don't neglect studying overall road course racing prowess.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Talladega Superspeedway

  • Daytona International Speedway

Track Type: Plate

Track Note: Daytona and Talladega are plate tracks but they race differently. Daytona is much more narrow and Talladega is a lot wider.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Texas Motor Speedway

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Track Type: 1.5 mile Intermediate

Track Note: Texas was newly repaved for 2017. Prior races should no longer be considered relevant.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

Watkins Glen International

  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway

Track Type: Road Course

Track Note: Watkins Glen is largely a unique track. Study overall road course racing prowess.

ifantasyrace

Primary Similar Tracks

World Wide Technology Raceway

  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Richmond Raceway

Track Type: Shorter Flat

Track Note: Gateway is new for 2022. I'm going to view it as a "Big" shorter-flat track. It's 1.25 miles and the other shorter-flat tracks are 1.0 miles or less.

ifantasyrace

Length

Dirt Track

  • Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)

DriverAverages

Length

Intermediate (1 mile) Track

  • Dover International Speedway
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway

DriverAverages

Length

Intermediate (1.5 mile) Track

  • Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Chicagoland Speedway
  • Darlington Raceway
  • Homestead Miami Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • Kentucky Speedway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Nashville Superspeedway
  • Texas Motor Speedway

DriverAverages

Length

Intermediate (2 mile) Track

  • Auto Club Speedway
  • Michigan International Speedway

DriverAverages

Length

Intermediate (2.5 mile) Track

  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Pocono Raceway

DriverAverages

Length

Road Course Track

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Daytona Road Course
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
  • Portland International Raceway
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International

DriverAverages

Length

Short Track

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Martinsville Speedway
  • Richmond Raceway

DriverAverages

Length

Superspeedway Track

  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Talladega Superspeedway

DriverAverages

Common Type

Road Course Track

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Daytona Road Course
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
  • Portland International Raceway
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International

Road course tracks are not typical ovals. In fact, they aren’t ovals at all. Road courses add right turns into the mix, with longer courses that often wind through the surrounding scenery. Circuit of The Americas, Road America, Watkins Glen and Sonoma are the road courses the Cup Series currently visits. The Charlotte Roval and Indianapolis Road Course are a combination road course/oval track.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Size

Common Type

Short Track

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)
  • Darlington Raceway
  • Dover International Speedway
  • Iowa Speedway
  • Knoxville Raceway
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
  • Martinsville Speedway
  • Nashville Superspeedway
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Richmond Raceway
  • World Wide Technology Raceway

Short tracks are less than 1 mile in length – count Martinsville Speedway (.526 miles), Bristol Motor Speedway (.533 miles) and Richmond Raceway (.75 miles) in that category for the Cup Series.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Size

Common Type

Speedway Track

  • Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Auto Club Speedway
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Chicagoland Speedway
  • Homestead Miami Speedway
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • Kentucky Speedway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Michigan International Speedway
  • Pocono Raceway
  • Texas Motor Speedway

Speedway or Intermediate tracks make up the bulk of the NASCAR schedule. Those are defined by any track greater than one mile in length, with the exception of both Daytona and Talladega.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Size

Common Type

Superspeedway Track

  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Talladega Superspeedway

Daytona International Speedway (2.5 miles) and Talladega Superspeedway (2.66 miles) are the only two tracks NASCAR defines as "superspeedways." Both are humungous ovals, and both have used restrictor plates in the past (and currently tapered spacers) to keep the speed of the car in check.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Size

Common Shape

D-shaped oval Track

  • Auto Club Speedway
  • Chicagoland Speedway
  • Iowa Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • Kentucky Speedway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Michigan International Speedway
  • Richmond Raceway
D-shaped oval

A variation of tri-oval is the "D-shaped oval". Similar to a tri-oval, a D-shaped oval has a straight backstretch, but a long, sweeping frontstretch, giving the circuit a layout resembling the letter D

NASCAR Grouping by Track Shape

Common Shape

Oval Track

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)
  • Darlington Raceway
  • Dover International Speedway
  • Homestead Miami Speedway
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Knoxville Raceway
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
  • Martinsville Speedway
  • Nashville Superspeedway
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • World Wide Technology Raceway
Oval

A typical oval track consists of two parallel straights, connected by two 180° turns. Although most ovals generally have only two radii curves, they are usually advertised and labeled as four 90° turns. While many oval tracks conform to the traditional symmetrical design, asymmetrical tracks are not uncommon.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Shape

Common Shape

Quad-oval Track

  • Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Texas Motor Speedway
Quad-oval

A tri-oval with a "double dogleg" is often called a "quad-oval". A quad-oval is very similar to a tri-oval in sightlines and layout. One specific feature is that the start-finish line segment actually falls on a straight section, rather than along a curve. The shape has become a signature for Speedway Motorsports, which owns all major quad-ovals in the United States.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Shape

Common Shape

Road Course Track

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Daytona Road Course
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
  • Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
  • Portland International Raceway
  • Road America
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International
Road Course

Road course tracks are not typical ovals. In fact, they aren’t ovals at all. Road courses add right turns into the mix, with longer courses that often wind through the surrounding scenery.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Shape

Common Shape

Tri-Oval Track

  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Pocono Raceway
  • Talladega Superspeedway
Tri-Oval

A tri-oval resembles an isosceles triangle with rounded-off corners. The circuits typically have a straight backstretch, while the main straightaway where the pit area and most grandstands are located, has a "tri-oval" curve (sometimes characterized as a fifth curve) that makes the mainstretch skewed. Tri-ovals have become preferable to track builders as they offer superior sightlines. Generally on tri-ovals the start-finish line is located on the apex of the tri-oval curve.

NASCAR Grouping by Track Shape