Where can I find race car tracks around the country?
I’m a big auto racing fan, and I was wondering if there’s an easy way to find race car tracks when traveling, or just all the ones near me?
Chasing racing
Headed on vacation and want to see some local racing action? Want to check out NASCAR in person? Moving and want to see what tracks are in the area? Been watching motorsports on TV for years, but have no idea where to go locally?
No problem — we have a good selection of resources that can help you find some racetracks in your local area.
Go online to find race car tracks
When I was a kid (this would be the 1980s, if you’re wondering), my parents had a little print directory of racetracks across the United States that lived in the glovebox of the car for most of the summer.
I can’t remember if they bought it at a track or waited “3 to 6 weeks for delivery” from some mail order house for it, but at the time that little book combined with a map was about the best you could do.
These days, though printed directories are still available (and handy if you don’t have a smartphone), you can find just about every track in the country on the internet. Here are a few of my favorite sites:
National Speedway Directory: With listings for ovals, dragstrips, road courses, and more all sorted by state, this site makes it easy to track down a racetrack no matter where you are. Clickable maps provide directions, phone numbers, track websites, and reviews. They even offer a print version for sale.
RacingIn.com: Very similar to the above, with a slightly flashier interface. They also offer an “Upcoming schedule” feature, though it’s limited to just a few select tracks.
Google: When all else fails (or as new tracks open or just don’t show up in directories, for whatever reason) just plug the search string “race tracks near me” and see what shows up. (If you don’t have location services on, just replace “near me” with the city in question.)
Final lap… er, thoughts
It’s never a bad idea to double-check that a track you find is:
- Still in existence.
- Still operating.
- Actually racing the day/night you plan to attend.
Do double check either by going to the track’s website (if they have one), or calling the office before making the trek out. This would be especially important if there are potential weather conditions that might mean the race is canceled.
