Because so many think that all ovals are alike, and after seeing a tweet about a circular track I thought I would list some of the general and unusual shapes seen in oval tracks worldwide. Ovals vary in banking as well as shape. Let's take a look at some of these shapes.
The Paperclip:
These tracks tend to be long straights with tight, flat corners. Martinsville is the most obvious example of this. It differs from a "standard" oval by having much tighter corners needing harder braking. High-banked tracks aren't paperclips due to less braking.
The Bullring:
There isn't a clear definition as it can refer to any short track, especially one that is narrow or has very short straights. Some small ovals have corners that are longer than the straight sections. Passing is difficult here and contact is expected.
D-Shaped
An oval of any size can have a D shape. This is a longer, curved front section, and a straight backstretch. This is because it often gives spectators a better view of the track. Richmond is a 3/4 mile D track, and Las Vegas is twice that size, a 1-1/2 mile D track.
"Quad"
This is a variation on the D shape but has two kinks on the front straight as opposed to the single curve. A lot of the tracks from the 90s oval boom in the US followed this design, first seen at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Triangle, or how many corners does Pocono have?
There have been a couple of triangular ovals with Pocono being the most well-known but the short-lived Walt Disney World Speedway was a 1-mile triangle, as was Nazareth Speedway. Concord was a 1/2-mile triangle.
Rectangular
The most famous is Indianapolis (and the original configuration for Homestead). There are four distinct corners with two long main straights and two short "chutes" between the first two and last two turns.
Trapezoid
Similar to the rectangular layout but the corners on these tracks are of different sizes and banking. The two best examples are the short-lived oval at Rio and Rockingham Motor Speedway in the UK which featured four different corners and four different straights.
Now we've covered the most common shapes of ovals, we can have a look at a few of the more unusual shapes that have existed.
Square.
Flemington Speedway in New Jersey was built as a square. Four equal corners and four equal straights. The 5/8 mile track, now closed, was host to the Nascar Truck series from 1995 until 1998.
Circular
Yes, there was a circular track! Langhorne speedway. This one-mile track was famous for both being a circle and also for being very dangerous. It was one of the few tracks anywhere in the world to scare drivers.
autoweek.com/racing/a1688031/killing-field-myth-legend-langhorne-speedway/
Kidney
When might you turn right on an oval? When you were racing at Trenton! This track had a usual right-hand kink added when the track was extended to 1-1/2 miles. It sounds very weird, doesn't it? It begs the question of when does an oval stop being an oval.
Spoon
If you say "oval track" to a German you end up with the Almaring in Gelsenkirchen. This track, now disused and overgrown is hard to describe as an oval. I think at this point we've gone beyond what counts as an oval. It's just, well, odd. Is it an oval? You can decide
Gordon J Barnes
@gordonjbarnes
Three-time @EuroNascar Club Challenge Champion (2021, 2022, 2023) Freelancing @SAPCommerce and eCommerce Living in Germany
