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An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit, primarily in the USA, which differs from a road course in that it only has turns in one direction, which is almost universally left. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Road racing can be a term involving Road running, road bicycle races, or Automobile races Oval tracks often have banked turns as well. Despite the name, tracks do not have to be precisely oval, such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to be classed as oval tracks. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway Indiana (an Enclave of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the

Martinsville Speedway, a symmetrical oval, following a race.
Martinsville Speedway, a symmetrical oval, following a race. Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation -owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Ridgeway Virginia.

The racing held on these tracks is referred to as 'oval racing', and is a type of motorsport, primarily American, that involves running multiple cars wheel-to-wheel in a race around the track.

Major forms of oval racing include stock car racing, sprint car racing, and forms of open-wheel racing currently sanctioned by the Indy Racing League or IRL. Stock car racing is a form of Automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks Open-wheel car (Often single-seater car, in UK English describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and in most cases one seat The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based Open-wheel racing series. The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based Open-wheel racing series.

For many years the premiere oval race in the United States was the Indianapolis 500 (an open wheel race), but among some pundits this has been largely superseded by the Daytona 500 (a stock car race). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Florida. [1]

Contents

Track classification

A dirt oval track
A dirt oval track

Oval tracks are classified based upon their size, surface, and shape. Their size can range from only a few hundred feet to over two and a half miles. Track surfaces can be dirt, concrete, asphalt, or a combination of concrete and asphalt. This article concerns auto racing motorcycles, horses, and dogs also race on dirt tracks Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum Some ovals in the early twentieth century had wood surfaces. UniontownPennsylvaniaBoardTrack1916Constructionjpg|thumb|right|Construction of a board track in Uniontown Pennsylvania in 1916]] Board track, or motordrome,

By size

The definitions used to determine track sizes have changed over the years. It should be noted that while some tracks use terms such as "speedway" or "superspeedway" in their name, they may not met the definitions set in this article.

Short tracks

Main article: short track motor racing

A short track is an oval less than 1 mile (1. In North American Auto racing, particularly with regard to NASCAR, a short track is a Racetrack of less than one mile (1 6 kilometers) long. Short tracks are often used as a starting point for drivers seeking careers in oval track racing.

Speedways

Speedways (also known as "intermediate tracks") 1 to 2 miles in length. Since their size makes allows them to compromise high speeds with sightlines, they have become commonplace in major racing series that utilize oval tracks.

Superspeedways

Superspeedways are at least 2 miles in length [1], featuring only left turns. The most famous superspeedways are Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway Indiana (an Enclave of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Daytona International Speedway is a Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. These tracks were built in 1909 and 1959 respectively. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built as a facility for the automotive industry to conduct research and development. [2] Daytona International Speedway was built as a replacement for the Daytona Beach Road Course, which combined the town's main street and its famous beach, the track holds the Daytona 500, NASCAR's most prestigious race. Daytona Beach Road Course was a Race track that was instrumental in the formation of NASCAR. The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Florida.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The longest and fastest superspeedway is the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Talladega Superspeedway is a Motorsports complex located in Talladega Alabama United States Talladega (locally ˌtæləˈdɪgə is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. Built in the 1960s, it is 2. 66 miles (4. 20 kilometers) long, and holds the current record for fastest speed in a stock car, 228 miles per hour (367 km/h). [3]

Other superspeedways used by NASCAR include the Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Pocono Raceway. The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (formerly California Speedway) is a two-mile low-banked D-shaped oval Superspeedway in Fontana California Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (322-km moderate-banked D-shaped Superspeedway located off U Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway) is a Superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond

Shape

While many oval tracks conform to the traditional symmetrical design, asymmetrical tracks are not uncommon. Pocono Raceway, for example, has the shape of a scalene triangle with rounded corners. Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway) is a Superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond Darlington Raceway was built with an egg-shape to accommodate a near by minnow pond. Darlington Raceway is a Race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington South Carolina.

Tri-ovals

Tri-ovals have become preferable to track builders as they offer superior sightlines. A Tri-oval is a shape which derives its name from the two other shapes it most resembles a Triangle and an oval. However, the recent construction boom of 1 ½ mile tri-oval shaped tracks has given these tracks a “cookie-cutter” label. [4] A tri-oval with a "double dogleg" is often called a "quad-oval".

Rovals

Lowes Motor Speedway with its infield roadcourse visible.
Lowes Motor Speedway with its infield roadcourse visible.

A "Roval," sometimes referred to as a "Combined road course," is an oval track racing facility that features a road course in the infield (or outfield), that may or may not be directly linked to the oval circuit. A roval allows the facility to be used for road racing (Formula One, sports cars, motorcycles, etc. ) Some forms of racing never race exclusively on ovals, and therefore would not have the ability to otherwise compete at some of the most famous speedways in the world.

Rovals typically consist of the oval portion of the track, utlizing the same start/finish line, and same pit area, but a mid-course diversion to a winding road circuit in the infield. At some point, the circuit leads back to the main oval, and completes the rest of the lap. On some of the faster ovals, a chicane is present on long back-straighaways, to keep speeds down, and create additional braking/passing zones.

Rovals combine the high speed characteristics of ovals and technical precision of road courses, and allow road racing the unique experience of being held in the "stadium style" atmosphere of an oval superspeedway. Road racing can be a term involving Road running, road bicycle races, or Automobile races Since 1962, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona has been one of the most notable roval races. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Rolex 24 at Daytona (frequently referred to by its historical title the 24 Hours of Daytona) is a 24-hour sports car Endurance race held annually at However, due to the limitations of infield dimensions, and the common lack of topography, rovals often compromise the road racing experience. While the oval’s sightlines are popular, some fans may feel that the racing itself is lackluster. [2] In many cases, the grandstand seating around the oval offers the least popular view of the road racing, as fans are drawn to observe from the more challenging infield portion.

Notable rovals (U. S. )

Notable rovals (International)

The term rovals can also be used to loosely describe an oval track with an asymentrical, unusual, or oblong shape. Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Rockingham Motor Speedway is a Motor racing circuit near Rockingham and Corby in Northamptonshire, England. The EuroSpeedway Lausitz is a Race track located near Klettwitz in the state of Brandenburg in Eastern Germany, near the borders to Autodrome de Montlhéry (established October 4, 1924) is an automobile racetrack officially called L’autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, located across the There is also a type of Windscreen known as "Brooklands" or "Brookland screen" Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a Motorsport Race track near the town of Monza, Italy, north of Milan. Fuji Speedway is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan While these speedways are still technically ovals, their unique shape often requires driving characteristics similar to those of a road course.

Notable asymetrical rovals

Pack racing

Pack racing at Daytona International Speedway.
Pack racing at Daytona International Speedway. Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway) is a Superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond The Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Nelson Piquet International Autodrome also known as Jacarepaguá, after the neighbourhood it is located was Daytona International Speedway is a Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Pack racing is a phenomenon found on fast, high-banked superspeedways. It occurs when the vehicles racing are cornering at their limit of aerodynamic drag, but within their limit of traction. Note This article is currently under renovation and may at times appear disjoint Traction refers to the Friction between a drive member and the surface it moves upon where the friction is used to provide motion This allows drivers to race around the track constantly at wide open throttle. Wide open throttle (WOT refers to an Internal combustion engine's maximum intake of air and fuel that occurs when the Throttle plates inside the carburetor or throttle Since the vehicles are within their limit of traction, drafting through corners will not hinder a vehicle’s performance. As cars running together are faster than cars running individually, all cars in the field will draft each other simultaneously in one large pack. In stock car racing this is often referred to as “restrictor plate racing” because NASCAR mandates that each car use an air restrictor to reduce horsepower. Stock car racing is a form of Automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain A Restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power

The results of pack racing may vary. As drivers are forced to race in a confined space, overtaking is very common as vehicles may travel two and three abreast. Overtaking or passing is the act of Driving around another slower Automobile on a Road. This forces drivers to use strong mental discipline in negotiating traffic. There are drawbacks, however. Should an accident occur at the front of the pack, the results could block the track in a short amount of time. This leaves drivers at the back of the pack with very little time to react. The results of this are often catastrophic as several cars may be destroyed in a single accident. This type of accident is often called "The Big One". NASCAR drivers have developed strategies to form smaller packs away from the lead pack early in a race. This gives them extra reaction time in event of a crash. [5]

Comparison with road racing

Oval track racing requires different tactics than road racing. While the driver doesn’t have to shift gears as frequently or brake as heavily as in road racing, drivers are still challenged by negotiating the track. A road course usually has one preferred line. An oval can have several depending on banking, the radius of the turn, the width of the track, and the age of the surface. [6] Each type of racing places physical demands on the driver. A driver in an IndyCar race at Richmond International Raceway may be subject to as many lateral g-forces as a Formula One driver at Istanbul Park. The IndyCar Series is the premier series of the Indy Racing League. Richmond International Raceway (RIR is a 3/4-mile (12 km D-shaped asphalt race track located just outside Richmond Virginia in Henrico County. g-force (also G-force, g-load) is a measurement of an object's Acceleration expressed in g s Istanbul Park (İstanbul Park also known as the Istanbul Racing Circuit or initially Istanbul Otodrom, is a Motor sports Race track in

Weather also plays a different role in each discipline. Road racing offers a variety of fast and slow corners that allow the use of rain tires. Rain tyres or Wet tyres are special tyres used in Motor sport in wet weather as opposed to a Slick tyre used in dry conditions Paved ovals cannot support rain tires because the turns are all very fast and the soft rubber compound used in the tread would not survive long against the forces inflicted upon it. Dirt ovals will sometimes support a light rain.

Safety has also been a point of difference between the two. While a road course usually has plenty of runoff space, gravel traps, and tire barriers, ovals usually have a concrete retaining wall separating the track from the fans. Innovations have been made to change this, however. The SAFER barrier was created to provide a less dangerous alternative to a traditional concrete wall. The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, is a technology found primarily on oval automobile Race tracks and intended to make The barrier can be retrofit onto an existing wall or may take the place of a concrete wall completely.

See also

References

  1. ^ ESPN.com "Daytona 500 vs. In North American Auto racing, particularly with regard to NASCAR, a short track is a Racetrack of less than one mile (1 This article concerns auto racing motorcycles, horses, and dogs also race on dirt tracks UniontownPennsylvaniaBoardTrack1916Constructionjpg|thumb|right|Construction of a board track in Uniontown Pennsylvania in 1916]] Board track, or motordrome, An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit primarily in the USA, which differs from a road course in that it only has turns in one direction which is almost Road racing can be a term involving Road running, road bicycle races, or Automobile races For the Transformers character see Drag Strip. A dragstrip is a facility for conducting Automobile and Motorcycle acceleration events such Track racing is a Motorcycle sport where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track Indianapolis 500" Retrieved February 5, 2007
  2. ^ Indystar.com"History of the Indianapolis 500" Retrieved November 19, 2007
  3. ^ NASCAR.com - Rusty Wallace hits 228 mph in Talladega trial - June 10, 2004
  4. ^ USAToday article on "cookie-cutter" tracks
  5. ^ CNNSI"Hangin' Back" retrieved November 17, 2007
  6. ^ Fordracing.com “’’Iron Man Ready To Take on Batman’’” Retrieved 11/27/07
Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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