NASCAR tracks come in many different shapes and sizes. However, you may not find many exact measurements other than track length on fact sheets, so you are probably wondering how wide NASCAR tracks are.
NASCAR tracks can be about 75 feet (23 m) wide, and they can be as narrow as 39 feet (12 m) across. Not all tracks have one set width around the circuit. Some have a maximum width and a minimum width that can be tens of feet apart, with the widest parts usually being the turns.
Below, we will further explore how wide a NASCAR track needs to be to create safe and exciting racing. We will then discuss the widths at many NASCAR tracks, revealing the widest and narrowest known circuits. We will finish up by talking about track length, and how long each NASCAR track is.
How Wide Does A NASCAR Track Need To Be?
NASCAR tracks can be of any length, as long as the determined number of cars have enough space on the track. This generally means that, in terms of length, tracks must be at least a half-mile unless there are fewer than 36 cars racing on it, like the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Width, however, is a different story, because one prerequisite of racing is that the cars need room to pass.
NASCAR tracks need to be wide enough for at least three cars to line up in a row next to one another, a phrase you might have heard as a ‘three-wide.’ As with track length, you will see quite your fair share of variance in width on the Cup Series schedule, with some tracks as narrow as 39 ft (12 m), while others can reach 75 ft in width.
Tracks that have wider widths create competitive racing, and it is not uncommon to see a four-wide or even the rare five-wide as they dive into the turns. Other tracks will test a driver’s skill more than others, and one major aspect of testing that skill comes with even more variance in width.
Atlanta Motor Speedway, for example, has different widths in the turns, on the back stretch, and on the front stretch. This variation means a driver needs to be fully aware of their surroundings at all times to avoid being squeezed, or pushing others into the wall. Different track widths also create various racing grooves, offering different potential racing lines.
NASCAR Track Widths
| Track | Width |
| Atlanta Motor Speedway | 52 ft (16 m) front stretch, 42 ft (13 m) back stretch, 40 ft (12 m) turns |
| Auto Club Speedway | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Bristol Motor Speedway | 60 ft (18 m) on the straights, 75 ft (23 m) in turns |
| Charlotte Motor Speedway | N/A |
| Texas Motor Speedway | 58 ft (18 m) minimum |
| Chicago Street Course | N/A |
| Circuit of the Americas | 39 ft (12 m) minimum, 52 ft (16 m) maximum |
| Darlington Raceway | 62 ft (19 m) minimum, 79 ft (24 m) maximum |
| Daytona International Speedway | 40 ft (12 m), 12 to 30 ft apron turns |
| Dover Motor Speedway | 48 ft (15 m) straight, 58 ft (18 m) turns |
| Homestead-Miami Speedway | 55 ft (17 m) |
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course | Average of 46 ft (14 m) |
| Kansas Speedway | 55 ft (17 m) |
| Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | N/A |
| Martinsville Speedway | N/A |
| Michigan International Speedway | 73 ft (22 m) |
| Nashville Superspeedway | 51 ft (16 m) minimum, 65 ft (20 m) maximum |
| New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 65 ft (20 m) straights and turns |
| North Wilkesboro Speedway | N/A |
| Phoenix Raceway | N/A |
| Pocono Raceway | 60 ft (18 m) minimum |
| Richmond Raceway | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Sonoma Raceway | N/A |
| Talladega Superspeedway | 48 ft (15 m) plus 12 ft (4 m) in the apron |
| Watkins Glen International | N/A |
| World Wide Technology Raceway | N/A |
NASCAR track widths are not as readily available online as track lengths, which you can find in many places. There are, however, at least minimal dimensions for the widths of some NASCAR tracks, and you will find these known widths in the table above.
The above table shows us that collectively, the widest tracks on the circuit are superspeedways, with Auto Club, Pocono, Talladega, and Daytona at times measuring at least 60 ft (18 m) wide in the turns. Michigan International Speedway, which is not considered to be a superspeedway, is also up there with a width of 73 ft (22 m).
Fast short tracks, like Bristol and Richmond, are also quite wide, with Bristol reaching an astounding 75 ft (18 m) in the turns. Circuit of the Americas (COTA) measures the narrowest, with an average width of 39 ft (12 m), although it’s a road course, and so there is far more variation in width around the circuit.
KEY POINTS
• NASCAR tracks can be up to 75 ft wide
• Most tracks have maximum widths closer to 50 or 60 ft
• The widest tracks tend to be the superspeedways
How Long Are NASCAR Tracks?
NASCAR tracks vary in length from about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) to 2.7 miles (4.4 km), and they are often classified as either short ovals, intermediate ovals, superspeedways, or road courses. Of the tracks NASCAR currently races on, 13 of them are intermediate tracks.
NASCAR Intermediate Track Lengths
| Track | Length |
| Michigan International Speedway | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
| Atlanta Motor Speedway | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Charlotte Motor Speedway | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Homestead-Miami Speedway | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Kansas Speedway | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Texas Motor Speedway | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Darlington Raceway | 1.4 miles (2.3 km) |
| Nashville Superspeedway | 1.3 miles (2.1 km) |
| World Wide Technology Raceway | 1.25 miles (2 km) |
| New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) |
| Phoenix Raceway | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| Dover Motor Speedway | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
As you can see from the table above, intermediate tracks vary between one and two miles in length. Some even call themselves superspeedways, like Nashville, but NASCAR considers them to be an intermediate track.
There are two that are sometimes considered intermediate that we have not listed: Auto Club Speedway and Pocono Raceway. NASCAR’s website has them listed as superspeedways, although they do not use superspeedway engine/spoiler packages that we see at Daytona or Talladega.
The Atlanta Motor Speedway, reconfigured for 2022, also uses the superspeedway package. However, because of its 1.5 mile (2.4 km) length, NASCAR continues to consider them an intermediate track.
NASCAR Superspeedway Track Lengths
| Track | Length |
| Talladega Superspeedway | 2.7 miles (4.4 km) |
| Daytona International Speedway | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
| Pocono Raceway | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
| Auto Club Speedway | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
NASCAR has four tracks listed as superspeedways on its site. Besides the aforementioned Auto Club and Pocono, Daytona and Talladega also join the list of superspeedways. This list will shrink to three by 2024, with Auto Club set to become a short track.
NASCAR Short Track Lengths
| Track | Length |
| Richmond Raceway | 0.75 miles (1.2 km) |
| North Wilkesboro Speedway | 0.63 miles (1 km) |
| Bristol Motor Speedway | 0.53 miles (0.85 km) |
| Martinsville Speedway | 0.53 miles (0.85 km) |
| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 0.25 miles (0.4 km) |
Short tracks measure less than one mile long and they can even be as short as a quarter mile. Short tracks once looked as though they were a dying breed, but they have started making a comeback to the NASCAR Cup Series. There are five short tracks on the Cup Series schedule.
Two of the short tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule are not points-paying tracks, with Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and North Wilkesboro Speedway hosting the Clash and the All-Star Race respectively. Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville have been regulars in the Cup Series schedule, with Bristol now hosting a dirt race along with its usual event.
NASCAR Road Course Lengths
| Track | Length |
| Circuit of the Americas | 3.4 miles (5.5 km) |
| Watkins Glen International | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course | 2.4 miles (3.9 km) |
| Charlotte Roval | 2.3 miles (3.7 km) |
| Chicago Street Course | 2.2 miles (3.5 km) |
| Sonoma Raceway | 2 miles (3.2 miles) |
Like short tracks, road courses have also recently gained prominence in the Cup Series. NASCAR often ran just two road course races before they bumped up to three in 2018. There are now six road course events on the schedule.
The Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International have enjoyed regular spots on the NASCAR schedule since the 1980s, with NASCAR’s time at the latter dating back to the 1950s for one-off races. Circuit of the Americas debuted on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit in 2021 with Road America, which also held one-off races in the past.
The Chicago Street Course takes Road America’s spot on the schedule starting in 2023, while the Charlotte Roval has held an event since 2018. NASCAR has raced at Indianapolis since 1994. Dying interest in the Brickyard 400 prompted the sanctioning body to switch to the road course in 2021.
KEY POINTS
• NASCAR circuits vary in length depending on the type of track
• The shortest track is the Los Angeles Coliseum at a quarter mile in length
• The longest track is COTA in Austin, at 3.4 miles long
Final Thoughts
NASCAR tracks can be anywhere from 39 ft to 75 ft wide, or 12 to 23 meters. NASCAR tracks are normally wide enough to create at least a 3-wide at any given portion on a track, but you will see some tracks wide enough to create 4 and, in rare occurrences, 5-wide racing.
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