Let us explore together the setting for all the fun we have at iRacing: the racetrack! At iRacing.com, we painstakingly build a digital replica of each racetrack in our service so that our members have an opportunity to race on a certified and licensed version of the real place.
What can’t our artists create yet? The smell of being at Watkins Glen; the cool morning air rushing up the hill from Seneca Lake or the acrid smell of brake pads and tire rubber still lingering after a pit stop.
I remember my first SCCA driver’s school at the Glen: My teammate and I drove late into the night with our Mazda Spec Miatas in tow behind us. It rained the whole way and when we arrived, the entire racetrack was covered in a thick fog. It was eerie watching cones of yellow light from nearby headlights get eaten up by the rain and mist. After checking in with the track officials, I paused for a moment of reverence. The best drivers in the world had raced at the Glen: Clark, Hill, Andretti, Fittipaldi, Brabham, Villeneuve, Gurney. I knew I was on hallowed ground.
Thanks to modern technology and our laser scanning process, these tracks are accessible to all of us. We can all race together, share stories, watch great overtakes and enjoy the sweet taste of victory… at least in the virtual sense.
Racetracks, both real and virtual, are almost sacred for those of us who love auto racing.
While on tour with the mobile iRacing trailer I got to visit many great racetracks around the USA. Here are my top 5 – in order of greatness – which you just have to visit in person:
1. Watkins Glen International – aka “The Glen,” located in Watkins Glen, NY. Why? As mentioned above, some of the world’s greatest drivers have driven there! Catch a NASCAR, IZOD IndyCar, GRAND-AM, historic or club race at the track and see what makes the Glen so great. Located on the south end of Seneca Lake, the sleepy town of Watkins Glen is beautiful, and the residents embrace its historical importance with regard to motorsports. Take a walk down Main Street and look for a wall mural capturing a time when races at the Glen began and ended on public roads. Visit: the Glen Motor Inn, the Seneca Lodge and hike to the water falls of Watkins Glen State Park.
2. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – located in Monterey, CA. Why? Go stand by the fence next to the famous Corkscrew and we will share mutual amazement that these turns actually exists. Given the reliable effects of gravity on racecars, the corner is fun to drive, the car gets light as you crest the top of the Corkscrew, but on the way down the racecar’s suspension loads up properly and the car settles well over the drop down the hill… unless you put the car into the gravel trap on the right. Also, like many great racetracks on this list, you can walk and view the track from almost every corner. The hillside is my favorite. Have dinner at Cannery Row if you like great seafood. Also, be sure to visit the award winning aquarium.
3. Daytona International Speedway – located in Daytona Beach, FL. Why? This place is amazing! Huge! And, hallowed ground. The foundation of NASCAR is Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR’s greatest drivers evolved from racing on the sandy beaches 10 miles away to the asphalt 2.5 mile behemoth with 31 degree banking. In 1957, when the track was being constructed, the builders couldn’t pile the dirt up any higher to make the corners any steeper. Today, you can barely walk up the banking in the corners. NASCAR’s greatest drivers drove and won here and still do today. Besides the Daytona 500, the speedway is host to a great 24 hour sports car endurance race called the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona. There is a race held in Daytona for every type of race fan.
4. Indianapolis Motor Speedway – located in Indianapolis, IN. Why? Indy is the oldest still operational US racetrack, home to the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400, a US Moto GP race and the original Gasoline Alley. The neighborhoods around Indy have been echoing with the chorus of racecar noise since organized racing began there in 1909. You owe yourself a proper tour of the speedway if you decide to go. Spend time to see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. Better yet, try to see the racecars in the basement of the museum. Pick up a hot fresh turkey leg if you are at Indy for a race, they are delicious. Your weekend trip to Indy wouldn’t be complete without watching some Saturday night short track racing at a nearby local track like O’Reilly Raceway Park.
5. Road America – located in Elkhart Lake, WI. Why? The racing, the views and the food. If you go here, you better enjoy the track food; fresh corn on the cob, brats, beer and famous giant burgers that take no prisoners. Also, like other racetracks on this list, it is a fun place to watch a race. You can sit near every corner, camp and enjoy the scenery. Long straights and high speeds make the racing action very exciting. Rent go-karts near turn 8 at the Briggs and Stratton Motorplex and enjoy a track that is nearly 1 mile long and has over 100’ of elevation change. Visit Siebkins Resort in downtown Elkhart Lake as it is one of the most famous watering holes in all of sports car racing. Much like the Glen, you can take a self-guided tour of the old street circuit that used to wind through now quiet neighborhoods.
All of the racetracks above are steeped in racing history, have hosted world famous car racing events and are still the most important racetracks in the US. If you have not done so, make a trip out to the local racetrack near where you live. If the track is already in iRacing, enjoy seeing the real place for yourself. What are your top 5 favorite racetracks that you have visited in the US or from around the world? Share them with us and you may see them in iRacing.com someday.
SeanS
Sean Siff is a marketing manager at iRacing.com. He lives with his wife in Boston but grew up attending races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Sean has raced regionally in the SCCA since 2005. When not at the office or the track, Sean enjoys go-karting, photography and spending time with his family in NH.
30 Comments
Josh Brown
It’s WATKINS! 
I can agree with your list and reasons almost perfectly to the letter. I grew up in Elmira Heights, NY – just a 20 minute drive from Watkins Glen. I started attending events when the track was re-opened in the 80s. I enjoyed the NASCAR, IMSA, Firestone Firehawk endurance races, SCCA Trans-AM, etc. The track and facilities have come a long way over the years and today it offers a great experience for spectators with great facilities. I was just there last weekend for Bobby Rahal’s Legend of Motorsports (Historic Racing Productions (HRP)) event and had a wonderful time. The weather was great on Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday it rained extremely hard in the morning, but had stopped by mid-morning. However, the fog was extremely heavy the whole afternoon and not much racing was done. Whenever you go to Watkins you have to expect that you’ll experience the full range of weather conditions. I got sun burned on Saturday, but was wearing a jacket on Sunday.
Scott B. Husted
I love going to Watkins Glen! I live 62 Miles from the track and 30 Miles south of Rochester. I’ve gone to every NASCAR Sprint Cup race there since 1996 and has seen several racing series compete there: Including SCCA Trans-Am, Grand American Rolex Series before the Daytona Prototypes, along with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I have also been to 3 Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen races (each time the Ganassi #01 took the overall victory), and went to the Inaugural IZOD Indycar Series race at the Glen. I love walking around the track and watching the cars dive into The Ninety, watch as they climb the steep hill through the Esses. Approach 180 MPH at the end of the Backstraight, before breaking into the tight right-left-left-right bus stop chicane that is The Inner Loop. Muscle the car through Turn 5 (Turn 9 to NASCAR fans), Plummet through the Laces of the Boot (Turn 6). Get dizzy as you watch the cars climb the Toe of the Boot (Turn 7…which also happens to be the lowest point of the racetrack). Catch a glimps of the true Beauty of the Glen as the cars break hard through The Heel of the Boot (Turn 
and magically work the car through the off-camber Turn 9. Watch as they push the car hard through Turns 10 and 11 and disappear over the horizon as they dive into Turn 1 again. The elements of the elevation changes and high speeds make this track amazing…oh and there’s also the amazing view of Seneca Lake from the track. I go to the track any chance I get
Jeremy Canute
I agree that all these are fine tracks..Been to all but the Glen..
If I were to rank specific Events in America my short list would be 5-Indy 500, 4 – Knoxville Nationals ,3 – Canadian Gran Prix 2 SCCA Runoffs, 1 Sebring 12 hours.
Schosh
for american tracks I agree with the list just the last one should be road atlanta not road america
Mertol
Wow, great article and descriptions!
Top 5 that I’ve visited:
1 – Laguna Seca; Sean said it best above – I agree with everything he sai
2 – Indy; history, significance, and unique sight of the ‘canyon’
3 – Hallett; fast turns, blind direction changes; great for a momentum car
4 – High Plains Raceway; very fast turns and lots of elevation change
5 – Motorsports Park Hastings; fast turns with no elevation change, but worth a visit to ride on the Bacardi Bus!
Gary Miller
my 5 favorite tracks in the world are:
1. Monza
2. Spa
3. Nurburgring
4. Suzuka
5. Interlagos
mertol
Road America
Mid-Ohio
Roebling Road
Road Atlanta
Talledaga
Dwight
My favorites in order would be:
1-Road America – Such a beautiful track surrounded every where by green trees. It almost makes you feel like your driving in the boonies until you find out your doing 170mph going into Canada Corner
2- VIR – Even though I`ve always had a terrible time with this track, the corners, the elevation changes and lenght make it feel like a shrinked Nordshleife.
3- Mosport – As a Canadian I gota say Mosport is up there as well. If not one of the tracks that takes the biggest balls to go flat out on. Gota respect
4-Road Atlanta – Great driving track and a nice mix of turns.
5- Spa – Simply for Eau Rouge, but a great looking track none the less.
Kevin Savoie
Top 5 UK Tracks:-
1. Silverstone
2. Brands Hatch
3. Rockingham Motor Speedway
4. Oulton Park
5. Cadwell Park
Of course Thruxton, Snetterton, Castle Coombe, and Croft are all brilliant as was Crystal Palace.
Top 5 European tracks:-
1. Nordschleiffe
2. Spa
3. Le Mans
4. Monza
5. Monaco
JR
My favourite American tracks would be (in order);
1) Watkins Glen
2) Mosport
3) Mid Ohio
4) Road Atlanta
5) Laguna Seca
Allan Paterson
Top 5 in the World
1. Nurburgring Nordschleife
2. Spa
3. Monza
4. Suzuka
5. Hockenheimring Old Version
Marc
Just wanted to add another eager voice to the “Spa”, “Bathurst” and “Nurburgring” chorus :]
Also: Le Mans, and the new Silverstone layout.
Cheers!
Roge Owen
Here’s my list of favorite race tracks that I’ve visited and the stories behind.
1) Old Nürburgring.
I’ve driven it once in my own car many years ago and raced it a lot in GPL. Almost broke the 8min barrier in the Brabham before replacing GPL with iRacing 
What a challenge ……
2) Zandvoort – the original …….
Saw my first live F1 race here back in 1985. Sitting in the grandstand at the end of the straight seeing the cars approaching at 320km/h and waiting for them to hit the brakes around 100m marker was an awesome experience.
3) Zolder
Was helping a friend who drove F2000 at a race meeting many years ago. We arrived in the middle of the night and slept in the car outside of the track. In the morning we woke up to the wonderful sound of GP bikes practicing on the track.
Walking the track and imaging how it would be without all the silly chicanes made me shiver.
Needless to say that we enjoyed a wonderful weekend there.
4) Atlanta Motor Speedway
I was on a business trip to Atlanta 4-5 years ago and had to postpone my Wednesday return flight. Luckily I couldn’t get any tickets until Saturday so me and my two colleagues spent Friday evening watching the Cup cars qualify and and the Truck race. This was my first and so far only NASCAR race but again what an awesome experience.
5) Montjuich Park
Quite an outsider. Newer saw a race here but walked the track/streets a few years ago when I had a couple of free hours on my own during a business trip. It was quite easy to imaging how exciting it must have been to see F1 cars racing around here. I’m sure I was born 20-25 years too late …..
Went home to Denmark and drove a few hundred laps on the recently released Montjuich track in GPL
Laust
1. Nordschleife “The Green Hell” (Nürburgring) – the best endurance track in the world
2. Laguna Seca – a great track
3. Monza
4. Spa
5. Indianapolis – motorsport history
RF
#1) Indianapolis
#2) Daytona
#3) Barber Motorsports Park (yes it is a new track but a fabulous track)
#4) Bristol
#5) The unnamed F1 track coming to the Austin Texas area. Please please please please iRacing pretty please!
Ryan Terpstra
— Spa
— Nordschleife (it must be crazy & awesome to drive this inside iRacing with different wheather conditions, dry, wet or foggy parts)
— Monza
— Road America
— Bathurst
…. but it gives a few more
Thomas
Anything track that pushes both car and driver to their limit, I love. These are my top 5 tracks…
-Nordschleife
-Mosport
-Spa
-Bathurst
-Suzuka
Michael B.
good stuff… my favourites are
Top 5 US tracks:
1. Watkins
2. Barber
3. Road America
4. Mid Ohio
5. VIR
Top 5 Euro tracks:
1. Nordschleife
2. Spa
3. Zandvoort
4. Zolder
5. Oulton Park
Top 5 evah!
1. Nordschleife
2. Spa
3. Watkins
4. Bathurst
5. Suzuka
Geert
“Couldn’t agree more, Laust.
“Walking the (Zolder) track and imaging how it would be without all the silly chicanes made me shiver.” How true. Must have been quite the place once upon a time.
Ditto Zandvoort. Possibly THE best vantage point I ever had at a race track was from atop a sand dune about half way between Scheivlak and Pulleveld. Each curve was faster than the one before and you had to be smack-dab on line.
Nice piece Sean.
My favs?
1) Mosport — saw my first GP there in 1967. Moss Corner may be the best “amphitheatre” there is in the world of road racing.
2) Laguna — Corkscrew gets all the “press” but, for my money, nothing beats drivers’ right on the entry to Turn Six. You’re about 20′ above the track, looking down into the cars and when there’s no on track activity you can see from Salinas to Hawaii (well, almost)
3) Milwaukee — still the best short (paved) oval ever
4) The Grove (aka Williams Grove) – balls-to-the-wall dirt track with a vintage amusement park next door
5) The Nordschliefe — Watched JYS’ last F1 win from the hillside @ Kallenhard
David
Best tracks in the world :
1. Spa
2. Nordschliefe
3. Monza
4. Imola
5. Canada (montreal circuit gilles villenueve)
alessandro
1. Spa
2. Nordschleife
3. Monza
4. Bathurst
5. Suzuka
jalla
The Big 4 road circuits – not licensed by iRacing (but MUST HAVES for sportscar fans):
1. Circuit de la Sarthe (with licensed LMP2 car – so we could run an ALMS-style series)*
2. Nürburgring Nordschleife (with licensed GT2 car)**
3. Mount Panorama Bathurst (with licensed GT3 car)**
4. Spa-Francorchamps
Other great road circuits that would be great additions include: Imola, Portimao, Kyalami, San Luis, Mont-Tremblant, Cadwell Park, Riverside.
*Ideally we would have an LMP1 factory car available but no doubt there would be licensing issues there! I see no reason why a customer LMP2 car like a Radical / Zytek / Lola / Oreca (FLMC car) etc could not be licensed. We can even go back a few years for older sports prototypes – Sauber Mercedes C9 anyone!? Either way, this type of car is essential.
The great circuits like Le Mans / Nurburgring would require much more work than a typical 2.5 mile course and should therefore be priced higher to subscribers. I would happily pay a one-off fee of $50 for each as there is nothing else like these circuits and nothing else like iRacing in terms of realism – but to fully capture the road racers iRacing needs this premium content.
**The organisers of endurance racing events seem to be moving towards GT2 as the standard (with GT3 in some cases where the race is more for amateurs). I keep hearing commercial / licensing issues being the reason we can’t have Porsche 911 GT3s and Ferrari 430s in the sim – what a great, great shame as iRacing is the perfect environment for this type of racing. That being said there are a number of other machines that may be more attainable. The following are a selection of GT2 / GT3 / GT4 cars (any or all of which) I would love to see:>
- Doran Ford GT-R (this was announced by iRacing last year. A beautiful racer – will we see it?)
- Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R
- Panoz Esperante GTLM
- Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
- Jaguar XKR GT2
- Aston Martin Vantage GT2
- BMW E92 M3 GT2
- Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (had to mention it… the quintessential sports car)
- Morgan Aero SuperSports GT3
- SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 (Grand-AM GT3 equivalent)
- Ascari KZ1-R GT3
- Audi R8 LMS GT3
- BMW Z4 GT3
- BMW E46 M3 GTR
- BMW Z4 M Coupe VLN / GT4
- Gillet Vertigo GT4
- Ginetta G50 Cup GT4
- Donkervoort D8 GT4
Note some of these are no longer in production and hence may be easier to license….
The Mustang FR500s will be a great addition to iRacing although based on power / weight spec and published lap times is about 5 secs per lap slower than a typical FIA GT4 machine – so you could say it is a “GT5″ car! This will be great for training iRacers but we need to close the gap in GT terms between this and the GT1 C6R Corvette!
More GTs PLEASE!
Paul Maguire
1. Nordschleife
2. Spa
3. Eurospeedway Lausitz
4. Monza
5. Automotodrom Brno / Masaryk-Ring
Adam
US tracks:
1. Lime rock park
2. Watkins Glen
3.Road Atlanta
4.Laguna Seca
5. Road America
Euro tracks:
1.Zandvoort
2. Spa
3. Mondello park
4. Nordschleife
5. Circuit la sarthe
Other places:
1.Bathurst
2. Adelaide international raceway.
3. Montreal
4. Taupo
5. Tsukaba
Favourites of all time:
1. Lime Rock Park
2. Zandvoort
3.Bathurst
4. Taupo
5. Road Atlanta
Adam R
Good to see so many Mosport fans, I too like that track, wish they could upgrade it to F1 standards.
Rhygin
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NH)
Oxford Plains Speedway (ME)
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (ME)
Eldora Speedway (OH)
Hickory Motor Speedway (NC)
Jesse
My favourite 5:
Spa
Suzuka
Portimao
Interlagos
Nurburgring
Gaston Taberner
Five tracks for iRacing, hmm…
1. Nurburgring Nordshliefe…shocking, I know
2. Miller Motorsports Park…it looks awesome, plus I don’t think there are many other racing sims that have it because it’s so new
3. Slinger Superspeedway, Slinger, WI…take it from a local, the state of Wisconsin isn’t nearly the hotbed of short tracking it once was. Tracks are vanishing left and right thanks to government and idiot land developers, and more and more drivers are either moving elsewhere or quitting outright. An ultra-high banked 1/4 mile, Slinger’s a true gem, please check it out before it becomes another abandoned real estate development
http://www.slingersuperspeedway.com
4. Donington Park…really fun track, easy to learn but lifetime to master
5. Sarthe Circuit…because what’s sports car racing without Le Mans, am I right people?
Mike Budzien
1- Snaefell mountain course (the “track” used for the Isle of Man tourist trophy)
2- Assen TT circuit (pre-2005 version, the 4 miles track)
3- Montjuich park (also known as The Magic mountain, too bad some stupid engineers built 5′ tall rear wings and created a fatal crash)
4- Sebring
5- Opatija (Croatian old road circuit used for FIM Gp racing)
die996
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- Hi Dave No you can't go into any Official Series, it is a ladder system and you work your way up based on being a relatively clean driver in terms of accidents. We do that to mirror the real world as a way to keep the races cleaner. In the real world you would not purposely smash folks for the most part because it could hurt you physically and financially. Our safety rating system is aimed at having the smae impact. Anyway, you start with two series that you can race right away and work you way up from there. The feeling of accomplishment is also fun as you work your way up. We also have special events and fun racing every weekend that is open to everyone. Plus you can join private leagues or hosted race sessions that are also open to anyone and require no special license or anything.
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1. Bathurst Mt Panorama Australia. Iconic Australian circuit, a huge challenge to any driver or car and a grueling endurance race.
2. Nurburgring…does that one even need explaining.
3. Spa, amazing flowing track, can be raining in one half and dry in the other.
4. Monaco, history, atmosphere and challenge.
5. Albert Park Melbourne Australia, been too every Grand Prix there since 2006, again another unique challenging track.
Only been the the bottom one, plans to go to bathurst this year though, the rest are just amazing iconic tracks (…that i would love too see in iracing one day
)