In North American auto racing, particularly with regard to NASCAR, a short track is a racetrack of less than one mile (1.6km) in length. Short track racing, often associated with fairgrounds and similar venues, is where stock car racing first got off of the back roads and into organized and regulated competition. Many traditional fans and purists still see short track racing as the "real" NASCAR, because the lower speeds make "paint swapping", where the bodies of the cars actually rub against one another, practical without a very high likelihood of serious accidents.
In recent years, there has been a gradual push away from short track venues for Nextel Cup (the highest level of NASCAR) in favor of longer tracks. This is due to larger venues having accommodations for more fans (although the short track in Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway, now has over 160,000 seats) and higher speeds.
Short track listings by state
Arizona
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Tucson Raceway Park |
Tucson, AZ |
3/8 mile high bank asphalt |
Late models, Grand American Modifieds, Factory Stock, Legends, Bandaleros
|
Colorado
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Colorado National Speedway |
Denver, CO |
1/2 mile paved |
Late models, Grand American Modifieds, Super Stock, Figure 8, "trains"
|
Connecticut
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Stafford Motor Speedway |
Stafford Springs, CT |
1/2 mile slightly banked oval |
SK Modifieds, Late Models, Dare Stocks, Limited Late Models
|
| Thompson International Speedway |
Thompson, CT |
5/8 mile high banked oval |
Mini Stock, Limited Sportsman, Late Models, Pro Stocks, Modifieds, TM
|
| Waterford Speedbowl |
Waterford, CT |
3/8 mile oval |
SK-Modifieds, Modifieds, Late Model, Sportsman, Mini Stock, Legends Cars, X Mods, X cars, Super-X cars,
|
Illinois
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Clay County Speedway |
Flora, Ill |
1/3 mile dirt |
UMP modified
|
| LaSalle Speedway |
LaSalle, Ill |
1/4 mile dirt |
limited late models
|
| Quad City Speedway |
East Moline, Ill |
1/4 mile dirt |
late models
|
| Quincy Raceway |
Quincy, Ill |
1/4 mile dirt |
late models
|
| Bureau County Speedway |
Princeton, Ill |
3/8 mile dirt |
Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hornets
|
Indiana
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Brownstown Speedway |
Brownstown, Indiana |
1/4 mile dirt |
late models
|
Iowa
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| 34 Raceway |
Burlington, Iowa |
3/8 mile dirt |
late models
|
| Adams County Speedway |
Corning, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
modifieds, late models, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Algona Raceway |
Algona, Iowa |
4/10 mile dirt |
modifieds,stock cars, hobby stocks,b-mods, cruisers, hornets
|
| Benton County Speedway |
Vinton, Iowa |
1/4 mile dirt |
modifieds, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Blackbird Bend Motersports Speedway |
Onawa, Iowa |
1/3 mile dirt |
modifieds, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Bloomfield Speedway |
Bloomfield, Iowa |
3/8 mile dirt |
modifieds, hobby stocks
|
| Boone Speedway |
Boone, Iowa |
1/3 mile dirt |
modifieds, stock cars, hobby stocks, SportMods
|
| Buena Vista Raceway |
Alta, Iowa |
3/8 mile dirt |
modifieds, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| CJ Raceway |
Columbus Junction, Iowa |
4/10 mile dirt |
stock cars
|
| Crawford County Speedway |
Denison, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Davenport Speedway |
Davenport, Iowa |
3/8 mile dirt |
late models
|
| Dubuque Speedway |
Dubuque, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
modifieds, late models
|
| Eldon Raceway |
Eldon, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
modifieds, hobby stocks
|
| Farley Speedway |
Farley, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
late models, stocks cars, hobby stocks
|
| Greenbelt Speedway |
Eldora, Iowa |
1/2 mile clay |
modifieds, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Hamiliton County Speedway |
Webster City, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
late models
|
| Hancock County Speedway |
Britt, Iowa |
4/10 mile dirt |
stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Hawkeye Downs Speedway |
Ceder Rapids, Iowa |
1/4 mile asphalt |
stock cars, hobby stock, asphalt modifieds
|
| I-35 Speedway |
Mason City, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
modifieds
|
| Independence Mother Speedway |
Independence, Iowa |
3/8 mile clay |
stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway |
Des Moines, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
modifieds, late models, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Jackson County Speedway |
Maquoketa, Iowa |
1/4 mile dirt |
late models
|
| Knoxville Raceway |
Knoxville, Iowa |
1/2 mile dirt |
sprint cars
|
| Lee County Speedway |
Donnellson, Iowa |
3/8 mile dirt |
modifieds, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Marshalltown Speedway |
Marshalltown, Iowa |
1/4 mile dirt |
modified, stock cars, hobby stocks
|
| Shelby County Speedway |
Harlen, Iowa |
4/10 mile dirt |
modifieds, stock cars, late models, hobby stocks
|
| Stuart Speedway |
Stuart, Iowa |
1/4 mile clay |
modifieds, stock cars
|
Nebraska
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Beatrice Speedway |
Beatrice, Nebraska |
3/8 mile clay |
|
| Boone County Raceway |
Albion, Nebraska |
3/8 mile clay |
|
| Butler County Motorplex |
Rising City, Nebraska |
1/3 mile clay |
|
| Dawson County Raceway |
Lexington, Nebraska |
3/8 mile dirt |
|
| Eagle Raceway |
Eagle, Nebraska |
1/3 mile dirt |
360 Sprint Cars, modifieds
|
| Hitchcock County Raceway |
Culbertson, Nebraska |
3/8 mile dirt |
|
| Junction Motor Speedway |
McCool Junction, Nebraska |
3/8 mile dirt |
|
| Lincoln County Raceway |
North Platte, Nebraska |
3/8 mile dirt |
|
| McCook Speedway |
McCook, Nebraska |
3/8 mile clay |
|
| Mid-Nebraska Speedway |
Doniphan, Nebraska |
3/8 mile clay |
|
| Nebraska Raceway Park |
Greenwood, Nebraska |
4/10 mile dirt |
|
| Riviera Raceway |
Norfolk, Nebraska |
3/10 mile clay |
|
| The Speed Bowl |
Red Cloud, Nebraska |
3/8 mile clay |
|
| Thayer County Speedway |
Deshler, Nebraska |
3/8 mile clay |
|
| U.S. 30 Speedway |
Columbus, Nebraska |
1/3 mile clay |
|
South Carolina
| Track Name |
Location |
Type |
Classes
|
| Cherokee Super Speedway |
Gaffney, SC |
1/2 mile dirt |
late models, street stock, super stock
|