Stockcar
Stock car racing: oval vs road courses
NASCAR hosts 36 races per year, and only three of those are road courses while the vast majority are on oval circuits. What’s the difference? We lay out all the details here.
Many people think NASCAR and an image of stock cars racing round and round an oval track pops into their mind. That perception is not far from reality. In fact, NASCAR hosts 36 races in total in 2026 between February 15 and November 8. That includes 26 during the regular season and 10 during the “Chase” playoff format. Three of those are road courses, 32 are on oval tracks, and 1 is a street race.
There are distinct differences between these types of tracks, and stock car racing teams prepare very different strategies for each one. It’s part of what makes NASCAR events so interesting for viewers and intriguing for the teams and for drivers like Connor Zilisch.
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule Breakdown
- Total races: 36
- Regular season: 26
- Playoffs (Chase): 10
- Oval tracks: 32
- Road courses: 3
- Street races: 1
Shane Van Gisbergen at Kansas Speedway, an oval track
© Daylon Barr / Red Bull Content Pool
01
Oval vs Road Course: What’s the difference?
An oval course like the Talladega Superspeedway is a massive elliptical made up of high-speed straightaways punctuated by challenging banked turns at each of the four corners. Oval racing makes up 88 percent of the season, and two of the most popular sites are Talladega (Alabama) and Daytona (Florida). The majority of oval races on the schedule are shorter 1.5-mile laps, while the Pocono Superspeedway in Pennsylvania is 2.5 miles.
Road courses are twisty, technical, and much more varied. Key tracks for the NASCAR season are Watkins Glen in New York, Sonoma Raceway in California, and Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Here, the turns are tighter and more acute than the predictable angles of an oval track, plus the courses include both left and right turns. Road courses are longer than ovals; the Sebring International Raceway in Florida spans 3.74 miles for each lap.
The 2026 NASCAR season includes just one street race at the Naval Base Coronado near San Diego, California, and it’s 2.4 miles per lap.
Feature
Oval tracks
Road courses
Turns
Primarily left
Left & right
Track shape
Eliptical
Twisty & technical
Speed profile
Sustained high speed
Heavy braking & acceleration
G-forces
Sustained, one direction
Changing, reversing
Drafting
Common
Less frequent
Season share
88%
Limited events
02
How driving strategy changes by track type
Connor Zilisch at the Daytona 500, a tri-oval track
© Daylon Barr / Red Bull Content Pool
Stock car drivers and their teams know that different course types require different strategies.
NASCAR oval racing incorporates long, sweeping turns - typically counterclockwise - and consistently high speeds through the straights. Drivers are trained to control their drifts through the corners and manage the tires properly over long segments. Drafting is common, as is “aero-blocking,” which is a tactic used to prevent competitors from drafting them.
Oval racing requires:
- Drafting strategy
- Aero-blocking tactics
- Tire management over long runs
- Precision through banked turns
Conversely, road course racing requires heavy braking in sharp turns and acceleration management out of the corners. Some elevation points present blind hills, with quick downhills immediately afterward, such as those on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Drivers face intense, reversing G-forces, which differs from the sustained G-forces in one direction and to one side on the ovals. Anyone who has played driving-focused video games like the old classic Pole Position or newer options such as Forza has experienced the twisty turns of road courses virtually.
Road course racing requires:
- Heavy braking zones
- Acceleration control out of corners
- Elevation management
- Adaptation to blind crests
Road courses, as the less-common type of stock car event, tend to shake up the points order. It’s a way for NASCAR organizers to keep the competition interesting over the arc of the season.
03
What it’s like to watch an oval vs. a road course
Connor Zilisch at EchoPark Speedway, a quad-oval track
© Daylon Barr / Red Bull Content Pool
During a road course race, there’s not much room to maneuver. Contact between competitors is common and stress levels are high. Take the 1.99-mile Sonoma Raceway, for example. This iconic road course is famous for built-in drama and unpredictability, and its elevation changes and beautiful views make for raw and thrilling racing.
During a road course race, there’s not much room to maneuver on the track. Contact between competitors is common and stress levels are high, incubating built-in drama. Take the 1.99-mile Sonoma Raceway, for example. This iconic road course is famous for its unpredictability, and beautiful views make for raw and thrilling racing for race fans. Boasting 10 turns and the highest elevation change of any NASCAR circuit, Sonoma offers a unique opportunity for those in the stands.
It’s a little easier to follow the live action at oval courses. Talladega Superspeedway, for one, is the largest, fastest, and most banked oval on the NASCAR circuit, and it affords fans lots of options for entertainment. There are the grandstands, of course, where a seat near the start and finish line is a coveted spot. Hardcare fans plan to camp on site for months before the event, and they might bring in food or check out one of many vendor stands.
In any case, watching a stock car race is more interesting when you have a driver to cheer for. Pick a favorite, walk around and check out the course from various angles, and most importantly, have fun.