Talk:Oval track racing

Raceway, Speedway, Superspeedway
just a question: what is the difference between maybe they could be explained more detailed?
 * Raceway
 * Speedway
 * Superspeedway

all the best, --menphrad 11:20, 11 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Raceway is just a general name for a track. For example, Virgina International Raceway is a road course.  Superspeedway has it's own article.  Speedway is normally just used as a name, but could describe a one mile oval.Mustang6172 08:18, 30 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Generally, a superspeedway refers to only Daytona and Talladega (and any other high-banked tracks that may be added at least 2 miles in length). Speedways are all other tracks 1 mile or longer, including flat long tracks. Pocono, Indy, California and Michigan belong in that category. CrazyC83 (talk) 22:57, 27 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Who's definitions are these? I know these are the categories that NASCAR uses to distinguish their tracks, but I don't know of any other source outside of NASCAR that recognizes these tracks as such. Modor (talk) 14:26, 28 August 2008 (UTC)Modor

Page title
The title of this page suggests the page should be about the dedicated road, not the discipline of motor racing. The discipline should be covered either in a separate section of the article, or at Oval track racing. After all, when the discipline is referred to as "oval track", that is an abbreviation, whereas oval track is the correct full name for something like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for example. Tbone762 12:46, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Merger proposal
I would much rather see one article of a decent size about ovals that includes superspeedways and rovals than the three stubby articles that we have now. It's fragmented and at this time, there is a lack of material (that may change one day, of course, but de-mergers are easy). Short tracks, etc. deserve their own articles as they have now, because they are much bigger individual subjects in their own right. Thoughts?  Adrian  M. H.  23:11, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Yep, one article is the way to go IMO. Most Rovals are also primarily Ovals and all SS's are classed as ovals so having one article of decent length makes more sense than bits here and there. AlexJ 23:29, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Well I'm all for merging this article with superspeedway, and maybe even short tracks. I think rovals are different enough to justify a separate article.  I have been considering ways to expand this article by adding some of the criticisms of ovals related to driver skill and safety.Mustang6172 03:31, 18 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Short track racing has a distinct history to it that would make it inappropriate to include in any merger. However, how are rovals a sufficiently distinct and complex subject to warrant a separate article, particularly at this time? Remember that what we have now is only enough to fill a section and if that ever changes (of which I am doubtful right now) then it is easy to fork it off over the redirect, using the main style that I proposed for boardtrack, dirt, etc.  Adrian M. H.  17:21, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

Weasel word usage
"Some pundits" claiming the supercession of Daytona over Indianapolis; while such is true (that some believe it), the emotional reaction it can draw from many fans (personally attesting to this myself, in fact) lends to my requesting that these individuals be identified, along with any who might disagree...or, the removal of the passage entirely from the article. --Chr.K. (talk) 07:26, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

Nelson Speedway
Dale Ewers is mint —Preceding unsigned comment added by Black zomby (talk • contribs) 02:13, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Do ovals really have to have corners in only one direction?
I know a couple tracks such as the former Trenton Speedway which were considered ovals yet had a considerable right kink/dogleg in a straight. Other examples are Lydden Hill Race Circuit in the UK which the European Late Model Series uses and the former Autodromo Sitges Terramar in Spain, still very well visible on Google Earth. This makes me wonder whether the introduction of the article is really correct.

On the other hand there are roadcourses with corners in only one direction too so maybe more could be said about these borderline cases. Quintinohthree (talk) 21:23, 9 July 2010 (UTC)

Oval skills
I think the article needs to reflect more that only the USA is racing on ovals. They had the chance to be respectable with the Champcar-Worldseries where the tracks area real challange with street circuits and proper circuits but all they do is watch Nascar where there is NO skill involved. Really name ANY other country in the whole world who does that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.138.215.228 (talk) 23:18, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

Definition of Rovals wrong
It's not an incorporated road course, it's an oval where the turns are flatter and similar to what you'd get on a road course; for example, Jacarapagua oval circuit in Brazil was refered to as one because it's left corners were flat and required heavy braking (regardless of the GP circuit..). Example 2, Pocono Raceway is referred to as a Roval because of the unique characteristics of it's flat corners, it even says this in the wikipedia article itself on Pocono. I've heard commentators refer to these ovals in such a way because of those characteristics, not Daytona, for example, because it also happens to have a road course... Either fix this article to reflect the correct, universal definition, or fix the Pocono article to reflect the current definition in this article, because they contradict each other. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.175.28.71 (talk) 07:37, 9 October 2012 (UTC)


 * The definition of roval is correct. That there are multiple definitions for roval does not mean that the one you are saying is wrong is wrong, since it is used that way, so it is so. Charlotte's new ROVAL is a road + oval. -- 65.94.169.56 (talk) 17:17, 27 May 2017 (UTC)

Picture update for Charlotte Motor Speedway image?
In 2018, Charlotte Motor Speedway's road course was rebuilt to host the MENCS Charlotte Roval race. I noticed that the picture of CMS shown in the "Combined road course" section dates from before the reconstruction occurred (that file's upload date was all the way back in 2005), and it probably needs to be updated. Ncfriend (talk) 16:00, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

Less Examples
Hello,

I think the track classification tables are overkill. There should be less graphical examples - one instance for each type of track. If you really want to mention all race tracks, then I suggest creating subsections for each track shape. Here's what I had in mind:

Example I

Example II 

Shape Name  Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin euismod metus in pulvinar molestie. Donec elementum velit nulla, et luctus justo lobortis sed. Phasellus vitae nisl non purus dapibus mattis. Nunc a turpis nec odio laoreet porttitor et eu lectus. Phasellus gravida tellus vitae neque eleifend, eget porttitor arcu porta. Vivamus aliquam nibh sed quam tempus fringilla. Morbi sit amet aliquet risus. Etiam sagittis laoreet convallis. Nam molestie lorem id luctus viverra. Nulla id velit non orci efficitur tristique.

Thank you


 * I move most examples in a additional table. --Mark McWire (talk) 17:09, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

Closed-circuit
"Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport"

What does this mean? Is there such a thing as an open circuit? Rally Wonk (talk) 20:52, 19 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, Drag racing or Rally is form of open circuit without performing lap racing.. --Mark McWire (talk) 02:32, 20 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you, I appreciate you replying but I strongly disagree. Do you have a credible reference of these terms being used away from Wikipedia?
 * I'm wondering if the term is related to having walls right on the track edge. If this is the correct meaning I think it could be reworded in the header.
 * Another potential trap is "open racing" to mean races/championships that are open to a wider spectrum of competitors than e.g. club members, etc. Rally Wonk (talk) 12:19, 20 October 2023 (UTC)
 * The term simply means that the races are run in the form of closed laps. No more and no less. This is not a physical statement of the track boundary. --Mark McWire (talk) 13:10, 20 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I have the understanding that a circuit is a continuous loop by definition. However, I see the edit you made and think it helps the average reader. Thanks. Rally Wonk (talk) 13:38, 20 October 2023 (UTC)