Road America
Discover the history of Road America, including NASCAR race winners for the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series, detailed track facts, and a full gallery of past race images.
Road America NASCAR Race History
N7390 State Hwy 67
Elkhart Lake, WI, 53073
800-365-7223
Road America Facts
- Surface: Asphalt
- Turns: 14
Accupredict Similar
Track groupings used in my driver projections.
Compare the degree of track banking at this and other groups of tracks.
Road America Trivia
- Outside of Turn 7 you stand eye level with the track surface and can look straight through the apex. From there you can watch the cars turn in, roll slightly, change direction and maybe even induce some slip from the rear as they make their way around. You're low enough to see daylight under the race cars and close enough to hear the tires. You can see the suspension at work, and pick out which drivers are committed, and who's using the curbs.
- The Carousel (Turns 9 and 10) is a great spot to watch and time the cars as they accelerate out of Turn 8, pass under the bridge, and arc gently downhill through 240 degrees of race track before passing directly below you en route to one of the most famous turns in motorsports "The Kink."
- The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Road America was on August 12, 1956. An estimated crowd of 10,000 braved terrible weather to watch the event. And in an unusual ruling, NASCAR limited the cars to 10 gallons of fuel at start the race.
- Turn 12 (Canada Corner) is a tight bend at the end of a long straight section, with amazing viewing angles. It's a great spot for overtakes and challenging for the drivers, who must negotiate a slight left turn under heavy braking, before making the sharp right turn through the apex.
- Turn 13 (Thunder Valley) is where drivers open the throttle to blast through a section named for the way the engine sounds reverberate against the forest and signage.
- Turn 5 ranks among Road America's top vantage points. The tight corner is a prime overtaking spot and leads to the dramatic climb up to Turn 6.
Road America History
Road America is a permanent road course. It is located midway between the cities of Milwaukee and Green Bay, and classified as an FIA Grade Two circuit. The track is situated on 640 acres near the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. It has hosted races since September 1955 and currently hosts over 400 events a year. Of its annual events, 9 major weekends are open to the public which include 3 motorcycle events including the MotoAmerica (AMA FIM) series, 3 vintage car events, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events, the United Sports Car Racing Series, the Pirelli World Challenge, the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Road America is one of only a handful of road circuits in the world maintaining its original configuration being 4.048 miles in length with 14 turns. The track features many elevation changes, along with a long front stretch where speeds approaching 200 mph may be reached. One of the best known features of this course is a turn on the backside known as "the kink".
Road America's open seating allows spectators to venture throughout the grounds. Grandstands are available in several locations, as well as permanent hillside seating where crowds of more than 150,000 can be accommodated.
Road America is big business, attracting 800,000 visitors a year from every corner of the world. Economic impact studies show that Road America, its events and visitors generate more than $70 million dollars annually each year. Over 425 events are held annually at Road America, often running multiple activities on the same day incorporating the four-mile track, the interior Road America Motorplex and the beautiful grounds surrounding the facility.
Source: Wikipedia