American Championship Car Racing - Types of Circuits

Types of Circuits

Further information: List of auto racing tracks in the United States

The American National Championship is notable for the wide variety of racetracks it has used compared to other series, such as Formula One and the various forms of Endurance sports car racing. The mainstays of the championship are as follow:

• Paved ovals and tri-ovals (e.g. Indianapolis, Texas)
• Permanent (or "Natural") road courses (e.g. Barber, Mid-Ohio)
• Temporary street courses (e.g. Long Beach, St. Pete)
• Combined road course (the IndyCar series tested at Daytona in 2006–2007)

Until 1970 the championship frequently raced on dirt and clay tracks, but all such tracks were removed permanently by USAC before the 1971 season.

From 1915 to 1931 board tracks were frequently used for championship races, however safety concerns and cost of maintenance, especially with the onset of the Great Depression, and nearly all were demolished in the 1930s.

The Pikes Peak Hillclimb was a round of the championship in the years 1947—1955 and 1965—1969.

In 1909 a point-to-point race from Los Angeles to Phoenix was included in the championship.

Airport runways have also been used to create temporary circuits. The most notable used for open wheel racing was the Cleveland Grand Prix at Burke Lakefront Airport. St. Pete and Edmonton also utilize airport runways for parts of the course, however, they lead back to streets for the rest of the lap.