Search
Close this search box.

What Is the Fastest Track in NASCAR?

Article Contents

Article Contents

Let us know what you think

Join the conversation on socials

Picture of Joshua Lipowski

Joshua Lipowski

All Posts

What’s Happening?

NASCAR is, has been, and always will be about one basic thing: speed. While plenty of things happen during a race, the fastest drivers, teams, and cars often end with the trophy, the big check, and the glory at the end. But how fast do these drivers go, and what is the fastest track these modern-day daredevils race on?

  • This list will examine every Cup Series track currently hosting a points race on the 2024 schedule. We will highlight different speed metrics from the Next-Gen era (since 2022), including the fastest qualifying speed from this era, the most recent qualifying speed, and the average pole speed to determine which track reigns supreme as the fastest track in NASCAR. We will rank the tracks from slowest to fastest most recent pole speeds.
  • However, we will not be discussing average speeds during a race. Races are often slowed down by caution flags, which take the average speed of the actual race well below how fast drivers were going on a typical green flag run.
  • Speed tends to vary across different track types, so we will highlight the fastest tracks across each track type, including short tracks, intermediates, road courses, and superspeedways. For more information on track types, check out the article below.

26. Chicago Street Course

  • Fastest: 90.618 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 90.618 MPH
  • Average: 90.088 MPH

The Daily Downforce is Hiring Writers

The unceremonious title of the slowest track in NASCAR goes to the Chicago Street Course, which is ironic given that it’s become one of NASCAR’s premier events. However, it makes sense, given the nature of the track. With relatively short straightaways, tight turns, and menacing concrete walls, this track is more about precision than pure speed.

25. Circuit of the Americas

  • Fastest: 94.696 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 94.696 MPH
  • Average: 93.779 MPH

While Circuit of the Americas has long straightaways, it also has plenty of technical sections that slow the overall speeds. The track is the longest on the NASCAR calendar, forcing teams to balance horsepower and handling.

24. Martinsville

  • Fastest: 96.151 MPH (2022 April)
  • Most Recent: 96.034 MPH
  • Average: 95.459 MPH

The slowest oval track on the calendar is also NASCAR’s oldest, Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville is the only current NASCAR oval track to never post a pole speed over 100 MPH. While the long straightaways give the cars top speeds of around 120 MPH, the right turns with little banking force cars to slow down significantly.

23. Sonoma

  • Fastest: 97.711 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 97.711 MPH
  • Average: 94.000 MPH

Sonoma Raceway leap-frogged Martinsville this year thanks to a repave. Repaved tracks naturally have more grip, which leads to faster cornering speeds.

22. Charlotte Roval

  • Fastest: 103.424 MPH (2022)
  • Most Recent: 102.839 MPH
  • Average: 103.132 MPH

The Charlotte Roval combines a high-banked intermediate track with a technical infield road course, making it the second-fastest road course in NASCAR. It is a unique venue that produces a unique product.

21. Richmond

  • Fastest: 120.322 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 120.322 MPH (2024)
  • Average: 117.743 MPH

Richmond Raceway’s slightly increased banking and longer length give it faster speeds than Martinsville. However, the aging track surface keeps the speeds down. The summer 2023 pole speed of 113.689 MPH was the slowest since the track was reconfigured to its’ modern 0.75-mile configuration in 1988.

20. Watkins Glen (NASCAR’s Fastest Road Course)

  • Fastest: 125.298 MPH (2023)
  • Most Recent: 125.298 MPH
  • Average: 125.223 MPH

Watkins Glen was built to showcase speed. With sweeping esses, long straightaways, and fairly wide corners, it is the fastest road course in NASCAR.

19. Bristol

  • Fastest: 128.342 MPH (2022)
  • Most Recent: 124.994 MPH (2024)
  • Average: 126.778 MPH

Many probably expected Bristol to be the fastest short track, but that is no longer true. While the high banks make it the fastest half-mile track NASCAR races on, it’s not quite as fast as one other short track.

18. New Hampshire

  • Fastest: 127.113 MPH (2022)
  • Most Recent: 124.781 MPH (2023)
  • Average: 125.947 MPH

New Hampshire saw a massive dropoff in pole speed from 2022 to 2023, but we didn’t get a qualifying session for 2024. While it’s just over a mile long, the almost flat corners make the corners last ages, forcing the drivers to use more finesse.

17. Phoenix

  • Fastest: 134.389 MPH (2022 Nov.)
  • Most Recent: 132.655 MPH
  • Average: 132.517 MPH

Phoenix is very similar to New Hampshire, but the combination of slightly more banking and slightly wider turns means the drivers travel at a more consistent speed. The 2011 reconfiguration probably helped, too.

16. Iowa (NASCAR’s Fastest Short Track)

  • Fastest: 136.458 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 136.458 MPH
  • Average: 136.458 MPH

Yes, Iowa Speedway is NASCAR’s fastest short track. The partially repaved venue provides unparalleled grip in the corners, and the wide corners themselves lead to higher sustained speeds. It has officially overtaken Bristol as NASCAR’s fastest short track.

15. Gateway

  • Fastest: 138.598 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 138.598 MPH
  • Average: 138.230 MPH

While New Hampshire and Phoenix are technically intermediate tracks, Gateway is the first track on this list, 1.0 miles or more, that actually uses the intermediate track package. This gives Gateway the loosely held title of NASCAR’s slowest intermediate track, which is credited to its tight and flat turns.

14. Nashville

  • Fastest: 160.687 MPH (2023)
  • Most Recent: 160.354 MPH
  • Average: 160.485 MPH

Nashville Superspeedway is unique for intermediate tracks. The corner is slightly pinched in to shorten the track from the traditional 1.5 miles to 1.33 miles. This makes the track slightly slower than its’ cookie-cutter counterparts.

13. Dover

  • Fastest: 162.191 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 162.191 MPH
  • Average: 160.170 MPH

While Dover is not as fast as other tracks, it feels very fast. The high banks and long corners make this track feel like an expanded Bristol, but the racing product is closer to an intermediate track.

12. Homestead

  • Fastest: 167.411 MPH (2023)
  • Most Recent: 167.411 MPH
  • Average: 166.900 MPH

Homestead-Miami Speedway is the only cookie-cutter 1.5-mile track that is a true oval. Despite the progressive banking up to 20 degrees, the track’s tightish turns keep it below other tracks on this list.

11. Pocono

  • Fastest: 170.629 MPH (2023)
  • Most Recent: 170.039 MPH
  • Average: 170.220 MPH

Pocono Raceway is unlike any other track on the schedule. It has long straights that require lots of horsepower, but the flat corners mean drivers have to slam on the brakes, downshift, and finesse their way through the turns. Nothing tests a driver’s skill quite like Pocono.

10. Darlington

  • Fastest: 170.720 MPH (2022 May)
  • Most Recent: 170.124 MPH
  • Average: 169.793 MPH

Darlington is NASCAR’s original superspeedway (then considered tracks longer than 1.0 miles in length). The track has banks greater than 20 degrees, but it’s a much narrower groove with a slightly shorter, which keeps speeds down slightly.

9. Atlanta

  • Fastest: 178.844 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 178.844 MPH
  • Average: 177.855 MPH

Atlanta Motor Speedway is more similar to a superspeedway than an intermediate track despite being 1.5 miles in length. The restricted engines keep speeds below a few traditional intermediates, and the track’s length and lack of grip keep it slower than many superspeedways.

8. Indianapolis

  • Fastest: 181.932 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 181.932 MPH
  • Average: 181.932 MPH

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the same length as Pocono, but the four turns are much wider, allowing cars to carry more speed through the corners. This puts Indianapolis around the same overall speed as the superspeedway, with a top speed just below 200 MPH.

7. Daytona

  • Fastest: 181.947 (2024)
  • Most Recent: 181.947 MPH
  • Average: 181.654 MPH

If engines were unrestricted, Cup Series cars could run well over 200 MPH at this track, but the restricted engines keep things slower. Things have slowed down more in the Next-Gen era, with Daytona 500 pole speeds down to speeds not seen since the 1960s.

6. Talladega (NASCAR’s Fastest Superspeedway)

  • Fastest: 182.022 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 182.022 MPH
  • Average: 181.190 MPH

Talladega Superspeedway is the same story as Daytona, except it’s slightly longer and has a little bit more banking. It’s the same product with slightly faster speeds.

5. Kansas

  • Fastest: 183.107 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 183.107 MPH
  • Average: 180.556 MPH

Kansas Speedway saw its pole speed increase around three MPH in 2024 compared to past years. What exactly caused it, we don’t know, but it makes Kansas one of the five fastest tracks in NASCAR.

4. Charlotte

  • Fastest: 183.955 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 183.955 MPH
  • Average: 183.818 MPH

Charlotte Motor Speedway and the rest of the 1.5-mile tracks on this list have 24 degrees of banking, which allows for higher speeds. Charlotte’s average pole speed is close to 184 MPH, but the slightly tighter turns keep it below the other tracks.

3. Las Vegas

  • Fastest: 186.355 MPH (October 2023)
  • Most Recent: 186.355 MPH
  • Average: 185.204 MPH

Las Vegas also has 24 degrees of banking and slightly wider turns than Charlotte. The track’s pole speed has increased by four MPH since the first Next-Gen race in 2022, making it the third fastest in the sport.

2. Texas

  • Fastest: 190.369 MPH (2024)
  • Most Recent: 190.369 MPH
  • Average: 189.232 MPH

While Texas’ reconfiguration is controversial, it’s produced some incredible speeds. It’s one of two tracks in the Next-Gen era to produce a 190 MPH+ pole lap, and that’s down to the newish, grippy track surface, high banks, and long, sweeping corners.

1. Michigan (NASCAR’s Fastest Race Track)

  • Fastest: 193.382 MPH (2023)
  • Most Recent: 193.382 MPH
  • Average: 192.043 MPH

Michigan International Speedway has held the title of NASCAR’s fastest race track since it was repaved in 2012. The track saw qualifying speeds in excess of 200 MPH throughout the 2010s, but NASCAR’s recent horsepower reduction has brought speeds down to the low 190s.

What do you think about all this? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube.

The Daily Downforce is Hiring Writers

Let us know what you think

Join the conversation on socials

Share this:

Picture of Joshua Lipowski

Joshua Lipowski

All Posts