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While vastly outnumbered by NASCAR's extensive list of traditional oval tracks, there are four NASCAR road courses that run races each year. Two of the courses run Nextel Cup races while the other two run Busch Series races. The Busch road courses are relatively new to NASCAR and are its first foray into international races with one course in Mexico City and one in Montreal. The two cup courses are in Sonoma, California and northern New York.

Northern New York State is where Watkins Glen International Speedway can be found. Built in 1948, the course runs 2.45 miles in length and has 11 turns. A NASCAR Grand National race was the first professional race at the facility in 1957, and numerous other races were held over the years, including Formula 1. 1986 heralded the return of NASCAR's premiere series with Tim Richmond winning the August Winston Cup race at Watkin's Glen. The raceway was bought by International Speedway Corp in 1997, which is also the owner of numerous other racetracks including the Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR winners at the Glen include Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, and Kevin Harvick.

Infineon Raceway is located in Sonoma, California and is host to a Nextal Cup Series June race. With 12 turns and 1.99 miles in length, Infineon ran its first premiere NASCAR series race in June 1989. It boasts names like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, and Davey Allison amongst its winners. The 2007 race saw former F1 driver Juan Montoya win his first Nextel Cup race at Infineon. The track is also host to IRL and NHRA races. Built in 1968 and located 30 miles north of San Francisco, California, Infineon is an all-year racetrack with events 340 days and 50 weekends a year.

Mexico City is the home of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, an eight turn, 2.158 mile road course. The track ran its first race in 1963, but was mainly dormant from 1970 to 1985, when it was rebuilt. It experienced some setbacks in the 1990s and did not carry international races again for another ten years. Traditionally home to Formula 1 races, the course entered into the world of NASCAR by hosting its first Busch Series race in 2005. The inaugural race was won by Martin Truex Jr and was success, resulting in the track staying on the Busch Series schedule.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, ran its first NASCAR race in August 2007 with the NAPA Autopart 200 Busch Series Race. The 2.71 mile race track is the longest road course on the NASCAR circuit with 15 turns. Located on the Ile Notre-Dame, which is a small man-made island located in the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, the track serves as regular streets throughout the year except when a race is being held. The track is named after Gilles Villeneuve, one of the most successful race car drivers in Canadian history, and hosted its first race in 1978. Kevin Harvick won the inaugural Busch series race in 2007, and the overwhelming success of the event secured the facility a race in 2008, becoming only the second international track to host a NASCAR race.

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