Twice a year for races in the NEXTEL cup series, the NASCAR road show moves to two of the best auto racetracks in the country, where drivers and car skills will be tested to the ultimate limit. What sets these tracks apart from the others is that these are the road courses.

WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

Set on the edge of a small village in upstate New York, and resting amongst beautiful scenery with grey hills in the background is the Watkins Glen International road course racetrack. Famed for holding the fist post World War 11 auto-racing event in the US in October 1948, a race for which they stopped the local trains, Watkins celebrates its sixtieth anniversary in 2008. As you can imagine there will be a host of celebratory events to mark the occasion, including a race of vintage machines.

Watkins fist hosted one of NASCAR's top races back in 1957, a race that was won by Buck Baker. However, it is only since 1986 that the course has been an annual host to the series. Watkins is an undulating and twisting track of 2.54 miles for the road course. From the start-finish position which is elevated at 1560 feet, the drivers have to twist and turn their way through left and right hand bends as the track drops sharply to 1460' to take the left hand bend at the loop before climbing again to over 1500 feet as they scream through the back straight. Then it is sharp braking and tail-gating as the track falls downhill again to 1460 feet and they juggle for position through the esses before they begin the climb back up again and sweep around the Ninety to race for the finish line.

Watkins is a truly amazing spectacle of racing through eleven turns with banking of between 6 and 11 degrees.

INFINEON RACEWAY

Just half an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge and set amongst the spectacular natural beauty of the hills and valley's that are the Sonoma wine region, is the second of the NEXELL cup series road course tracks, the Infineon Raceway. Originally a 2.52-mile track, Infineon was built in 1968 on a woodland site. With its twists and turns as the track meanders its way through the countryside, especially the tight corner at turn eleven, drivers certainly know that they have been in a race at this track. Like Watkins, there are left and right hand turns for the cars to negotiate, so the mechanics must get the car settings just right. The NEXELL cup record for the most laps completed at this beautiful circuit is 1548 out of 1554 over 17 races by Michael Waltrip and with over $1.5 million dollars in prize money Jeff Gordon is the top money winner so far.

Over the years there have been a lot of alterations made to the track, with the result that its length has been shortened since 2005 to 1.99 mile. However, with a winding circuit that offers sweeping bends and curves rather than a properly defined straight, the drivers have no time to become complacent as, before they know it, yet another twist or turn is upon them. What makes this track so interesting is that it the one track in the series where driver and machine have to compete with the surprises that the track has to offer as well as racing against each other.

Whilst the oval tracks have their special and thrilling points, especially in terms of the speed racing, these road tracks, with their unique differences in design, style and racing approach, offer that something extra for fans and participants alike.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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