10 Top Tracks to Watch and Race On

Belleville High Banks, Belleville, KansasLocated in northern Kansas, this track is simply awesome. The Belleville High Banks is a 5/8-mile high-banked dirt oval. The track does not hold a weekly show, but rather five or six big events each year. The biggest of these by far is the Belleville Midget Nationals. With past winners including Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Billy Boat, the track has seen its fair share of great talent.

The town of Belleville has only 2,500 residents. But during the Midget Nationals the town grows to over 20,000 people. Last season was the first year for the World of Outlaw Late Models to visit the track. It was a great event, with both drivers and fans being entertained. The Late Models will be back this year on July 20.

Concord Motorsport Park, Concord, North Carolina With all due respect to Bruton Smith's 1.5-mile track in Concord, the place you want to race at is Concord Motorsport Park. Concord is a half-mile tri-oval with three distinct corners, and is extremely fast. Late Models qualify in the 15-second bracket on a regular basis.

The track's unique design creates extremely competitive races and the layout allows for viewing the entire track in any seat. It also has seen the sport's greats come through its gates. There is also an adjacent quarter-mile oval built for entry level divisions.

New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, New YorkSome might argue that this track does not deserve to be on the list. But how can this one-mile dirt oval not make it? There is an old adage that says, "If you can win at Syracuse, you can win anywhere." It doesn't have much banking, but when the 900 horsepower Dirt Modifieds take to the track they can reach speeds upwards of 150 mph. There is no bigger race in New York than the Rite-Aid 200 held at the track. The Rite-Aid 200 is a Dirt Modified race sanctioned by the DirtCar Series. It is a week long event that occurs every October.

This track isn't for the faint of heart. The World of Outlaw Sprint Cars used to go to this track, but such extreme speeds, and even worse crashes, forced the series to other venues, and the track was dubbed "the only track to be outlawed by the Outlaws."

Rockingham Raceway Park, Rockingham, North CarolinaA year ago, this track wouldn't have even made this list. The track sat desolate for the past few years after the owner moved the Cup dates to a different location. But thanks to Andy Hillenburg's recent purchase of the track, it's back from the grave. I personally have tested at the track (before Andy's purchase) and let me tell you, there is no track that gives you more sense of speed than Rockingham. It is scary fast! It is just over a one-mile oval with 22 degrees of banking in turns one and two, and 25 degrees of banking in turns three and four.

The track is now active and will host an ARCA race on May 5, when 50 cars will start, and a Hooters Pro Cup race in November. The track is planning on future events that will open up more opportunities.

Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, IowaKnoxville Raceway is the third largest outdoor stadium in Iowa. The facility is famous with race fans around the planet for being the "Sprint Car Capital of the World." The track has hosted races nearly every Saturday night from April through September since 1954 on what is the Marion County Fairgrounds.

The raceway is either a half-mile or 5/8-mile oval depending on where you're running. Yes, that's right, it is that wide! The turns are 70 feet wide and the frontstretch is an impressive 80 feet wide. The track holds 24,000 fans in the grandstands. And believe me, they pack it out for the Knoxville Nationals, one of the biggest Sprint Car events of the year.